More than 60 residents displaced after storm rips off roof, debris crushes cars at KCMO apartment complex

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — KSHB 41 reporter La’Nita Brooks covers stories in Kansas City, Missouri, and stories offering solutions on crime. Share your story idea with La’Nita.

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A severe storm Wednesday morning tore the roof off one side of an apartment building near the downtown airport.

The apartment complex is located in the 100 block of Northwest Harlem Road in Kansas City, Missouri.

Brian Luton/KSHB 41

The storm sent heavy pieces of sheet metal and wood crashing down onto vehicles in the parking lot below.

The damage caused more than 60 residents to be displaced.

Residents described large hail and a fast-moving storm that gave little warning before the damage was done. Crews spent most of the day trimming debris and clearing the parking lot.

Brian Luton/KSHB 41

Brice Miller, a resident who was home when the storm hit, said the sound was startling.

"We could hear the roof getting torn off, and it was very loud" Miller said.

Theron Ratliff, another resident, said he stepped outside to find the damage had reached his own vehicle.

Brian Luton/KSHB 41

"I opened up the door here and looked out, and (I) see (it) got part of the roof on my truck," Ratliff said.

Ratliff said the scale of the destruction was difficult to process.

"It was really, really shocking and you kind of sit there and you're just like, 'Huh,' you know," he said. "Cause it's, whenever you see something like this, you realize you got close to a real bad storm. And I was thinking about the people above me."

Debris still remained in the parking lot scattered across crushed vehicles Wednesday evening.

Neighbors have been pitching in to help clear the debris and support one another. Miller said the community response has meant everything.

"I am very thankful for everyone being out here, pitching in, doing all the hard work," Miller said. "That way they can provide and help us have a home."

Ratliff said he is keeping perspective on what matters most.

"You can replace that, but you can't replace a life," Ratliff said. "Got a saw with a blade in it and just trying to help clean up the mess and just trying to get back to normal."

The complex is still without power at the time of publication.

No injuries were reported.

This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.

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