ST. CHARLES COUNTY, Mo. — Missouri Gov. Mike Parson toured tornado damage in St. Charles County on Sunday and met with people whose homes and property were affected.
The role elected officials play in the aftermath of such destruction is comforter-in-chief. After a good night’s sleep, people affected by the unprecedented severe weather in the Midwest continued to tally their losses.
Parson said he is marshaling state and federal resources.
“The conversation with the President, yesterday, between me and the other three governors, was a positive conversation," said Parson. “He was saying they would do whatever they needed to do, whatever they could do from that level, to help all these states.”
Missouri State Representative Nick Schroer from O’Fallon, was asked about the unprecedented nature of Friday’s severe weather.
"From the Amazon facility in Illinois to victims in Kentucky. The prayers are with everybody who has been impacted by this,” Schroer said.
The stately 130-year-old Calloway Crest Farms horse barn, located near highways F and 94, was destroyed Friday night while five horses were in their stalls.
“We had so many people out here trying to help us get them out," said employee Employee Ashley Stephan. "We were able to get three out, alive.”
American Red Cross officials are on the ground, working in St. Charles County, in the short term and the long term.
American Red Cross-Greater St. Louis Executive Director Beth Elders said, “Our teams have been responding here in St. Charles County, as well as in St. Louis, in Edwardsville and in southeast Arkansas.”
Connie Kisker’s family is counting their blessings this holiday season. Her sister and brother-in-law walked away with their lives after their house was completely destroyed, while they sheltered in the basement.
“She got back down to the bottom of the steps and her house collapsed on her. The windows had blown out in the basement, there was debris flying everywhere. They were just trying to take cover," Kisker said.
One person in Defiance, an 84-year-old woman, died from injuries she sustained after she and her husband were blown away along with their home.
From St. Charles County, Parson was heading to Pemiscot County, in the Missouri bootheel, where there were also fatalities Friday night.