Helping your neighbor: Stanberry residents come together after EF‑1 tornado

STANBERRY, Mo. (KQTV) — A small-town community in northwest Missouri is coming together after a severe thunderstorm that produced an EF-1 tornado damaged homes, buildings and trees Thursday night.

Stanberry residents reported heavy rain and strong winds, while others said they saw a tornado. A tornado warning was not issued for the area when the storm moved through around 8 p.m., and sirens were not activated.

National Weather Service Warning Coordination Meteorologist Jonathan Kurtz said the damage in Stanberry indicates a tornado occurred.

“I wouldn’t be surprised if folks across Stanberry say they saw one last night,” Kurtz said. “They probably did see something because the damage is consistent with a tornado path through the city.”

Kurtz said while tracking storms in northwest Missouri, the National Weather Service office in Kansas City issued a severe thunderstorm warning for the area but not a tornado warning.

“You try to catch all of them with a tornado warning, but sometimes it’s difficult,” he said. “We had a severe thunderstorm warning on this storm as it moved through Stanberry. It looks like we got a brief spin-up right over town.”

The National Weather Service conducted a preliminary damage survey and determined an EF-1 tornado with winds up to 110 mph tracked 4.3 miles through Gentry County.

Multiple trees were down, and homes were damaged across the community. Stanberry city officials said 65 properties were impacted, including five homes with extensive roof damage.

Stanberry City Administrator Laverne Smithson said emergency crews responded quickly.

“Our city crew was out immediately,” Smithson said. “The fire department, ambulance district, sheriff’s office and MoDOT were all here. We had a huge response from volunteers, even while the storm was still going on.”

Residents also joined cleanup efforts, including Stanberry High School students.

Ellie Dias, a sophomore at Stanberry High School, said the community is strong.

“Everyone likes to help each other,” Dias said. “We’re all friends around here, and it’s nice knowing everyone has each other’s backs — even during school.”

Stanberry resident Halley Wilmes lost her roof during the storm, and volunteers helped with repairs. She said she feels grateful for the support.

“To see everybody around town helping and cleaning up is amazing,” Wilmes said. “We’re just happy everyone’s safe.”

No injuries were reported from Thursday night’s storm.