Storm causes damage in Oscie Ora Acres area of Carl Junction

John Hacker, The Joplin Globe, Mo.
Updated ·2 min read

May 2—CARL JUNCTION, Mo. — A sudden storm that generated a tornado did severe damage to vehicles and at least two homes in the Oscie Ora Acres neighborhood east of Missouri Highway 171 shortly after 1:30 p.m. Thursday.

The National Weather Service in Springfield said it had reports of funnel clouds associated with a storm that covered a small area and moved off to the east-northeast from Carl Junction.

Carl Junction police Chief Mark McCall said the worst damage was concentrated in a small area along Red Oak Drive and Red Oak Loop north of Gum Road.

Nicole Turley said she was home alone at 138 Gum Road vacuuming when she noticed winds whipping around furniture and toys in her backyard.

"I heard stuff crashing and breaking while I was vacuuming literally right there, and I don't know how I didn't see it," Turley said. "I just ran. My storm shelter is under my garage, and when I heard it outside and I knew I couldn't make it to the shelter, so I went under my house in a crawl space. I called people and I said, 'What's going on?' They said, 'We don't see anything, there's nothing on radar.' I started hearing the sirens going off, and it had already happened."

Turley inspected her home security camera and found video of the storm that also blew her fences down.

"This is my worst fear," Turley said. "My mom was in the Joplin tornado (in 2011). She was in Walmart when it happened, and I was home alone. I couldn't get a hold of her for hours, and I thought she was dead."

Several large trees and tree limbs were blown down just northeast of the Turley residence, along Red Oak Drive and Red Oak Loop.

Heath Kavanaugh and his stepson, Tyler Armentrout, were working with a Carl Junction firefighter with a chain saw to remove the large tree limb that fell on the Kavanaughs' truck and car in front of their home at 153 Red Oak Drive.

Chantel Kavanaugh said she survived having her home destroyed in the May 4, 2003, tornado that hit Carl Junction and that her sister's home was damaged in the May 22, 2019, tornado that hit the Briarbrook area of Carl Junction.

"Luckily, we had no warning for this one, so I didn't have a chance to even prepare to get upset this time," Chantel said. "It was here and gone, it was that quick. It's just crazy."

Eric Wise, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Springfield, said that office received calls and reports of a tornado and funnel clouds but couldn't confirm that a tornado caused the damage Thursday. He said the weather service would likely send a survey crew to Carl Junction on Friday to determine exactly what happened and how strong it was.