NEVADA, Mo. — Missouri Welding Institute (MWI) student housing was among the structures damaged by a tornado Wednesday in Nevada, Missouri.
About 50 students lived in Nevada Oaks, originally a motel that now serves as student housing for MWI, residents estimated.
The property is family-owned and operated.
"This is our heart and soul," Shari Snyder, the operator of Nevada Oaks, said. "We love this place, my dad put everything into this place, and the students loved it here."
No students were injured in the storm, though windows were broken and several cars were destroyed in the parking lot.
“I looked outside, and sure enough, there was a tornado pretty much coming right through here at this point," Mason Garrison, a student, said. "Sheet metal was flying everywhere at that point, definitely a scary situation to be in.”
Garrison, originally from Michigan, said he learned in school to take cover from a tornado in an interior room.
"As soon as I closed the bathroom door, the window there broke," he said.
Across the parking lot, another student, Christopher Espinoza, was awakened by weather alerts on his phone.
"I open up the door, and then I see it’s really windy, rainy, and it calms down for a second and then all the sudden gets really crazy, and that roof starts lifting up, so I closed the door," he said.
Espinoza, originally from Seattle, Washington, is not used to the unpredictability of Midwest weather. He previously served in the military and said the sound of the tornado was similar to "jet engines starting."
“It was different than I thought it would be," he said. "It’s not like the movies at all. The movies tell you it lasts for so long, but it was so fast.”
Both Garrison's and Espinoza's cars, including broken windows, were damaged in the storm.
Directly behind Nevada Oaks are the remains of the Snyder's house. It was recently remodeled, and she was set to move in on Thursday, one day after the tornado ripped it apart.
"I was getting ready to move in there tomorrow," Snyder said. "Now, I’m not moving in there tomorrow. It’s gone, so."
Both the house and its garage were destroyed.
"I’m in shock," she said. "It feels like a bad dream."
Despite the tragedy, Snyder is focused on the students and her dad, who owns the property. She said her dad is in shock.
“I’m hoping we can rebuild, because we love what we did," she said. "I mean, we eat, sleep and breathe this place, literally.”
MWI immediately found housing for its displaced students across town.
While Snyder and students say they were shocked Wednesday morning, they're happy to be alive.
The school closed Wednesday morning as it remained without power. It plans to reopen once power is restored.
Further updates can be found on the school's social media platforms.
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