Warsaw crews work to clear damage after two tornadoes hit Friday
Haley Swaino
WARSAW, Mo. (KMIZ)
Smoke was rising just past the empty playground at Warsaw North Elementary School on Monday afternoon.
While Warsaw R-9 students and staff had the day off after the district closed Monday for storm damage clean-up, city crews were hard at work burning downed trees and snapped limbs after severe storms.
Two tornadoes touched down in Benton County around 7:30 p.m. Friday near Warsaw, according to the National Weather Service in Springfield.
An approximately 300-yard EF-1 tornado tracked east across the northern side of Warsaw and stopped near Highway 65 after traveling a little over 2.5 miles. The NWS said it flipped multiple mobile homes that were sitting on cinder blocks.
Pitts Homes, Inc., a mobile home dealer in the 29100 block of Old Highway 65, was hit by Friday’s storms.
An ABC 17 News reporter saw at least two flipped mobile homes and some that had blown off roofs or exterior damage. A spokesperson with Pitt Homes said all were display homes and no one was living inside.
A second tornado, an EF-0 about 200 yards long, caused damage to buildings and trees on Highway 83 and Route MM southeast of Warsaw. The maximum winds were recorded at 80 mph, the NWS said.
A carport near Pitt Homes, Inc. was seen flipped and in pieces; some of it mangled in a tree. ABC 17 also saw multiple bent road signs in the area.
Power was reported to be restored on Monday after more than 4,500 customers were without power around 8:30 p.m. Friday. ABC 17 saw many electric crews still working to remove tree limbs and storm damage debris from power lines on Monday afternoon.
The Warsaw R-IX School District announced in a social media post that classes would resume Tuesday.
The district said cleanup crews worked to get the back drive of the John Boise Middle School/High School campus cleared for traffic. An ABC 17 reporter was able to drive through and saw the parking lot cleared around 12:30 p.m. Monday.
Internet and network services were fully restored, according to another social media post. While cleanup continues, the district said the high school will adjust classroom locations as needed.
Scott Gemes, the Superintendent of the Warsaw R-IX School District, said the building that houses some math, science and art classes behind the high school had part of its roof blown during Friday night’s storm.
While the damaged roof was patched up by Monday afternoon, Gemes said some classes in that building will be moved to other classrooms for safety for the remainder of the school year.
A sign at the schools’ entrance was seen blown out next to a downed tree.
A damaged sign and downed tree were seen at the entryway of the John Boise Middle School/High School campus in Warsaw on Apr. 20, 2026. after two tornadoes touched down in the area three days prior.
About 10 minutes away from the school, on Polk Avenue off Highway 65, a local Mexican restaurant had about half its roof torn through.
Manager Lucio Carrera of El Camino Real said most employees were working and some customers were enjoying dinner when tornado sirens started going off Friday night.
He said some time went by and everything seemed to be fine. That’s when chaos hit.
“Everybody was kind of confused what was happening,” Carrera said. “It was so loud. And then the building was shaking, shaking really bad.”
He said what happened next could only be described as a loud, approaching train suddenly crashing.
“The only options we have is go under the tables. And the people in the kitchen, they tried to go to the walk-in cooler,” Carrer said.
Damage inside El Camino Real Mexican restaurant in Warsaw on Apr. 20, 2026. after two tornadoes touched down in the area three days prior.
After what he suspected was a tornado passed, he ran outside to shut the gas off because the hit caused a leak.
Many panicked customers rushed to their vehicles and left, Carrera said. One table still had a customers chips and salsa on it Monday afternoon.
When Carrera went back inside the restaurant after shutting of its gas Friday, he was relieved to see his staff was okay, besides an employee who suffered a minor head bump in the chaos.
Downed ceiling insulation and damage in the kitchen of El Camino Real Mexican restaurant in Warsaw on Apr. 20, 2026. after two tornadoes touched down in the area three days prior.
El Camino Real is expected to be closed for at least two months. Carrera is working with its insurance company.