Weather Archives - Missourinet

Lone grocery store in southern Missouri town, struck by May tornado, reopens

October 20, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

A small southern Missouri town whose only grocery store was struck by a May tornado has good news.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Springfield issued a tornado warning for Hartville on May 21, 2019. They issued seven other tornado warnings that day as well (file May 21, 2019 map courtesy of NWS Springfield Twitter}

Hartville’s Town and Country Supermarket re-opened on Thursday, almost five months after taking a direct hit from the May 21 tornado. The storm caused the grocery store’s ceiling to cave in and windows to blow out.

Hartville is about an hour east of Springfield. The National Weather Service (NWS) in Springfield issued eight tornado warnings that day.

State Rep. Hannah Kelly, R-Mountain Grove, whose district covers Wright and Webster counties, says the grocery store’s re-opening is crucial to her constituents in Hartville, especially elderly residents and those without transportation. Kelly tells Missourinet residents have had to drive 45 minutes to Lebanon or 40 minutes to Mountain Grove to get to another grocery store.

Hartville has about 600 residents. There were no fatalities nor serious injuries in the May tornado.

Kelly has credited the Town and Country Supermarket’s manager for saving lives during the tornado, by huddling everyone inside the freezer. Manager Josh Dugger told Missourinet Springfield television partner KOLR-10 in May that 25 employees and customers went inside the produce cooler to wait out the storm. He said the storm “popped all our ears.”

The May 21st tornado also caused damage outside the Wright County Courthouse, where people huddled inside the basement during the storm.

Maple Leaf Festival organizers expect 70,000 to 80,000 on Saturday in southwest Missouri town (AUDIO)

October 17, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

More than 70,000 people are expected to travel to the small southwest Missouri town of Carthage for Saturday’s 53rd annual Maple Leaf Festival, which celebrates the town’s glorious fall colors.

The popular Maple Leaf Festival parade in Carthage is southwest Missouri’s largest parade (2017 photo courtesy of the Carthage Chamber of Commerce)

Carthage is known as the Maple Leaf City. While the festival is a month-long event, Saturday is the biggest day. Carthage Chamber of Commerce President Mark Elliff says the festival, which began in 1966 as a marching band competition, keeps growing.

“Back in the late 80’s I was involved in it and it was a big event then, but not nearly as big as what it is today,” Elliff says.

Saturday’s festivities begin bright and early with a 6 a.m. pancake breakfast, followed by the parade, the largest parade in southwest Missouri.

“It starts at 9 o’clock. Our goal is to have the parade over within two hours because you get beyond that people, I mean they love a parade, but they don’t love it more than two hours worth,” says Elliff.

The parade route is about two miles. There will be more than 150 entries in the parade, including floats and political figures. House Budget Committee Chairman Cody Smith, R-Carthage, will join Lieutenant Governor Mike Kehoe (R) in the parade. Elliff says Kehoe will be bringing a stagecoach on Saturday.

Chairman Smith tells Missourinet the Maple Leaf Festival is essentially a local holiday in Carthage. The town of 14,000 is northeast of Joplin.

Elliff says volunteers are key to the festival’s success. Carthage firefighters make the pancakes, while the Rotary Club cooks brats on the town square, for scholarships.

“We actually start in February of each year beginning the planning,” Elliff says.

Saturday’s events also include food vendors, funnel cakes, a lobster boil, 5K run and a car show. The marching band festival begins at noon.

Click here to view the entire schedule of events for the Maple Leaf Festival.

Click here to listen to the full interview between Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and Carthage Chamber of Commerce President Mark Elliff, which was recorded on October 17, 2019:

Parson: rebuilding collapsed railroad bridge in north Missouri is critical (AUDIO)

October 15, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

Rebuilding the heavily-traveled Norfolk Southern railroad bridge in northern Missouri’s Brunswick is a priority for Governor Mike Parson, who toured the area last week.

The National Weather Service (NWS) Missouri Basin River forecast center says backwater from flood debris caused a rail bridge to collapse in northern Missouri’s Brunswick (October 2, 2019 graphic courtesy of NWS Twitter page)

Parson says crews can’t even get to the area yet.

“We’re still just now now repairing levees from back earlier (this year), but the bridge is going to take a priority,” Parson says. “We’re going to try to get that bridge back up and running.”

The bridge washed out two weeks ago today on October 1, after a debris strike caused by heavy rainfall. Governor Parson tells Missourinet that Brunswick residents can’t catch a break.

“And we’ve been fighting this (flooding) since March 11 and still continue to fight it up there, and we’re just doing everything we can to try to help those people up there, but it’s tough right now,” says Parson.

There were no injuries in the bridge collapse.

