Woman killed after church roof collapses during tornado strike in St. Louis
“It’s devastating to hear that someone died from the church, and we’re all just trying to put life back together at this point," St. Louis resident Maurice Jones said.
At least 7 dead in Missouri after storms blast the heartland
FOX Weather's Katie Byrne is in St. Louis where a likely tornado struck and shattered a church. She has the latest from across the heartland.
ST. LOUIS – Seven people were killed after a tornado tore through parts of Missouri on Friday evening, with five of those deaths coming from St. Louis alone.
One of those lives lost was a 70-year-old woman who was a moderator at Centennial Christian Church, located in the Fountain Park neighborhood of northwest St. Louis which took a direct hit from the storm.
The tornado slammed into the church, toppling part of its roof and trapping people sheltering there under the rubble. Footage of the church after the storm shows parts of its roof completely gone and red brick from its walls littering the front lawn.
"It’s devastating to hear that someone died from the church," St. Louis resident Maurice Jones told FOX Weather. "We’re all just trying to put life back together at this point."
Some of the roof damage at Centennial Christian Church.
(Katie Byrne / FOX Weather)
DEADLY TORNADO OUTBREAK LEAVES AT LEAST 16 DEAD ACROSS KENTUCKY, MISSOURI
Dozens of other homes nearby could be seen without their roofs, exposing families to the elements. They were part of at least 5,000 homes in St. Louis that experienced some type of storm damage, according to St. Louis Mayor Cara Spencer.
"The area is just hard-hit from this, and I really don’t know how to recover from this," Jones said to FOX Weather Correspondent Katie Byrne.
Maurice Jones.
(Katie Byrne / FOX Weather)
Jones, describing the moment he tried to seek shelter from the storm, said his home suffered damage too.
"I went to the back of my house. My door was literally sucked out of my hand and at an instant I could see my kitchen roof falling down," he said.
In addition to having lost their homes, many families are struggling to find food as the storm knocked out power, leaving food to spoil as freezers and refrigerators could no longer work.
Drone footage of tornado damage in St. Louis neighborhood
Drone footage shot over St. Louis shows parts of the roof of Centennial Christian Church collapsed, as nearby homes had their roofs pulled off and walls collapsed.
For those whose homes no longer have roofs, they are in need of tarps to cover what they have left of their homes.
"It’s emotional. I don’t really know what to say but it’s hard," community member Andre Branyon said to Byrne. "This is hard right here. I can see what people are going through. This is hard."
He added that this is the first time he’s ever experienced this kind of devastation from a storm.
Andre Branyon.
(Katie Byrne / FOX Weather)
"I don’t really know what to say. I’m just hurt," Branyon said.
Over 34,000 customers in St. Louis County were still without power as of Saturday morning, according to FindEnergy.org.