Rolla continues to rebuild six months after EF-2 tornado
Olivia Hayes
ROLLA, Mo. (KMIZ)
Six months after an EF-2 tornado swept through the city of Rolla, signs of the destruction remain.
Three Rolla Public Schools buildings, along with other RPS properties like the softball complex, were damaged in the storm.
“We took four days off right after the tornado, and then that second week was our scheduled spring break. We took those two weeks to move students around and find temporary classrooms so we could get back to in-seat learning,” said Gina Zervos, spokesperson for Rolla Public Schools.
The cafeteria of Mark Twain Elementary School was destroyed in the March tornado, along with windows in some classrooms. Those broken windows remain boarded up, but Zervos said that has not affected the district’s operations for the 2025-26 school year.
“We closed out the last eight weeks of the school year last year, and then returned with everyone in August in their home buildings, in their home classrooms,” Zervos said.
Even with a long journey still ahead, Zervos said rebuilding is going according to plan.
“Everything else is basically done. Wyman Elementary had a lot of roof work and some playground equipment that had to be replaced. The playground equipment has been ordered. It just needs to be installed,” Zervos said. “The middle school, which is across the street here, basically complete. We had to order 17 new HVAC units for the rooftop. The HVAC units, I’m told, are here and will be installed when it stops raining.”
Mark Twain Elementary still doesn’t have a fully operating cafeteria, but Zervos said they’ve adapted for now through a district-wide effort as that project gets underway. Food staff in other buildings prepare and bring meals to Mark Twain daily.
Zervos said the school will get a new kitchen and cafeteria in the rebuild.
Zervos said bid packets will go out this week.
“Long-range plans are classroom spaces,” Zervos said. “Once we learn a little bit more about pricing for that project, then we’ll be able to determine if we can build space, build something back here right now, or if that’s a project for down the road.”
A separate bid opportunity will also open this week for rebuilding the softball complex, according to Zervos.
Zervos said the district is estimating $10 million to $14 million in damages once rebuilding is finished. Insurance will reimburse the costs.
Immediately following the tornado, Zervos said the community rallied together, from providing trucks and chainsaws to food and monetary donations. She said the overwhelming support has continued through the last six months.
“Even over the summer when we were moving back into our permanent spaces, we had people show up willing to help and ready to offer their own personal and business equipment to make that move happen and make it work flawlessly,” Zervos said.
Zervos said the district hopes to have the finishing touches on Wyman Elementary and Rolla Middle School done in the next six weeks. The work at Mark Twain Elementary is estimated to take about 18 months. Zervos said the district is shooting for a December 2027 completion date.
Through it all, she says, school staff have remained resilient despite many ups and downs.
“Everyone has worked together so beautifully to make a safe, educational space for kids to be able to make sure that we stay in seat and that everyone has everything they need,” Zervos said.
Several neighborhoods in the community were also left with significant damage.
Brayden Monterroza, owner of Roza FSP LLC, said he is working on homes in need of repair from the tornado damage. He was working Wednesday on Frost Drive.
“It had been hit by a couple of trees that fell, and then the wind from the tornado ripped pieces off. I mean, it damaged the trim on the windows and different pieces of the siding all throughout the house,” Monterroza said of the house he was working on.
Monterroza detailed his experience working on one home that had its roof ripped off in the tornado.
“When it rained, it flooded a lot of the interior. So that house was gutted and we completely had redone the roofing, the siding, the whole interior,” Monterroza said.
Monterroza expects work from the tornado damage to continue for at least another year. He said the repairs could cost individuals thousands of dollars, depending on the damage.