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American Morning

Picking Up Pieces in Pierce City, Missouri

Aired May 06, 2003 - 07:06   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.


BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Remember yesterday at this time we were talking about this town of Pierce City, Missouri?
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Right.

HEMMER: About 1,300, just leveled. The devastation is unbelievable with bricks lying all over the street. People in that small town in Missouri now say they feel like they're living in a war zone. Pierce City among the places hardest hit by that raging swarm of tornadoes.

David Mattingly is there to survey the damage yet again today.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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

Among the bricks and broken glass, homes and livelihoods were also buried.

A year ago, Scott and Lynette Rector started this tea room and antique shop, part of the tourism economy that keeps the town going; now, a total loss.

SCOTT RECTOR, PIERCE CITY RESIDENT: 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.

LYNETTE RECTOR, PIERCE CITY RESIDENT: And I don't understand how the bricks just blew out of the top. The bricks are gone out of some at 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 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, little alcove in there, very sturdy, made out 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. You know, 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 plea 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)

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 - 07:06   ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
BILL HEMMER, CNN ANCHOR: Remember yesterday at this time we were talking about this town of Pierce City, Missouri?
HEIDI COLLINS, CNN ANCHOR: Right.

HEMMER: About 1,300, just leveled. The devastation is unbelievable with bricks lying all over the street. People in that small town in Missouri now say they feel like they're living in a war zone. Pierce City among the places hardest hit by that raging swarm of tornadoes.

David Mattingly is there to survey the damage yet again today.

(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)

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

Among the bricks and broken glass, homes and livelihoods were also buried.

A year ago, Scott and Lynette Rector started this tea room and antique shop, part of the tourism economy that keeps the town going; now, a total loss.

SCOTT RECTOR, PIERCE CITY RESIDENT: 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.

LYNETTE RECTOR, PIERCE CITY RESIDENT: And I don't understand how the bricks just blew out of the top. The bricks are gone out of some at 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 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, little alcove in there, very sturdy, made out 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. You know, 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 plea 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)

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