VERNON COUNTY, Mo. — A storm that generated a tornado warning in Vernon County, Missouri, Wednesday morning tore through the town of Nevada, leaving at least one person injured and storm damage throughout the city.
Around 7:15 a.m., forecasters at the National Weather Service office in Springfield issued a tornado warning for the county.
Nevada City Manager Gary Edwards said he received a call from the area’s emergency management director shortly after 7 a.m., telling Edwards he needed to sound the town’s sirens.
“So the sirens went off around town, and after those ran for a while, I took my dog to the basement,” Edwards told KSHB 41 reporter Claire Bradshaw. “That was our protection.”
As the storm moved through, forecasters spotted a tell-tale sign of debris on the radar.
“It just dropped to the south of town, went through town, and then hit some other areas north of the town,” Edwards said.
Edwards described the damage as significant.
“There are homes that are destroyed. Rooftops that are missing,” he said.
As the storm moved off to the northeast, Edwards said he started to receive calls from neighboring communities reaching out for help, estimating 100 to 200 people said they were on the way.
“That’s not a surprise here in this particular area,” Edwards said. “We all work together.”
At least one person was injured in the storm when a tree fell on top of them. Edwards said crews were going through neighborhoods Wednesday afternoon, making sure no people were trapped.
The process to clean up downed power lines, mangled trees, overturned vehicles and damaged buildings won’t be an overnight process.
One of the hardest hit areas was off of Business Route 54. By mid-morning, emergency crews had blocked the road to allow crews to assess the damage.
Randy and Jennifer Gammon own a car wash and pet wash in Nevada. While the brick car wash escaped without too much damage, the small pet wash building had all of its glass windows blown out.
“It’s going to just take some while to get everything fixed and back in working order,” Jennifer Gammon said.
The Gammons said they very quickly heard from fellow residents and business owners asking how they could help out.
“This community is amazing, and we couldn’t be more thankful for that,” Jennifer said.
The damage continued into residential streets off of the busy commercial street.
KSHB 41 photographer Tim Hellhake captured fallen trees, debris and downed power lines on both sides of the street.
Crews from the National Weather Service said they planned to survey the damage to help estimate the strength of the storm or the possibility of a tornado.
Evergy serves as the area's main power provider. At the peak of the storm, roughly 4,800 customers were without power. By 4:30 p.m., only 1,088 customers remained without power.
Amanda Delgado was one of those people impacted. Delgado, who has lived in Nevada for 30 years, spoke Wednesday with KSHB 41's Caitlin Knute about seeking shelter from the storm.
"I just grabbed my granddaughter and drove about three blocks down the road to my parent's house to go to their basement," Delgado said, saying she just kept her 2-year-old granddaughter in her arms the entire time.
The Southern Missouri Chapter of the American Red Cross said it was setting up a shelter at the Nevada Community Center.
"We are partnering with the local community to make sure that our community members have someplace safe to stay and that they have access to resources for long-term recovery," Red Cross Executive Director Lee Eastburn said.
Those looking for assistance can also call one of the phone numbers listed on the City of Nevada's Facebook page.
🧵 Pictures of the damage in Nevada. @KSHB41 pic.twitter.com/jtJOuwqOqv
— Claire Bradshaw KSHB 41 (@claire_ontheair) April 2, 2025
—