Tornado Updates

Hazelwood Editor Survives Tornado: 'I Never Got a Chance to Pray'

Hazelwood Patch Editor Candace Jarrett reflects on experiencing the EF2 tornado that ripped through Hazelwood Wednesday. Where were you when the sudden storm hit?

As I wrap up my almost 24-hour work day, I'm finally able to sit back and think about the fact I survived a tornado on Wednesday. You always look at media coverage and movies where natural disasters happen, and I don't know about you, but I've asked myself time after time: "What would I do if I were in that situation?" First, I would pray to the good Lord above. Second, I would whip out my camera and go into journalist mode. Third, when all the chaos was over, I would ensure my family was OK. When it happens, plans go out the window, kind of like when you deliver a baby. As I drove down Howdershell Road Wednesday night, slowing to a halt near Lynn Haven Lane because of heavy rains, I can't tell you much about what happened because I was in…

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Candace Jarrett

2:13 pm on Friday, April 12, 2013

Thanks Rick. I'm glad to hear your are doing okay also. I haven't seen you on here lately. They always see pets and babies can sense these sort of things.   more ›

Tornado Updates

UPDATE: Apparent Tornado Damage in Hazelwood, Reports Throughout County

St. Louis County Emergency Management reports a confirmed tornado sighting near Wildwood and emergency crews are staging for response in Hazelwood.

The St. Louis area is feeling the impact of severe weather which has been building across the midwest Wednesday, and has resulted in a Tornado Warning from the National Weather Service for much of the area until at least 8:30 p.m. The St. Louis County Office of Emergency Management tweeted that there was a confirmed tornado sighting near Wildwood and that circulation was spotted near Florissant. In Hazelwood, there were reports on KMOV TV that St. Charles County officials were being staged at Armstrong Elementary School for tornado response. For more weather coverage, check out our weather partners at FOX2 News. Additional notes: Have you taken any photos from your area? Share them with us, please, using the Upload Photos and Videos button…

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New Red Cross Tornado App to Warn of Impending Threat

The app includes a siren when a warning has been issued in the area and an "all clear" when the danger has passed.

March is Red Cross Month and the organization is launching its official Tornado App, putting lifesaving information in the hands of people who live in tornado-prone area, according to a news release from the agency. Sunday, March 3 was the beginning of National Severe Weather Preparedness Week, which comes on the heels of the one-year anniversary of the deadly tornado that ripped through Harrisburg, IL. Red Cross volunteers opened shelters and fixed meal sites and also drove into the demolished neighborhoods to deliver meals and help residents with their immediate needs, according to th news release. The new Red Cross tornado app—available in English or Spanish—gives iPhone, iPad and Android smart phone and some tablet users instant access…

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Where Were You When the Sunset Hills Tornado Hit?

Two years after the New Year's Eve 2010 tornado, do you think the city has bounced back, or is there work to be done? See what other Patch readers have had to say.

Tornado Sirens To Sound This Afternoon at 1:30

The sirens will sound statewide as part of a National Weather Service initiative to get people thinking about being prepared for severe weather.

Today is Tornado Safety Day across Missouri. The sirens will sound across the state at 1:30 this afternoon. The National Weather Service has designated this week as Severe Weather Awareness Week for Missouri. The service emphasizes everyone should have a severe weather plan. When the sirens sound today, schools, businesses, and government offices should practice what to do in case of a tornado. Individuals are encouraged to take part too. The Federal Communication Commission granted a waiver to the state of Missouri to allow the National Weather Service to use the tornado warning code on NOAA weather radio. It will be announced as a test. Each day this week has a different focus.

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Sunset Hills Commemorates Tornado Anniversary

Speeches and a flag unveiling marked the special day while members of the community remembered last New Year's Eve.

With blue skies overhead and the high topping 70 degrees on Dec. 31, 2011, the City of Sunset Hills commemorated a day last year when the weather was the complete opposite—Dec. 31, 2010, the day of the tornado.  Mayor Bill Nolan welcomed the crowd at the Sunset Hills Community Center, who included elected officials, community members and those afflicted by last year’s storm. “It’s not a memorial, because thank God no one was injured,” Nolan said. “And, it’s not a celebration because of the turmoil and stress and the strain that our citizens suffered because of the tornado can hardly be celebrated.” Sunset Hills citizen Jim Williams recovered an American flag after the tornado hit, cleaned it and brought it up to city hall. It hung in the …

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The Sunset Hills New Year’s Eve Tornado—One Year Later

City Alderman Dee Baebler discusses the city's relief efforts on Dec. 31, 2010 and beyond.

Dee Baebler had planned to go to a friend’s house for New Year’s Eve, and then the tornado hit Sunset Hills. “It’s still such a big thing in my life,” Baebler said. “Every time I see a story about it, I’m consumed with it.”  The neighbor, who lived only nine houses up the street from where Baebler lives, was hit by the tornado and had glass sticking in the walls. She called Baebler to tell her how bad the storm actually was. “I’d never seen shards of glass sticking out of the walls before; it was the strangest thing. That was the strength of this storm,” she said. After the tornado hit, Baebler drove to O’Leary’s parking lot, searching for a way to help. It wasn’t until she arrived at O’Leary’s that she realized that the storm had in fact …

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Sunset Hills Plans Tornado Public Remembrance

The event will take place at 11:30 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 31, at the Sunset Hills Community Center.

Sunset Hills New Year’s Eve Tornado—A Year Later

In the second installment of the series, Patch spoke with Ann, who was in the middle of the storm on Court Drive.

Last New Year’s Eve, Ann was at home by herself. A recently divorced mother of two teenagers who were at their dads, Ann was going to stay home for the first time ever and rent movies for the night. As she was sitting in her kitchen planning out what she wanted to renovate on her home for the next year, she heard tornado sirens. “I literally had the business cards to a tree person, a plumber, etc. on my breakfast bar,” Ann said. “I was emailing friends and wishing everyone a happy new year. I told a friend in Michigan that it was quite warm here for this time of year.”  Ann said that if her kids would have been home, she would have taken them downstairs. But, it was noon on New Year’s Eve. Who thinks there is going to be a tornado? “I then…

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The Sunset Hills New Year’s Eve Tornado—One Year Later

A series of five stories will look back on the storm that ravaged Dec. 31, 2010, and where the community stands now.

Almost one year ago, the Sunset Hills community was fresh off a holiday season awaiting New Year’s Eve. Katie, a wife and mother of two, lived off of West Watson Road in Sunset Hills. Little did she know that a quiet day with her children would literally turn into the calm before the storm. This is her story. Katie, her husband and her two young daughters were renting a house off of West Watson Road on Dec. 31, 2010. New Year’s Eve plans consisted of a quiet family game night at home. The family was going to cook chicken and make ice cream sundaes. Katie’s daughters were off on Christmas break and her husband was at work in St. Peters. “We had just gotten back from the grocery story and we were going to hang out and just go about our …

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