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CNN Live At Daybreak

Pierce City, Missouri Hit Hard

Aired May 06, 2003 - 05:04   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: One community hit especially hard by the killer tornadoes is Pierce City, Missouri. A tornado there spent something like 30 minutes on the ground, and it did incredible damage.
Our David Mattingly has more from the small southwest Missouri town.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Pierce City, Missouri prides itself so much on its past. But after a devastating tornado hitting here, people are now wondering about their future.

(voice-over): The tornado left the streets of Pierce City, Missouri littered with shattered masonry and splintered wood. Buildings that had withstood a century of wear and tear broke under the ferocious winds and crumbled in 30 seconds.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A two story right here in the front.

MATTINGLY: Among the bricks and broken glass, homes and livelihoods were also buried. A year ago, Scott and Lynette Rechter (ph) started this tea room and antique shop, part of the tourism economy that keeps the town going. Now, a total loss.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every business in town is gone, every single one.

MATTINGLY: Just two blocks away, the old church the Rectors were making into their home was also severely damaged. A brick bell tower, in some places more than six inches thick, broke under the strain.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I don't understand how the bricks just blew out of the top. The bricks are gone out of some of the top.

MATTINGLY: In fact, for blocks around, people emerged from their basements and closets stunned by the storm's destructive power, something this town had never seen before.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Honestly, I figured well, it's happened before and I mean they've had the sirens go off before and every other tornado that's gone through here has either been south of town or north of town. MAYOR MARK PETERS, PIERCE CITY, MISSOURI: Around the corner and there's a basement and a little alcove in there, a very sturdy thing made of concrete and hard rock.

MATTINGLY: Mayor Mark Peters was among dozens of residents who heeded early warnings and sought shelter in the local armory. But caught directly in the storm's path, winds sent the roof and wall of one section crashing down, killing one person inside.

PETERS: Have a look at that street and see what it looks like and decide how much you can do to prepare for something like that. And I think the answer is probably not much more than we did.

MATTINGLY: And the question of what could have been done is not nearly as important to residents as what will be done now. Some buildings are so badly damaged they will probably be demolished, pieces of history lost to a deadly storm.

Missouri Governor Bob Holden surveyed the damage, listening to one resident plead for the life of her town.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is horrific. How can we save this? We have to try and save it.

MATTINGLY (on camera): Overnight, the streets are empty. A curfew is in effect, National Guardsmen patrolling the streets to make sure there are no looters. In the morning, officials get back to the task of restoring basic services like electricity and running water, and picking up the pieces of this now broken town.

David Mattingly, CNN, Pierce City, Missouri.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And we'll get much more from our David Mattingly when he joins us live from Pierce City in the next hour of DAYBREAK.

And you can read about the storms and look at the video on the widespread damage at cnn.com/weather. And while you're there, check out the weather for any one of 10,000 cities. The AOL keyword, of course, CNN.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com






Aired May 6, 2003 - 05:04   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: One community hit especially hard by the killer tornadoes is Pierce City, Missouri. A tornado there spent something like 30 minutes on the ground, and it did incredible damage.
Our David Mattingly has more from the small southwest Missouri town.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

DAVID MATTINGLY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Pierce City, Missouri prides itself so much on its past. But after a devastating tornado hitting here, people are now wondering about their future.

(voice-over): The tornado left the streets of Pierce City, Missouri littered with shattered masonry and splintered wood. Buildings that had withstood a century of wear and tear broke under the ferocious winds and crumbled in 30 seconds.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: A two story right here in the front.

MATTINGLY: Among the bricks and broken glass, homes and livelihoods were also buried. A year ago, Scott and Lynette Rechter (ph) started this tea room and antique shop, part of the tourism economy that keeps the town going. Now, a total loss.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Every business in town is gone, every single one.

MATTINGLY: Just two blocks away, the old church the Rectors were making into their home was also severely damaged. A brick bell tower, in some places more than six inches thick, broke under the strain.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: And I don't understand how the bricks just blew out of the top. The bricks are gone out of some of the top.

MATTINGLY: In fact, for blocks around, people emerged from their basements and closets stunned by the storm's destructive power, something this town had never seen before.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Honestly, I figured well, it's happened before and I mean they've had the sirens go off before and every other tornado that's gone through here has either been south of town or north of town. MAYOR MARK PETERS, PIERCE CITY, MISSOURI: Around the corner and there's a basement and a little alcove in there, a very sturdy thing made of concrete and hard rock.

MATTINGLY: Mayor Mark Peters was among dozens of residents who heeded early warnings and sought shelter in the local armory. But caught directly in the storm's path, winds sent the roof and wall of one section crashing down, killing one person inside.

PETERS: Have a look at that street and see what it looks like and decide how much you can do to prepare for something like that. And I think the answer is probably not much more than we did.

MATTINGLY: And the question of what could have been done is not nearly as important to residents as what will be done now. Some buildings are so badly damaged they will probably be demolished, pieces of history lost to a deadly storm.

Missouri Governor Bob Holden surveyed the damage, listening to one resident plead for the life of her town.

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: This is horrific. How can we save this? We have to try and save it.

MATTINGLY (on camera): Overnight, the streets are empty. A curfew is in effect, National Guardsmen patrolling the streets to make sure there are no looters. In the morning, officials get back to the task of restoring basic services like electricity and running water, and picking up the pieces of this now broken town.

David Mattingly, CNN, Pierce City, Missouri.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

COSTELLO: And we'll get much more from our David Mattingly when he joins us live from Pierce City in the next hour of DAYBREAK.

And you can read about the storms and look at the video on the widespread damage at cnn.com/weather. And while you're there, check out the weather for any one of 10,000 cities. The AOL keyword, of course, CNN.

TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com