Posted on 02/29/2012 12:18:25 AM PST by FourPeas
Reports via twitter and storm spotters on WeatherTap that a strong tornado has hit Branson, Missouri. Significant damage reported in populated areas. Damage reported to Capri Inn.
Ooops, forgot to include that around the same time tornado reports were received from Kimberling City, Missouri.
(source stormspotter on WeatherTap)
Prayers for those involved.
from ky3:
At 1:25 a.m., a tornado moved through Branson. People reported roofs damaged, power lines down and large mature trees toppled in downtown Branson and other areas, and other damage, including the strip along Missour 76. One person reported damage and people trapped on Mount Branson, east of downtown Branson across Lake Taneycomo, and in Hollister.
Before that storm got to Branson, it did damage in the Kimberling City area. Five houses are reported to be damaged in the Joe Bald area. Power lines were down. Southern Stone County firefighters were trying to reach damaged areas.
At 1:35, the tornado was reported to be heading toward Powersite Dam east of Forsyth, and damage was reported in that area as the storm headed into Ozark County.
Shortly before 1 a.m., reports started coming into Greene County Emergency Management and law enforcement officials that the storm damaged a trailer park near Fair Grove and injured some people. That information was unconfirmed as of 12:55 a.m.
Also shortly before 1 a.m., Laclede County Emergency Management received reports of a trailer park being damaged near Bennett Spring State Park on the Dallas-Laclede county line. Dallas County Emergency Management had reports of damage south of Buffalo but was having trouble getting emergency responders there because of downed power lines.
That really sucks. Branson has become a serious destination resort town. It could be really bad.
A tornado on the ground was reported west of Branson at 1:15 a.m. in the Kimberling City, Indian Point and Silver Dollar City area. The system headed toward Branson, Hollister, Merriam Woods and Forsyth. Power outages were reported in Branson at 1:20 a.m. and a tornado was reported shortly after that to be moving through the city, causing damage to roofs, power lines and trees.
Reports at Twitter: “It starts at Blue Bayou and goes all the way down the strip”
Keep the reports coming. I can’t sleep due to friend right in that area. Thanks.
Twitter reports at https://twitter.com/#!/Made_Dad
Appears to be valid. Prior tweets report him in that area of MO.
Various eyewitess report Holiday Inn Express and Leisure Country Inn both hit. No casualties or injuries reported (yet?).
Made_Dad’s on-scene photos found at https://yfrog.com/h2z79bej
Praying for your friend.
Tulsa AM Radio KRMG Tweet
BREAKING: Multiple injuries, trapped people, power lines down, cars flipped, gas leak in Branson, after tornado. KRMG has reporter en route.
Blue Bayou Motor Inn & Best Western reportedly destroyed.
Reported that everyone OK at Best Western Inn
How far from Branson is Forsyth? A friend lives there and I can’t help but be concerned.
I’m also concerned about what this system will do in TN when it hits us later today. Our farm was hit by a tornado last April and we’re praying we don’t get another one any time soon.
Prayers sent for any and all who have been caught in this tornado. I understand all too well.
News slowly coming out. Most news crews & emergency help still en route. Time for me to sleep. Pray for Branson, especially the emergency services personnel who’ll be working through the night.
On KY3 TV I did not hear reports of damage in the Forsyth area, however they had their weather personnel live on the air with radar and new warnings and watches which being updated every few minutes.
Damage reports from the NOAA Springfield, Missouri office can be found at:
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/view/validProds.php?prod=LSR&node=KSGF
Hopefully they were closed at the time the storm hit.
I saw on TV that there was also a tornado in Nebraska, the first ever to be recorded in February.
Prayers for those affected by the MO storm.
the season seems to be starting just a tad early!
Thanks for the info. Maybe Forsyth was missed. I sent a “health and welfare check” email to my friend and hope to get an “all’s well” reply later today.
Thanks for the link. I’ll give it a quick peek, then it’s off to bed for a few winks.
Prayers
Oh no.
Dear Missouri,
Once again we stand with you in prayer and offer any help we can. Prayers up.
FoxNews/F&F just reported one dead, 13 hurt in the Branson area.
Some still trapped in damaged homes/buildings. Searchers going door-to-door to check on possible survivors and damage.
Theater area received damage.
Where in Nebraska was the tornado reported? I’m in Omaha, the sirens didn’t go off, but we did have 30+ knot winds all night. Our official tornado season kicks off 1 April.
Burger Shack on the strip
Oh no. We went there for our honeymoon (yes, we went to an old folk’s place).
Nice area.
I feel for those affected last night. I’m in South Central MO and have been nervous since Monday morning when I heard what was coming our way. Last night the weather radio went off around 12:40 am and not only announced high winds and possible hail but a tornado spotted just north of us by my buddy’s small town.
Nature is getting really pissed the last number of years. In this area it seems like 2 or 3 times a year we get wicked winds, rains, and sometimes tornados. I don’t think this is normal for here. How folks in KS and OK deal with this all the time I’ll never know.
In ‘09 I believe we had what was called an inland hurricane. Over 90 mph winds in bursts in some areas. I had huge old oaks pushed down all the property (loss of 30 maybe 40 trees). Have had a few other ugly storms hit since then too with tree loss.
Low volume ping list
FReepmail me to be on, or off, this list.
Just saw this. Looks like there could be some areas that are really hit bad.
Snapped off a few dead limbs here last night, but no damage. It sounded bad when it was going over. With all the destruction in Branson, it is surprising that there were not more injuries.
My sister-in-law and her husband lost one of their old time photo stores and another has water damage. *sigh* It’s going to be awful for them for awhile. Just breaks my heart. I’m so thankful they weren’t hurt.
I can't imagine how terrified the people in Branson must have been. I've never experienced a tornado, and hope that I never do.
It’s going to take the people of Branson a long time to clean up and repair the damage. What a shame.
It is a shame. Branson is a nice place. I looked at Google Earth to see what the ground track was based on photos of known landmarks. Based on that, it looks like it missed most of the area west and northwest of the Walmart on Highway 76. That’s where a couple of Ripley’s museums are along with the Titanic show and further northwest is RFD TV. The window damage at the Hilton was probably due to windblown debris. The Hilton sits geographicly much lower than the main tourist area. Still, it’s sad to see how bad things are there. The good thing is there were no deaths reported in Branson that I’ve heard of. They dodged a huge bullet in that regard. Prayers up for all those affected by this outbreak of storms.
I haven't heard of any deaths either, and I hope that there were no serious injuries. We can always repair and rebuild.
Prayers offered for your family. February is such an odd time for a tornado. Just before their busy season starts is really a bad time, too.
Thanks for the photos.
Praying for everyone who hs been affected by these terrible storms.
My office is in downtown Branson. The building was closed this morning as power and phone lines were down, and there was quite a bit of debris strewn about. I got down here about 3 pm, and my power, phones, and internet are working now. There was a some damage to the roof and some of the windows of my office building, but we got off relatively unscathed. I can see the Hilton from my window, though, and it looks pretty bad.
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