Caruthersville crushed: More than half the town sees destruction

CARUTHERSVILLE, Mo. -- Residents picked through piles of debris Monday, salvaging possessions and keepsakes as more than half of the town of Caruthersville dealt with the devastating hangover left by Sunday evening's F-3 tornado.

Among those taking inventory of the destruction was resident Ora Guy, a victim who had perhaps the best view of the tornado and its power. He rode out Sunday night's 200-mph tornado in his two-door Pontiac Sunfire.

Guy was in his trailer Sunday evening with his two sons, his mother and brother when tornado warning sirens were activated. The family went inside a shop behind the trailer first and then decided to move into the car.

"By the time we were in the car, everything exploded. The trailer and shop, they were gone," Guy said.

A car isn't the safest place in a tornado either. "The car shook real good, and things were banging into it," Guy said.

Guy's cousin, Eunice Blair, lived next door. On Monday, Guy's trailer was on top of Blair's house.

Blair wasn't home when the tornado struck.

"All you can do is grin and bear it. It could be worse," said Blair as she stood among the rubble.

More than half the city of Caruthersville was destroyed by the winds Sunday night, but no one was killed. Across the Mississippi River in Dyer County, Tenn., the human destruction was much worse. Fifteen people were killed Sunday night as a tornado ripped its way across the north central part of Dyer County, leveling acres of trees and causing major destruction to as many as 100 homes.

The names of the dead have not yet been made public by law enforcement agencies. The number is expected to rise as the severely injured take turns for the worse and bodies are found.

Sheriff Jeff Holt said a rough estimate of the injured taken to Dyersburg Regional Medical Center is "from 40 to 60." "This is massive destruction," said Holt. "Absolutely terrible. Trees down across the roads, electricity out, power lines down and people dead and hurt. This is awful."

Paul Britt, 42, died Sunday night when straight-line winds knocked over his mobile home near Circle City, Mo., in Stoddard County, authorities said. Another person was confirmed dead in Braggadocio, Mo., in Pemiscot County. The victim's name has not been released.

Caruthersville city attorney Lawrence Dorroh said 60 percent of the city was damaged by an F-3 tornado that swept through town at approximately 7:20 p.m. Sunday.

"It's just devastating," Dorroh said. Thirty-four homes and eight businesses along several miles of six city blocks were destroyed. Another 83 homes and businesses received minor to major damage.

Preliminary reports estimated the tornado was close to a mile wide, said National Weather Service meteorologist Jody Aaron. "It was a very large super-cell that moved through southeast Missouri," Aaron said. "These types of super-cells have a tendency of dropping tornadoes."

Dorroh said one Caruthersville resident received serious injuries from the tornado and several other people received moderate to minor injuries.

The Missouri Emergency Management Agency reports 26 people were injured in Stoddard, Pemiscot and St. Louis counties. Officials in Dunklin County reported 21 homes were damaged. Eight homes were destroyed near the Kennett, Mo., area.

Down the street from Ora Guy, Dorothy Mitchell stood next to the ruined Old Landmark Church of Christ the Divine and thanked God that the congregation attended a service out of town Sunday night. Part of the church's roof was missing, and debris cluttered the pews. "The Lord had us at a service out of town for a reason," she said.

Her severely damaged house was across the road. A tree fell into the back of Mitchell's house, and two of her sheds are gone.

"It's devastating. Such a loss," Mitchell said. "We're thanking God today, but it's a reality and we have to be realistic."

Memphis resident Don Hayes spent Monday sorting through his mother's belongings. His mother, Arro Hayes, was asleep in her trailer when the tornado hit.

"You look at this whole situation and think how could someone survive this? Well, this old woman survived," Hayes said about his mother, who was in the hospital recovering from a minor back injury.

Volunteers with the American Red Cross are in Caruthersville to provide assistance. The Red Cross set up a shelter at the Community Center and is expected to provide temporary housing for more than 150 tornado victims.

The initial damage assessment is that 800 families in Caruthersville will need assistance, according to the American Red Cross.

Gov. Matt Blunt has asked President George Bush to declare 10 Missouri counties federal disaster area. If approved, federal funding would be available to affected individuals and businesses in Dunklin, New Madrid, Pemiscot and Stoddard counties in Southeast Missouri.

Mutual aid from nearby city fire stations and as far away as St. Charles, Mo., arrived in Caruthersville late Sunday evening and early Monday morning. The Cape Girardeau Fire Department sent six firefighters and two support vehicles to Caruthersville Sunday night. On Monday, six additional firefighters offered aid in Caruthersville and returned at 2 p.m.

Gov. Matt Blunt mobilized approximately 50 National Guardsmen from the 1137th Military Police Company in Kennett, Portageville and Doniphan to support recovery efforts in Caruthersville.

Dyersburg State Gazette editor Chris Rimel contributed to this report.

jfreeze@semissourian.com

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