Hundreds of mid-Missourians volunteered their time on Saturday to clean up tornado-damaged Pilot Grove, which was struck by an EF-2 tornado on April 2.
State Rep. Tim Taylor (R-Speed), who lives a few miles away from Pilot Grove, says 183 volunteers signed up before Saturday. But Representative Taylor tells 939 the Eagle that there were hundreds of volunteers everywhere on Saturday, with some preparing food at the Pilot Grove high school.
Representative Taylor and Cooper County emergency managers say the tornado destroyed or severely damaged at least ten homes. Pilot Grove, which has about 675 residents, is south of Boonville. While there were no serious injuries or deaths, there were downed power lines on Highway 135 and power outages. The tornado also struck the Katy Manor nursing home in Cooper County, damaging its roof and garage. The tornado also left numerous fields covered in debris. Saturday’s cleanup focused on cleaning up the fields.
