JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. – More than 80 people are staying in shelters in central Missouri after tornadoes ripped through the region.
Tornadoes caused significant damage overnight in Missouri’s capital city of Jefferson City and in Eldon, a town of about 4,900 residents around 30 miles (48 kilometers) southwest. The American Red Cross opened one shelter in Jefferson City and two in Eldon. Spokeswoman Sharon Watson says 50 people were at the Jefferson City shelter as of late morning.
Jefferson City residents had at least 30 minutes advance warning before the tornado hit.
Weather forecasters had been tracking the storm from Eldon. The tornado warning sirens first sounded in Jefferson City at 11:10 p.m. Wednesday. Police Lt. David Williams says they were sounded again at 11:40 p.m. after the first report of property damage in Cole County. The first calls about property damage in the city came about 6 or 7 minutes after that.
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson says he’s thankful there were “plenty of people doing everything they could to warn people the general public to take safety, and a lot of people did.”
