Assessment puts number of tornado-destroyed homes at 42; 690 volunteers report for duty

PERRYVILLE, Mo. — Perry County Emergency Management completed an assessment for the Perryville tornado Thursday, and the damage was worse than original estimates.

All told, 110 single-family homes were damaged, 42 were destroyed, 12 sustained major damage, and 56 sustained minor damage, according to emergency-management coordinator Hank Voelker.

A day earlier, authorities put the number of structures destroyed at about 30.

One mobile home was damaged, two businesses were destroyed, and another business received minor damage, Voelker said.

Emergency responders searched 180 homes Tuesday night and Wednesday morning, but not all of those homes were damaged, Voelker said.

Many had damaged fences, shops or sheds, but damage was assessed only to livable structures, Voelker said.

Perry County Emergency Management will submit the damage assessment to the Missouri State Emergency Management agency, Voelker said.

He said state or federal disaster relief would be unlikely before Gov. Eric Greitins declares a state of emergency.

Voelker added a majority of the people affected by the tornado had home insurance.

Most home-insurance policies offer temporary living arrangements, in hotels or short-term rental properties, if a person’s house is made unlivable by damage.

American Family Insurance, which has an office in Perryville, represents about 20 people who made claims after damage, although the damage varied, spokeswoman Linda Wagener said.

Many policies also offer victims food and clothing reimbursements, Wagener said.

“Always save all receipts,” she said. “We’re here to help. That’s why we do what we do.”

State Farm, which has an office in Perryville, had between six and 12 clients make claims after tornado damage, spokesman Jim Camoriano said. There were more than 1,000 claims across the state of Missouri, mostly for hail damage, Camoriano said.

Glenn Naeger was able to use insurance to stay at Super 8 Hotel, although he was looking for a place to rent Thursday.

Even though his home on Moore Drive was destroyed, Naeger was able to retrieve most of his clothing that was scattered around the house.

His vehicles were totaled by the tornado, but he was using a family member’s extra car to get around.

Insurance in most cases would not help Jessica Gaulding-Debeaux, who also was staying at Super 8. Gaulding-Debeaux’s house on County Road 904 was undamaged by the tornado, but she did not have power.

Citizens Electric Corp. listed 166 affected customers in Perry County on its outage map Thursday afternoon.

The Red Cross will start case work, providing lodging for people without home insurance, at 9 a.m. Saturday. The shelter at Perry Park Center was closed Thursday.

Between 15 and 20 tornado victims were lodging at the Super 8 Hotel, according to a hotel general manager who did not wish to give his name.

Days Inn front-desk clerk Candy Anders did not know how many tornado victims were at the hotel, but she said there were quite a few.

On Wednesday, Days Inn was sold out by 6 p.m. — a rarity because the hotel is difficult to reach from Highway 51, Anders said.

Devin Huber was staying at Days Inn to help her grandmother Pat Huber, 83.

Huber’s house on northeast Highway 51 was destroyed to its foundation. The tornado also destroyed 10 of 13 grain silos on Huber’s property, leaving the other three unusable.

“It’s almost surreal,” Huber’s grandson Alan said of being on the property when the tornado hit. “It folded [the silos] up like tin cans.”

Pat Huber was staying with a relative.

Local farmers including Loida Ag Service, Rollet Brothers and Huff Brothers helped remove the existing grain at the Huber farm. Ten members of Christian Ministries from the Ava-Campbell Hill, Illinois, area helped sweep up debris along the Huber property. All the members were from Shawnee Amish Church.

“We pitched in to help because of old-time community spirit,” Daniel Swarey said. “I think America needs more community spirit.”

Volunteers were lending a helping hand Thursday all over Perryville. By 2:30 p.m., organizers at Perry Park Center had signed up 690 volunteers. Cpl. Jeri Cain said at least that many volunteers signed up on Wednesday.

“In a tight-knit community, we do tend to come together,” 13-year-old Aubrey Wortman said.

Wortman was one of several members of her Girl Scout troop who volunteered at Blue Sky Laundry, washing the clothes of tornado victims.

Girl Scouts and several adult volunteers washed the clothes of eight to 10 families Wednesday but had completed about as many orders of laundry Thursday.

Residents and businesses donated quarters and detergent to volunteers.

“We’re from Perryville — everybody helps everybody,” volunteer Kathy Bergmann said. “This is why I will never move to a big city.”

The Perry County School District was closed Thursday because emergency personnel still were blocking U.S. 61 and Route C to bus traffic, district communications director Kate Martin said.

The district will reopen school once the roads are clear, Martin said. Once school is open, the district will offer counseling services and meals to children affected by the tornado.

“Our teachers can’t wait to hug these kids, tell them they love them,” Martin said.

bkleine@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3644

Pertinent address:

800 City Park Lane, Perryville, Mo.