Storm rumbles through Bootheel

VANDUSER - Harold Graviett has seen a lot of rain and

thunder and he weathered the tornado of 1986 but

Wednesday's storm was unlike any other, he said.

The Vanduser mayor said in the few minutes the storm

blew through his community, it caused several

thousands dollars in damage. "It kind of caught us off

guard," Graviett said about the storm about 3:30 p.m.

Thursday in Vanduser, located just northwest of

Sikeston.

"The winds were swirling, like tornado winds rather

than straight winds," he said. Graviett estimated the

winds reached about 80 to 100 miles per hour.

During the 10 to 15 minutes the storm lasted several

large trees were uprooted. Two cars and several houses

were damaged by falling trees and limbs, the mayor

indicated.

Telephone service was out for several hours for the

community's 200 residents. Also power was not restored

to Vanduser until after midnight.

"It really came through quick. It was here and gone in

ten minutes," said Graviett. "This was a very unusual

storm for this time of year."