KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A portion of the Harrisonville First Baptist Church sustained heavy damage to its roof on Friday following severe thunderstorms.
ATTENTION: Please avoid the area of Wall St & S Butler Dr, as severe weather has damaged the roof of Harrisonville First Baptist Church.
— Harrisonville, MO (@HvilleCityGov) June 11, 2021
Thankfully, no injuries were reported.
Do not try to enter the area. Crews are actively working to clear debris & maintain public safety.
(1/2) pic.twitter.com/tr6wFnidsc
Michael Firkins, a student pastor, told 41 Action News he was shocked to hear about the damage to the church.
"Oh boy, I wasn’t too happy about it as you can imagine," Firkins said. "It was a big shock to me, and of course I want this place taken care of."
Firkins said the wing where part of the roof came off is a Christian school on the top floor that meets during the school year. The wing itself was built in the 1970s, but the roof is just a few years old.
The City of Harrisonville said in a tweet that no one was injured during the incident and asked people to avoid the area while crews cleaned up the damage.
It also said people should use the incident as a reminder that it's important to take safety precautions during severe storms.
"This was not the work of a tornado, but still caused very significant damage," the tweet stated. "Always make sure you and your family stay #weatheraware & have a severe-weather emergency plan in place."
Firkins said he hopes they can hold service inside. If not, they'll probably hold services in the church's parking lot.
