St. Louis Tornado Strikes

A St. Louis tornado strikes and the city is slowly but surely recovering from the devastating hit Friday night. The tornado, said to have been one of the worst in decades to have hit the city damaged over 2,000 buildings and destroyed close to 100 homes.

The tornado caused a power outage that left almost 50,000 residents without electricity and over the weekend, over 20,000 were left without power.

St. Louis’ Lambert Airport also took a major hit as the tornado tore through Concourse C of the airport. Watch the surveillance video below as the tornado trashes everything in its way, sending the roof, broken glass, metals and other objects flying through the halls of the airport. In the background, employees and travelers are seen running frantically for safety and cover.

The tornado had done so much damage that the airport had to be closed off and all flights delayed. It took a day for the damage to be cleaned up. The airport officially reopened on Saturday with the first flight taking off Sunday morning.

Although the tornado reportedly struck with winds up to 200 miles an hour and devastated many homes, it has miraculously claimed no lives, and no one is seriously injured. It is perhaps because residents received warning of the tornado that their lives were spared as they had time to prepare. Governor Jay Nixon told reporters, “It’s just amazing that an F-4 tornado could come through a highly populated area with no fatalities. People got a 34-minute warning and that warning saved countless lives.”

With many people displaced from their families and no homes to go back to, Governor Nixon has declared a state of emergency for the city. He has also spoken to President Obama who has promised him full support in relief efforts.

Photo Courtesy of  U.S. Geological Survey