Bollinger County reports damage

GRASSY, Mo. -- A mobile home was destroyed and a nearby house sustained extensive damage from a tornado that touched down in southwestern Bollinger County on Tuesday.

Eldon Cowell and his wife, Charlotte, were at church when the twister demolished their mobile home on Route H.

"I had been sick all day, so I wasn't aiming to go to prayer meeting, but we both went," Eldon Cowell said as he looked over the scattered remnants of his home. "I don't think I would have survived this if I had been here."

Just a few miles away, on County Road 702, the upper floor of Larry and Brenda Leadbetter's home was demolished, leaving only a partial wall and the basement standing.

Larry Leadbetter said he was outside digging a drainage trench beside his patio at 7:45 p.m. when he saw the tornado approaching.

"I kept noticing the clouds building," he said. "I went in to get a drink and came back out, and that's when I saw it drop down. It was zig-zagging through the trees, and it sounded like a big engine in the distance that was getting louder as it approached.

"So I got my wife and dogs and we got under the steps in the basement; from the time I saw it until was over was about two-and-a-half to three minutes."

By Wednesday morning, friends, neighbors and relatives were at both homes to help with the cleanup and offer help. Red Cross representative Sue Brewer also spoke to the Cowells and Leadbetters to determine their immediate needs.

Funnel clouds were also reported Tuesday night near Route M north of Marble Hill, and large hail hit the area.

But the only confirmed damage was at the two homes near Grassy. No injuries were reported.

Eldon Cowell said he and his wife went to McDonald's in Marble Hill after attending church Tuesday night, when someone came in to tell them their home had been destroyed.

"We headed right on up here, drove up in the driveway and that's what you see," he said, pointing to the mound of rubble. "Somebody said there were two funnels."

Charlotte Cowell said she was thankful that all of her family was all right.

"I thank God that we're all still alive," she said. "We lost some things, but you can't replace your family. I also thank God for our neighbors who have come to help us."

Brenda Leadbetter said she only heard the twister.

"We both saw dark clouds, but I went in the house, and a few minutes later he came in to tell me to get under the stairs," she said, referring to her husband. "It sounded almost like two tornadoes because one passed over and it got quiet, and then we heard the roar again."

Both Route H and County Road 702 were blocked by uprooted trees that had fallen across the roadway. Crews from the Missouri Department of Transportation and the Bollinger County Highway Department cleared off the roads.

"We were working on it Tuesday night when another storm hit; so we finished it up Wednesday morning," said Vince Schreckenberg, Bollinger County road supervisor. "There were twenty-one trees blocking the road."