Storms rip roof off Warrenton school, cause damage throughout area | News
“It could have been worse. I’ve lost everything before,” said Ted Behrhorst, 63, as he and some neighbors have a beer outside his home that was hit by falling branches from a tree on the 6400 block of Sutherland Ave. in St. Louis on Thursday, August 12, 2021. This is the second time in about a month that Behrhorst’s home has been hit by limbs from the same tree. Residents on the street have been complaining to the city for years that some old trees need to be removed, but no action has been taken.
Video by David Carson, dcarson@post-dispatch.com
Storms tore through the St. Louis area Thursday night, knocking down trees and utility lines, cutting power and ripping the roof off an elementary school and homes in Warrenton.
At about 6 p.m., the Warrenton Fire Protection District responded to a report of a roof collapse at Daniel Boone Elementary School on Vosholl Avenue in Warrenton.
Part of Daniel Boone Elementary School’s roof has blown off during storms in Warrenton @stltoday pic.twitter.com/QYqojKSKKW
— Daniel Shular (@xshularx) August 13, 2021
Department Captain Matt Dabbs said a large portion of the roof over the library and office had been torn away. There were janitors in the building, but no one was injured, he said.
The school wouldn’t open until August 24, Dabbs said, or the situation could have been much worse.
“It came out of nowhere,” Dabbs said of the storm that broke through in the early evening. “We saw it come in, but it grew faster than we thought.”
The department received at least 25 calls in about 30 minutes, he said. Several power lines were down throughout the area and roofs of several houses were damaged, but there were no reports of injuries.
“We’ve been inundated with phone calls,” he said.
At 10:30 p.m., Ameren reported that more than 80,000 customers across Missouri were without power, while at least 14,000 were without power in Illinois. Kirkwood and Florissant each had more than 200 people without power before 8 p.m.
Reports of damage came in throughout the area, with limbs, trees and power lines in some areas.
Ted Behrhorst, a resident of St. Louis, was out on Thursday night to quietly investigate the damage caused by fallen trees at his home at 6400 Sutherland Avenue. It was the second time in weeks that his house had been damaged by storms.
“Why this has to happen here, it’s ridiculous,” he said, acknowledging that the damage could have been worse. “I don’t know what to say.”
The National Weather Service had reports of trees fallen on power lines in De Soto, a tree blown down near Interstate 64 in Frontenac, and weather damage in many other towns in the area, from De Soto to Kirkwood, Ballwin and the Metro. East as the storms passed.
Photos: Evening Storm Sweeps Through the St. Louis Region
Contents
- 1 Photos: Evening Storm Sweeps Through the St. Louis Region
- 2 Severe storm rips across St. Louis
- 3 Severe storm rips across St. Louis
- 4 Severe storm rips across St. Louis
- 5 Severe storm rips across St. Louis
- 6 Severe storm rips across St. Louis
- 7 Storm damage at 5400 block Childress Avenue
- 8 Storm damage at 6400 Sutherland Avenue in St. Louis
- 9 Warrenton storm causes Daniel Boone Elementary roof to collapse
- 10 Warrenton storm causes Daniel Boone Elementary roof to collapse
- 11 Warrenton storm causes Daniel Boone Elementary roof to collapse
- 12 Warrenton storm causes Daniel Boone Elementary roof to collapse
- 13 Warrenton storm causes downed power lines
Severe storm rips across St. Louis
“It could have been worse, I’ve lost everything before,” said Ted Behrhorst, 63, as he and some neighbors sip a beer outside his home that was hit by falling branches from a tree on the 6400 block of Sutherland Ave. St. Louis on Thursday, August 12, 2021. This is the second time in about a month that Behrhorst’s home has been hit by limbs from the same tree. Residents on the street have been complaining to the city for years that some old trees need to be removed, but no action has been taken. Photo by David Carson, dcarson@post-dispatch.com more serious
Severe storm rips across St. Louis
“It could have been worse, I lost everything before,” said Ted Behrhorst, 63, after his home was hit by falling limbs from a tree on the 6400 block of Sutherland Ave in St. Louis on Thursday, Aug. 12. 2021. This is the second time in about a month that Behrhorst’s house has been hit by limbs from the same tree. Residents on the street have been complaining to the city for years that some old trees need to be removed, but no action has been taken. Photo by David Carson, dcarson@post-dispatch.com more serious
Severe storm rips across St. Louis
Matt Garascia snaps a photo of storm damage on his street on the 6400 block of Sutherland Ave in St. Louis on Thursday, August 12, 2021. Large tree branches hit Garascia’s car and probably added it to another car he owned after a storm a few weeks earlier. Residents on the street have been complaining to the city for years that part of the old trees must be removed. Photo by David Carson, dcarson@post-dispatch.com more serious
Severe storm rips across St. Louis
Updated
Matt Garascia snaps a photo of storm damage on his street at the 6400 block of Sutherland Ave in St. Louis on Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021. Large tree branches crushed the back of Garascia’s SUV and likely sustained it after a storm a few weeks earlier. also totaled another car he owned. Residents on the street have been complaining to the city for years that part of the old trees must be removed. Photo by David Carson, dcarson@post-dispatch.com more serious
Severe storm rips across St. Louis
Dark clouds from a storm front move west along South Grand Boulevard in St. Louis on Thursday, August 12, 2021. Photo by David Carson, dcarson@post-dispatch.com more serious
Storm damage at 5400 block Childress Avenue
Updated
Storm damage was seen on Thursday night at a home on the 5400 block of Childress Avenue in St. Louis. Storms swept through the region, knocking down trees and power lines.
Storm damage at 6400 Sutherland Avenue in St. Louis
A tree has fallen on a car and blocks the road at 6400 Sutherland Avenue in St. Louis after storms blew through the area Thursday night. Damage to trees and buildings and downed power lines were reported across the region.
Warrenton storm causes Daniel Boone Elementary roof to collapse
A team including Mike Brown Roofing struggles to repair a roof collapse at Daniel Boone Elementary School on Thursday, August 12, 2021 in Warrenton. The first day of school is scheduled for August 24, 2021. Photo by Daniel Shular, dshular@post-dispatch.com
Warrenton storm causes Daniel Boone Elementary roof to collapse
Two crew members with Mike Brown Roofing pull the roofing off the side of Daniel Boone Elementary School in Warrenton on Thursday, August 12, 2021 after it collapsed during a storm. The first day of school is scheduled for August 24, 2021. Photo by Daniel Shular, dshular@post-dispatch.com
Warrenton storm causes Daniel Boone Elementary roof to collapse
A team from Mike Brown Roofing assesses the damage before attempting to pull off part of the roof of Daniel Boone Elementary School, which collapsed during severe storms in Warrenton on Thursday, August 12, 2021. The first day of school is scheduled for August 24, 2021. Photo by Daniel Shular, dshular@post-dispatch.com
Warrenton storm causes Daniel Boone Elementary roof to collapse
Updated
A crew member with Mike Brown Roofing attaches a pulley to a section of roofing hanging from the side of Daniel Boone Elementary School so that workers on top of the building can pull it back into place on Thursday, August 12, 2021. Warrenton. The first day of school is scheduled for August 24, 2021. Photo by Daniel Shular, dshular@post-dispatch.com
Warrenton storm causes downed power lines
Updated
Vehicles carrying the Warrenton Fire Department will close Sunnyside Road to traffic on Thursday, Aug. 12, 2021 in Warrenton after the storm caused damage to buildings and knocked out power lines across the city. Photo by Daniel Shular, dshular@post-dispatch.com
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