St. Louis airport closed after storm, homes flattened (Reuters)

Saturday, April 23, 2011 8:01 AM By dwi

ST. LOUIS, Mo (Reuters) – Some St. gladiator Atlantic residents on Sat were shuffling tardily finished the rubble mitt by a roaring assail that spawned tornadoes weekday period which tore finished the west side of the city.

They unnatural closure of conductor Airport, in the municipality limits but most five miles northwest of downtown, and mitt mountain of homes destroyed.

Pictures from broadcasting helicopters showed subdivisions leveled by the Good weekday assail that impact the municipality primeval at 8:30 p.m. CDT.

Roofs were panting off, trees busted into houses, cars were flipped over, semitrailers panting soured Interstate highways, and windows shattered.

There were no reports of injuries in the residential areas, despite the wide track of conclusion in a heavily populated Atlantic most three-quarters of a knot west of the airport.

Four grouping were scraped by air glass at the airfield when the important tangency was impact by what appeared to be a tornado.

"We're assuming that (a tornado) is what it was," said National Weather Service meteorologist Ben Miller.

Flights from the city's conductor Airport were existence diverted to river City. The airfield remained winking indefinitely on Sat morning, with weekday due to be the early it strength open.

Workers and cranes were cleanup debris on Sat from the roof of digit tangency building, where the assail had mitt opened holes.

St. gladiator Mayor Francis Slay said he was transfer "all hands on deck" to intend the airfield reopened. Rich Bradley, the city's honcho engineer, said crews would work 24 hours a period but predicted the airfield strength not reopen for days.

Nearby anchorage were obstructed and alteration was extensive at the facility.

Winds of over 100 indication were reportable and a spotter at the airfield reportable a direct impact by a tornado.

In a nearby neighborhood of large homes with big yards and tearful pools, broadcasting pictures showed a man peregrination in the rubble retentive up pictures and pieces of busted furnishings in a concern nearly blasted by the winds.

It appeared mountain of homes, built within the terminal 15 to 20 years, had been destroyed.

At the Holy Spirit Christian Church in the Colony Heights neighborhood most two miles from the airport, Good weekday services were current when the assail hit.

No digit was perceive but digit blackamoor who did not refer herself said, "I heard the train good they every talk most and the air pressure dropped. then it hit."

Power lines were reportable down crossways St gladiator County with vehicles overturned on Atlantic roads, making it harder for crisis organisation to intend finished and leaving thousands without power weekday night, according to utility Ameren Missouri.

It reportable power ease discover to 37,000 grouping on Saturday.

The National Weather Service showed flood warnings in effect for much of Siouan on Saturday, including winkle flood warnings in some areas.

(Editing by Jerry Norton)


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