Downed trees, roofs torn off and no power. Oak Grove neighbors spent the day Thursday cleaning up damage after strong winds swept through the city, toppling trees and knocking down power lines.
“This is just the tip of the iceberg. I mean, we found these limbs against that fence, we found them in the front yard, we found them everywhere,” said David Lesher as he picked up branches scattered throughout his yard.
One family lost their screened-in-porch and shed. Another family lost many of their roof shingles as high winds uprooted and tore apart trees.
“I saw all of the trees moving and then just a bunch of wind. It was like lightening or something, a crash then a crack,” said Nikita Jamez.
One massive tree fell on a home across the street from Jamez, blocking the front door and denting the roof. According to the city, no one was injured.
PHOTOS: Strong storms knock down trees, tree limbs in Kansas City area
“I’ve been watching the streets and stuff,” said 9-year-old Jayden Short. “I had to pull and pull and pull so this baby bird could get free. It was a lot of work.”
According to the National Weather Service, most of the damage was caused by a micro-burst - straight-line winds up to 60 or 70 mph.
Downed power lines caused many outages throughout the city. Wal-Mart and other stores and restaurants were forced to close.
"The way the wind was blowing, seconds … I mean it was incredible,” said Lesher.
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Ariel Rothfield can be reached at Ariel.Rothfield@KSHB.com.
