POTOSI, Mo. – Emergency crews rushed to Washington County, Missouri, after at least one tornado swept through the area on Wednesday, causing significant damage outside of St. Louis. First responders reported that numerous homes in the region, particularly around the county seat of Potosi, were impacted by the tornado, possibly trapping people in their homes.Authorities said the occupants of one of the homes appeared to be OK and troopers reported zero fatalities from the twister.The severe weather occurred after the National Weather Service office had issued a Tornado Warning for the area, alerting residents of a large supercell with an embedded tornado.The city of Potosi took action ahead of the severe weather event by closing City Hall at 2 p.m. in preparation for the thunderstorms and encouraged residents to monitor the latest weather conditions.ATTITUDES TOWARD TORNADO PREPAREDNESS IN US CHANGING AS STORM RISK ZONES SHIFTFollowing the twister, widespread power outages affected more than 500 customers in Washington County, according to power outage data.”Troopers responded to a confirmed tornado touchdown approx. 6 miles northwest of Potosi in Washington Co. Several homes and structures completely damaged. Troopers and local first responders contacted the residents. All were accounted for with minor injuries and zero fatalities,” the Missouri State Highway Patrol stated.The exact path and severity of the damage will be evaluated by NWS meteorologists to determine the strength of the twister.At least four other tornadoes were reported in the Show Me State during what could be a substantial severe weather event for the heartland of the U.S. and nearby Tennessee and Ohio valleys.Video from Nevada, Missouri, showed buildings badly damaged earlier Wednesday, with roofs ripped off and debris littering streets.Trooper Mike McClure told FOX Weather that power lines were down, and several businesses were damaged, including a hotel, but there were no reported fatalities.