Parson says his “heart goes out” to farmers in that area, noting that it’s been a difficult year with massive flooding. He says even when the waters recede, it will be a long way before things get back to normal.

The governor says state officials are doing everything they can to get needed resources to Brunswick, a small farming community between Carrollton and Moberly.

Governor Parson spoke to Missourinet on Friday, after a ceremony at the Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA) in Jefferson City. The governor reminded a Missourinet reporter that they had spoken about a drought in the Brunswick area, just one year ago.

Meantime, Norfolk Southern has suspended freight train service between Moberly and Kansas City along that route, because of the collapse.

Virginia-based Norfolk Southern operates in 22 states, including Missouri. Their website says they are “a major transporter of industrial products” like chemicals and agriculture.

Click here to listen to Governor Mike Parson speak to Missourinet’s Brian Hauswirth and Brownfield’s Julie Harker after an October 11, 2019 ceremony at the Missouri Department of Agriculture:

Corps of engineers pledges to work with states on flooding factors

October 9, 2019 By Ashley Byrd

An officer with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers says the corps is receptive to input from the states in assessing what went wrong this year to spawn the widespread flooding in the lower Missouri River basin.

Officials from Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, and Iowa are demanding more input into the management of the Missouri River and protection from future flooding.

Governor Mike Parson and some key members of Congress from Missouri have been critical of the corp’s priorities in managing the watersheds that affect their state.

Planning Section Chief John Grothaus in the Corps’ Kansas City office says there are lessons to be learned from this year’s floods.

Missouri men awarded for heroic efforts during 2018 Branson duck boat sinking

October 7, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

Two southwest Missouri men have been recognized today for going above and beyond to try and save tourists from last year’s duck boat sinking in Branson. Seventeen people died after a storm quickly swept in that July evening and caused the boat to plunge on Table Rock Lake. Marlin Matchett of Monett says he was on the nearby Branson Belle showboat serving as a first aid worker when the duck boat began to take on water and go under.

Storm that hit Branson during duck boat sinking known as a derecho

“The showboat wait staff and servers – they were trying to jump in the water,” says Matchett. “They were trying to don life jackets. I was hollering at them and told them to stay out of the water. It was too dangerous. We had about 10 foot waves.”

He says there were several heroes that day.

“There was not a person on the showboat that wasn’t trying to help,” he says. “Everybody was running to help. Part of my responsibly was to protect them and keep them safe. I was not only doing that, but I was also trying to rescue the people that I could rescue.”

Stone County Sheriff’s Office Sergeant Shawn Fields, who was working security on the Branson Belle, was given the state’s highest public safety award today. Missouri Public Safety Director Sandy Karsten awarded Fields with the Medal of Valor for jumping into the water and rescuing victims.

“In the midst of a dangerous, unrelenting storm, sergeant Fields took immediate and decisive action. Without specialized equipment, he bravely risked his own life by jumping into the roiling Table Rock Lake,” says Karsten.

Eighteen first responders and civilians were honored for their extraordinary acts in 2018 during today’s ceremony in Jefferson City. Missourinet will highlight their stories throughout the week.

Train service across north Missouri suspended, after Brunswick railroad bridge collapse

October 3, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

(News director Bob Ehle at Missourinet Moberly affiliate KWIX contributed to this story)

Norfolk Southern has suspended freight train service between northern Missouri’s Moberly and Kansas City, because of the collapse of the heavily-traveled railroad bridge over the Grand River in Brunswick.

Brunswick is a farming community, between Carrollton and Moberly.

The bridge washed out Tuesday evening, after a debris strike caused by heavy rain. Brunswick emergency management director Brent Dickerson tells our Moberly affiliate KWIX (AM 1230) that trains could be re-routed.

“I did talk to one of the (train) engineers and I believe that they’re trying to run the railroad tracks from like Mexico, Missouri around to a different rail just north of Marshall, between here and Marshall,” Dickerson says.

There were no injuries in the collapse. Chariton County authorities have set up barricades, to keep boaters away from the area.

“A lot of decisions to be made with the bridge, do they go up (or) down, do they move it a little bit or what,” says Dickerson. “The city is trying to work the best they can trying to keep everything open for them or if we need to close streets or whatever we need to do.”

Brunswick marine access remains closed for safety reasons. The National Weather Service (NWS) Missouri Basin River forecast center says backwater from flood debris helped cause the bridge to collapse. The logjam collapsed the train tracks.

Virginia-based Norfolk Southern operates in 22 states, including Missouri. Their website says they are “a major transporter of industrial products” like chemicals and agriculture.

Backwater from flood debris causes rail bridge to collapse in north Missouri’s Brunswick

October 2, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

(Program director Brad Boyer at Missourinet Moberly affiliate KWIX contributed to this story)

Authorities in northern Missouri’s Brunswick have set up barricades to keep boaters away, after rising floodwaters caused the heavily-traveled Norfolk Southern railroad bridge over the Grand River to collapse.

