SW Cass County hit by storms
Posted By J.T. on June 24, 2009
From the Pleasant Hill Times:
The Drexel community in extreme southwestern Cass County last week began digging out from under debris left when high winds ripped off roofs, uprooted trees, downed power lines and caused other extensive damage in the small town.
Fortunately, no one was reported to have been injured in the severe storm.
The National Weather Service Forecast Office in Pleasant Hill said large supercell thunderstorms developed across central Kansas the afternoon of Monday, June 15, and began to lift to the northeast toward eastern Kansas and western Missouri.
The incredibly strong winds dropped to the surface from Beagle to Fontana on the Kansas side of the state line and blew into Drexel and Adrian in Missouri.
The line of thunderstorms hit Drexel shortly after 11 p.m. that night with winds reported at 90 to 100 miles an hour.
“While these storms were not tornadic in nature,” a Weather Service report said, ”the strong wind speeds correlate comparably to the strength of an EF-1 rated tornado.
In Drexel, a number ofbuildings were damaged and many others had roofs blown off by the wind. Dozens of trees were downed throughout the community.
Drexel fire chief William Harper told the Associated Press the day after the storm that the city’s main concern was getting power restored to the city’s nearly 1,100 residents. “We were able to get the sirens sounded in town and people took cover and hunkered down,” Chief Harper said. “We were very fortunate.”
Mabel Lee, 81, said the blowing wind and thunder awakened her even though her home was not damaged.
“I didn’t even look outside because I was afraid it might rip up the apartment,” she said.
The VFW Post in downtown Drexel was badly damaged by wind and rain. A VFW member helping clean up the day after the storm said the high winds blew in the large back door and when it did, lit ifted the metal roof off the building.
Volunteers spent the next day removing rain-soaked tables, chairs and other furnishings from the VFW Post. A bingo game scheduled for later in the week was cancelled. The American Red Cross of Greater Kansas City opened a shelter last week in the Drexel Community Center to temporarily house people affected by the severe storm.
Red Cross volunteers drove an emergency response vehicle stocked with breakfast items to help feed storm victims and people working in the cleanup effort. The Red Cross also sent its mobile emergency aid station stocked with food and water to Drexel.
The Weather Service said a second line of severe thunderstorms blew through the southern portions of the Kansas City metropolitan area early that Tuesday morning producing estimated winds of 60 miles an hour and greater from Desoto and Olathe on the Kansas side of the state line and east towards Lee’s Summit in Missouri.
While wind damage was not as significant as it was around Drexel and Adrian, several reports of trees and power line damage were reported.
Closer to home High winds uprooted a tree on Parris Road east of Pleasant Hill the night of the storm Mike and Cindy Parris had gone to bed last thinking there might be a storm and were awakened at about 11:30 p.m. when the electricity went off.
Cindy said she got up and noticed the storm had intensified. “It was so noisy; I thought we were in a tornado,” she said.
Within minutes, an over 100- year-old tree was blown onto the roof over their bedroom and removed a corner of the house. When Mike heard the noise, he was able to roll out of bed and seek safety in the bathroom just before sheetrock and debris landed on the bed.
They have put a tarp over the roof and are living in the rest of the house while repairs are being made.
“We worked all weekend cleaning the debris from the yard,” she said. Professional cleaners are drying areas which were affected by the water damage.
“In spite of “being in a mess,” Cindy concluded that this is just stuff and the family is all right.
“We feel lucky,” said Cindy. One son Ryan was home during the storm. Another son, Russell, will be home in a couple of weeks after being discharged from the military.
Editor’s note—the Associated Press, National Weather Service and Times staff writer Betty Beason contributed to this story.
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