Winds blow down Missouri Capitol's last flag pole

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. (AP) -- The Missouri Capitol likely will be without flags for a couple of months after winds blew down its lone remaining flag pole.

The Capitol had two 60-foot high wooden flag poles on either side of its main entrance. Winds on Aug. 12 knocked down the west flag pole, which had supported the U.S. and prisoner-of-war flags.

After that, all the flags flew from the east pole, which previously supported the Missouri flag. But that pole blew down and damaged a tree as powerful storms moved across the state late Wednesday night and early Thursday morning.

The poles, which were more than 12 years old, had become weakened by water and termites, said Dave Mosby, director of the state's Facilities Management, Design and Construction Division.

After the first pole fell, state officials suspected the second pole might also be damaged and so ordered two new aluminum flag poles last week at a cost of about $39,000, Mosby said. It could take six-to-eight weeks for the new poles to arrive.

Until then, the Capitol likely will be without flags, Mosby said.

The National Weather Service's Web site on Thursday did not show any specific reports of high winds in Cole County, where the Capitol is located. But there were dozens of reports of high wind, tornado and hail damage around the state.