The incident happened Tuesday evening. Brunswick emergency management director Brent Dickerson spoke to our Moberly affiliate KWIX (AM 1230).

“Just before dark, the railroad bridge west of Brunswick, the Norfolk Southern rail line, their main line, the bridge has washed out,” Dickerson says.

The National Weather Service (NWS) Missouri Basin River forecast center tweeted Wednesday that backwater from debris caused the Brunswick gauge to rise. The logjam collapsed the train tracks. The NWS Missouri Basin River forecast center also says there’s been a significant drop in backwater at the upstream gauge.

While there were no injuries, Brunswick marine access has been closed for safety reasons. Norfolk Southern crews are working with Chariton County officials to to keep boaters away. Dickerson tells KWIX the barricades are there to protect people.

“So let the railroad have their barrier to work with, whatever they need to do,” says Dickerson. “And for safety reasons is the main thing, because we don’t know where the bridge went. We do know it went down, most of the middle sections did go down to the south. We don’t know if it’s there sticking up or whatever.”

The location is just west of Brunswick, which is between Carrollton and Moberly.

Virginia-based Norfolk Southern operates in 22 states, including Missouri. Their website says they are “a major transporter of industrial products” like chemicals and agriculture.

Missourinet has left a phone message at Norfolk Southern headquarters seeking additional information. We’ll update this story, when we get a response.

Flash flood watch in effect for parts of northern Missouri; severe storms also possible (AUDIO)

October 1, 2019 By Brian Hauswirth

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Pleasant Hill has issued a flash flood watch for parts of north-central and northwest Missouri, through Wednesday.

The National Weather Service (NWS) in Pleasant Hill says isolated tornadoes and 60-mile per hour winds are possible today across far northwest Missouri (October 1, 2019 map courtesy of NWS Twitter page)

NWS meteorologist Chris Bowman says communities in the watch area have already been inundated with rainfall.

“Some of the cities would be St. Joseph, Maryville, Bethany and up to Atchison County, Missouri,” Bowman says.

The NWS says towns like Tarkio and Fairfax could receive three to four inches of additional rainfall, by Thursday. Northern Missouri communities like Bethany, Princeton and Unionville received four to six inches of rain this weekend.

The state Department of Transportation’s (MoDOT) traveler map shows 58 roads are currently closed due to flooding, primarily in northwest Missouri.

Mr. Bowman tells Missourinet this weather pattern is not typical for October.

“We’ve got a lot of moisture streaming northward. You can just walk outside and right away feel that it’s humid,” says Bowman.

The NWS in Pleasant Hill also says severe storms are possible Tuesday afternoon and evening in far northwest Missouri, with 60 mile per-hour wind gusts possible and an isolated tornado risk. Hail up to one inch is also possible.

Click here to listen to Brian Hauswirth’s full interview with National Weather Service (NWS) Pleasant Hill meteorologist Chris Bowman, which was recorded on October 1, 2019:

FEMA aid approved for 82 counties and St. Louis after this year’s massive flooding

October 1, 2019 By Missourinet Contributor

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) granted Missouri’s request to expand its federal major disaster declaration to include assistance for local governments and nonprofit agencies in 14 additional counties and the City of St. Louis. This FEMA approval means help for 82 Missouri counties and the City of St. Louis to reimburse emergency response costs and repairs to roads, bridges, and infrastructure damaged in this year’s massive floods

FEMA’s action means more counties are now designated in the April 29 to July 5 disaster for the Public Assistance Program than in any other disaster in Missouri since the Great Flood of 1993.

The additional counties are Benton, Boone, Callaway, Clay, Cooper, Dunklin, Gasconade, Howard, Lafayette, Lincoln, Pulaski, Scott, St. Charles, and St. Clair.

On August 5, residents in six more counties became eligible for individual assistance: Callaway, Jefferson, Lewis, McDonald, Newton, and Saline. The deadline for homeowners and residents to register for assistance was September 9. Those approved for individual assistance have received more than $7,000,000

Former U.S. Secretary of State to visit to Missouri on Tuesday

September 30, 2019 By Alisa Nelson

Photo courtesy of Maryville University

Former Secretary of State John Kerry is paying a visit to Missouri tomorrow. He’s scheduled to speak at Powell Hall in St. Louis as part of the Maryville University St. Louis Speakers Series. He plans to talk about bringing people together to solve big problems and how climate change affects jobs and competition.

In 2004, Kerry lost Missouri as the Democratic nominee for president. Kerry served as United States Secretary of State during President Barack Obama’s second term.

The St. Louis event gets underway Tuesday at 8 p.m.