MARBLE HILL, Mo. – Search and rescue efforts are underway in a rural community outside St. Louis after an apparent strong tornado caused significant damage early Wednesday morning.
NOAA’s Storm Prediction Center said Doppler radar indicated an EF-2 to EF-3 tornado was likely in progress along the border between southeastern Missouri and far southern Illinois, near the communities of Glenallen and Marble Hill in Missouri, at about 3:45 a.m. CDT.
Live Storms Media storm tracker Brandon Clement provided a first look at damage from Glenallen after the apparent tornado destroyed homes and businesses.
“The whole area has a lot of trees down, power lines down, a lot roofs off, a lot of trailers destroyed,” Clement said. “It’s a pretty rough area.”
Sgt. Clark Parrott, a spokesman with Troop E of the Missouri State Highway Patrol, told FOX Weather that multiple roads are closed in the Marble Hill and Glenallen area due to storm debris and downed trees.
Fire responders are currently going house-to-house, helping residents who might be trapped.
“There are multiple people that have been displaced from their homes at this time,” Parrott said. “Just because of the debris field, trying to get around the county is proving to be a little bit difficult, and the fact that it’s still nighttime.”
Parrott told FOX Weather that medical crews have been ordered to the area. He could not confirm any injuries or fatalities at this time.
Supercell thunderstorms were tracked across parts of north-central and northeastern Arkansas early Wednesday morning and then crossed into southeastern Missouri, prompting additional Particularly Dangerous Situation (PDS) Tornado Warnings for some towns in the state.