TORNADO WREAKS MINOR HAVOC

DELTA -- Although two Delta area homes were damaged, most of that town and nearby Chaffee narrowly escaped a tornado's path late Wednesday afternoon.

Steve Graham, Chaffee's director of disaster preparedness, reported only minor damage Wednesday in the wake of a line of strong thunderstorms, which apparently spawned a tornado that touched down about two miles west of Chaffee.

"There was just minor damage in Chaffee, one or two trees down and some fences torn up, that sort of thing," Graham said. "We also had a tree down on a vehicle, but that was pretty minor, too."

But he said the city was lucky to avoid a large twister that he and a Chaffee police officer observed west of Chaffee.

"The tornado that we saw was on the ground about two miles west of Chaffee," Graham said. "When it was about a quarter-mile west of town, it lifted and went over in the form of a funnel cloud.

"But when we first spotted it, it was on the ground and was a very large tornado."

Graham said the tornado apparently swept through mostly open fields. A home in Delta and another about two miles east of Delta, however, were reported to have been damaged by a tornado.

Delta Fire Chief Carson Kelley said the roof was blown off a home, owned by Tula Waddle, on the east end of Delta. He said the metal roof was "completely ripped off" by high winds.

"As far as a funnel cloud or anything, I don't know, but it was just a real, real hard wind," Kelley said. "We got a report of seeing a tornado near Chaffee, but I don't know if anyone saw one here or not.

"Mrs. Waddle was in the house at the time, as far as I know, and she just stayed in. I think she was there by herself."

Volunteers worked several hours Wednesday to cover the house with canvas.

Another house, owned by Larry Hicks, also received major damage, apparently from a tornado. The home is located on County Road 249, about two miles east of Delta.

Hicks reported the twister removed "about half" the house's roof and also lifted the garage and rear porch roofs and leveled a storage shed on the property.

Debris was scattered throughout the home's lot and nearby power lines were downed, officials said.

Kelley said there have been no reports of injuries. He also said reports of other damage have been scarce.

Graham said the apparent twister arrived without warning, other than an earlier report from Bollinger County of strong thunderstorms that were headed toward Cape Girardeau County.

Graham said he and the Chaffee police officer decided to monitor the weather after they received the warning Wednesday afternoon.

"The dispatcher got a report over the phone that there was a large cloud west of town," he said. "I had just gone out to watch and see if there was anything coming, when we saw the tornado.

"It really gets your attention," Graham added. "It wasn't one of those small spirals, it was a big one. It lifted probably within a quarter-mile of our nursing home.

"We feel very fortunate that it lifted and the damage was limited only to the kind that you would have when a funnel cloud passes over your town."

Graham said that after he spotted the tornado, he barely had enough time to warn customers and workers at a nearby IGA supermarket to seek shelter. At the same time, the police officer warned nursing-home residents.

"It went through the north end of town," Graham said. "It's a populated area and it was close to a major grocery store that was full of people.

"As it turned out, there was very minor damage, a little roof damage, a tree or two down, but very minor. But it was close. I don't think you'd want it to be any closer."

Brad Small, meteorologist at the National Weather Service in St. Charles County, said the weather service at Paducah, Ky., issued a tornado warning for Scott County at 4:35 p.m. after state police reported the tornado moving east near Chaffee, about 10 miles south of Cape Girardeau.

A warning for Alexander and Pulaski counties in Southern Illinois went into effect at 5:07 p.m., Small said.

"Thunderstorms with high winds and hail were reported near Gale, Ill.," he said. "The line of thunderstorms produced a tornado that blew off roofs and downed power lines near Delta and Scott City."

Small said golf-ball-sized hail was reported in Kelso, and strong winds, torrential rain and smaller hail were reported throughout Southeast Missouri, Southern Illinois and Western Kentucky.

Up to eight inches of hail was reported on the ground in some parts of Southeast Missouri.