OVERLAND PARK, Kan. — The KSHB 41 Weather team tracked severe weather that rolled through the Kansas City area on Monday. Thunderstorms produced large hail and damaging winds, leaving damage in their wake.
This round of severe weather came just days after an EF3 tornado tore through St. Louis, Missouri, on Friday. Five people were killed, and an estimated 5,000 buildings were damaged.
Now, the cost of cleanup is top of mind for those affected by severe weather.
In one south Overland Park neighborhood, cleanup was still ongoing Tuesday afternoon. Some neighbors said they could be looking at hundreds of dollars to get tree-trimming services for their yards.
But one man said he’s looking at possibly spending thousands after a tree fell onto his roof.
“We just heard a cracking noise, and then, of course, we ran out to see what was going on,” said OP resident Mike Kahler.
Several smaller trees and branches were scattered across his backyard, too.
“The insurance company will cover this one (the tree on the roof), but they won't cover any of the others because they're not on the house,” Kahler said.
Despite the cost, helping one another in this neighborhood is priceless. Across the street, Doug and Sue Edwards were quick to help their neighbors clean up.
“The whole neighborhood is like that,” Doug Edwards said. “You know, they help each other out.”
Back at the Kahler house, Mike agreed that’s how storm damage typically goes on his street: neighbors helping neighbors, no matter the cost.
“We all just kind of got our chainsaws together and worked for a couple of days and got it all done,” Kahler said. “We love it here. We've lived here for 20 years, and we built the house. We hope to stay in it till we're moving on.”
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KSHB 41 reporter Elyse Schoenig covers the cities of Shawnee and Mission. She also focuses on issues surrounding the cost of health care, saving for retirement and personal debt. Share your story idea with Elyse.
