Florissant Storm Sounded Like '5 Freight Trains Running Through House'

As Wednesday night’s storm gave way to Thursday’s light, Florissant saw the true extent of the damage left behind

Trees, branches and other debris can be found scattered throughout the city. The cleanup for businesses and residents has begun.

Thursday morning, Florissant Animal Hospital posted on its Facebook page that it had suffered damage. The storm took out part of the building’s roof and flooded areas of the hospital, including its grooming room. The hospital's post did say that all animals were safe and sound.

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Although the hospital doesn’t have power, the staff and hospital continue to press on and are open with limited services for its customers. No one was available for comment when Patch stopped by the hospital.

On a tour of Florissant neighborhoods, several trees and branches can be seen on streets, and neighbors awaiting power to return to their homes.

At the intersection of Loekes and Roanoke, off of Charbonier Road, residents have begun to clean up their neighborhood.

“It sounded like five freight trains running through the house,” resident Misty Robbins, who lives in the 900 block of Loekes Drive, said.

Robbins said she was asleep and her son was in the bathtub when her husband told them to get downstairs. She said she knew that there was going to be thunderstorms in the area but didn’t expect a tornado.

Robbins said that the family’s shed disintegrated and could be found two yards over from their home. In addition, tree limbs and a power line had fallen in their yard. She said she was unsure if it whether it was a live line and all were staying away from it.

The family did find something missing from the yard immediately.

“The trampoline was in the backyard, and it ended up flying over our house and ended up across the street.”

Although Robbins had power, her neighbor across the street didn’t.

Dena Young, Robbins’ neighbor whose yard now held a trampoline, sat in her car charging her phone because her power has been off since the storm. The power wouldn’t be restored until 11 p.m. Thursday night, she said in the last update she received.

Young said she was by the front door in her home when the “screens exploded.” She and her daughters immediately headed downstairs and out of the way of the storm.

After ir passed, Young said her windows’ screens were shredded, trees were down, a bit of siding and the gutter had come off.

While Young waited for her father to come by and help with the cleanup, Robbins said she was waiting for a dumpster to throw away all of the debris.

“It could have been a whole lot worse than this,” she said.

For more storm coverage, check out: 

• Fox 2 Video: Florissant Tornado Launches Tree
• Community Resource: Hazelwood District Opens Daycare for Families
• Aftermath: Tornado Wreaks Havoc on Howdershell Road at Chula
• Photos: Share Your Pics of Tornado Damage in Hazelwood