Storm blows roof off Phelps County business
UPDATE 10:00 p.m.
Damage has been reported to a handful of businesses around Rolla and flooding also caused some headaches for drivers during the evening commute.
The storm damaged the Stuckey's in Phelps County right off Interstate 44 where part of the roof of the building collapsed.
When the roof collapsed, Doolittle Fire Chief Brandon Williams of the Doolittle Rural Fire Protection District says that there were people inside but no one got hurt.
Stuckey’s remains open after the collapse.
Chief Williams says it's safe to be inside since the roof broke away from the original structure.
He says the Phelps County Sheriff's Office, EMS and the Missouri State Highway Patrol all responded to the scene.
Chief Williams did tell me there are reports of trees uprooted in the area along with home damage and several barns having severe damage.
Chief Williams also said the Doolittle Rural Fire Protection District responded to a lot of water rescues and wants drivers to remember to turn around if they see a flooded road.
UPDATE 7:10 p.m.
Doolittle Fire Chief Brandon Williams says a home is damaged and barns are destroyed/severely damaged around the city of Duke.
Williams also says other Phelp County agencies responded to a lot of water rescues.
UPDATED 5:37 p.m.
Phelps County Emergency Management Agency is reporting that deputies, fire personnel, and county road crews are checking southern Phelps County for damage and blocked roadways.
ABC 17 News crew is reporting Route Y is flooded in Phelps County.
ORIGINAL REPORTING 4:28 p.m.
A strong storm touched off a tornado warning and took out power to hundreds of rural cooperative members in south-central Missouri on Thursday afternoon.
More than 1,200 Intercounty Electric Cooperative members were without power, most of them in Phelps, Dent and Texas counties. Nearly 70 Gasosage cooperative members were without power at about 4 p.m., as well. The National Weather Service reported wind damage to a Phelps County home and 0.7-inch hail in Rolla.
The Rolla Police Department also reported trees and power lines down south of the city. Rolla Fire and Rescue reported flooding in the city.
The tornado warning expired at 4 p.m. The full extent of damage from the storms was not immediately clear.
Check back for updates to this developing story.
