Tornado Wreaks Late Night Havoc

On April 25, Christi Phillips posted pictures from their farm on Wildflower Lane with the text “Picture perfect spring day.” Two evenings later, she was assessing damage from an EF-1 tornado that struck her neighborhood, sparing her home but wreaking havoc on the assortment of animal enclosures and felling trees by the dozens, many of them on fence lines.

Her social media post following the storm expressed gratefulness that their home, pets and livestock were unharmed. However, numerous animal shelters and a metal-framed greenhouse were destroyed. Rabbit hutches were flipped and a goat shed was overturned with the animals inside. By Tuesday, she and her husband Joel had accounted for one casualty among the 14 chickens, with a full accounting of 16 rabbits, 14 goats, 7 pigs, 7 guineas, 5 ducks, 4 beehives, three livestock guard dogs and a cat.

The tornado spun up around 10:30 p.m. as it crossed Highway 9 heading due east and began causing extensive damage as it crossed Hanover Road near Clyde Parker’s.

The Phillips farm was among the next in the path as it churned along toward Luber Road, which it seemed to follow as it stripped roofs from sheds, crushed barns and felled trees onto homes.

Randy and Vickie Sloan at 3636 Luber Road were huddled in a hallway with their son Stacy and his family, who had fled their mobile home thinking the frame home would be safest. Vickie said they entered the hallway just in time after the power went out and Mindy saw on her cell phone that it was heading toward them. She said things first got very still, then it hit. The front door blew out before the large red oak tree that had stood at the corner of the house came crashing into the living/dining area.

It was a hectic evening, but neighbors were soon out checking on them and offering assistance. They’ve had a crew of at least a dozen people helping clear the tree off their home.

The tornado seemed to follow Chalmis Taylor Road, which forked off of Luber, twisting and snapping countless trees through to the Foster farm where Jimmy Wayne and Keri were watching anxiously from their residence at the end of the road. All the homes on Chalmis Taylor were left intact, but most everything else was devastated, including barns at the Fosters. Keri said they didn’t realize at first how much damage there was, and how many trees were across the road. Soon, though, she saw a flashlight bobbing up the road as Steve Sutton made his way to check on them. Another neighbor also walked in.

Bickles Cove at the base of Freeze Mountain, Jensen Road, and then Petters Road and Harvest Lane off Iron Mountain Road were among the hardest hit areas, according to Stone County Judge Stacey Avey. The Davis farm and other locations on Bob Davis Mountain Road also sustained heavy damage, he noted.

Emergency Management Coordinator Glen Crymes said at least 14 residential structures sustained damage between Richwoods and Pleasant Grove.

As of Monday, all roads were open, Avey said, though much clearing and road work remained to be done. No injuries were reported along the 12-mile path.