Morehouse recovers from EF3 tornado

Photo provided A Morehouse resident on a Bobcat cleans up tree limbs following the May 26 EF3 tornado that hit the area. The tornado traveled through south of Morehouse and into Sikeston.

MOREHOUSE, Mo. — An EF3 tornado ripped through the Sikeston and Morehouse areas on May 26, causing extensive tree, building and electrical damage and killing one in Sikeston.

According to the National Weather Service, the EF-3 tornado began in far eastern Stoddard County, snapping a power pole on County Road 793.

Moving east-northeast, the tornado destroyed a well-built brick home just east of Morehouse, removing the roof and collapsing the majority of the exterior walls. The twister then moved into Sikeston, causing extensive and severe tree damage on the south side of the city.

Morehouse Mayor Joe Brashears said their town was fortunate not to have suffered more severe damage.

“We were very lucky,” Brashears said. “We had some minor damage, just mainly a lot of trees were down and we lost power.”

Brashears said after the tornado, city officials first barricaded the roads with downed power lines before cutting trees and clearing the roads.

Brashears said that most residents had no power for three days, but by Tuesday, May 28, around 6 p.m., all of the town’s power was restored.

“We had pretty minor damage,” Brashears said. “We had a few limbs fall on roofs of homes; some shingles that fell off, but as far as structural damage, we were very fortunate.

Brashears continued: “However, the city water plant (building) had some damage on the soffit, but other then that our small community was very lucky.”

Brashears said the roads are currently clear and they are in the process of replacing the blown-out soffit, but he is unsure when that will be completed. 

“No tree limbs are blocking roads anymore,” Brashear said. “Most of it is just tree limbs in residents’ yards that they are cleaning up.”

Brashears said if any Morehouse resident is unable to clean up their limbs, they should contact city hall and someone will come help them.

Brashears also expressed gratitude to the New Madrid County Commissioners for allowing the city to borrow a bypass pump during the period when their sewer stations were without electricity.

According to Brashears, before the EF3 tornado hit the area, the city was able to obtain a grant from the United States Department of Agriculture for a tornado siren.

“We had just installed the tornado siren about a month before the tornado happened on Memorial Day weekend so that worked out perfectly,” Brashear said. “The fire department here in Morehouse was able to use that the day of the tornado.”