ST. CLAIR COUNTY, Ill. — Widespread storms swept across the greater St. Louis region on Thursday and left behind damage in several neighborhoods.
A confirmed tornado touched down in Kirkwood and lifted just northeast of Old Warson Country Club.
Downed trees and powerlines caused a big mess in St. Louis County, closing Spoede Road from Highway 40 to Clayton Road. Similar damage was reported in Frontenac, but there were no reports of injuries.
On the Illinois side, many St. Clair County homeowners found their yards covered in debris. Some also had damage to their roofs, with big chunks ripped off and scattered across their lawns.
“The power pole broke completely in two,” said Freeburg resident Connie Clark. “It broke right in half. It snapped right in half. The trees fell right on the wires.”
One man’s house will need extensive repair due to roof, siding, tree, and power line damage.
“We were running out the door downstairs and everything went that way,” said Freeburg homeowner David Bescheris. “I mean it just took everything, trees, toys. Whatever was in the backyard, way out there now.”
Another Freeburg resident, Amy Auston, said it was quite startling.
“It was a little scary, but I wasn’t going to leave right in the middle of it,” she said. “So as soon as I came home, I saw the little bit of roof damage I had, and my fence in the back is a little messed up, and my neighbor’s fence got really messed up.”
Ameren Illinois has activated its Southern Region Emergency Operations Center. Statewide, more than 6,000 people are without power, with the majority in St. Clair County. About 8,000 Ameren customers are without power in Missouri.
Crews with Ameren encourage anyone that has outages to stay away and call them or contact their local fire department. Crews will be working throughout the night.