Residents clean up storm damage

CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. (KBSI) – Residents experienced turbulent weather Monday night when high winds, large hail, and torrential rain swept through the region.

One Advance couple was awakened to more than just thunder and lightning when a large tree crashed into their home while they were getting ready for bed.

“I was watching TV in the basement and my wife was upstairs getting ready to go to bed. The wind picked up and we heard a large cracking noise,” Advance resident Dennis Hitt said. “A couple of minutes later, another large cracking noise and it hit the house.”

While Hitt and his neighbors cleaned up in Advance, Kelso residents also suffered from downed power lines and trees being uprooted.

Power crews were out in Kelso to help restore power while AT&T technician Chris Uding provided generators for his customers to keep their services running.

“The power crews is in the process of rebuilding this leg. In the meantime, we have a battery backup for our AT&T products,” Uding said. “I am running my truck with a generator to power our cabinets, so our AT&T customers stay in service while we’re waiting for their repairs.”

There were no reported deaths or injuries with the severe storm and authorities have not determined if the damage was caused by gale force winds or a tornado.