Author: KMIZ

Lucas Geisler

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia has indefinitely suspended commercial and residential recycling pickup after the city’s recycling plant was damaged during a strong storm Sunday afternoon.

Columbia Utilities spokesman Jason West said this also applies to the public drop-off centers, saying they will be unavailable to the public. Recycling workers have been asked not to report for work on Monday.

The Material Recovery Facility at the Columbia Landfill in the northeast part of the city handles all recycling for the city. The city was already researching options on how to improve or replace the MRF. The building was nearing the end of “its useful life” due to aging equipment.

The National Weather Service will survey damage in Boone County on Monday. First responders kept busy throughout the city on Sunday with fallen trees and power lines. The Columbia Fire Department responded to 30 calls across the city, including five homes and several city-owned structures. No one was reported hurt in any of the calls.

“The majority of the damage appeared to be in the northeastern section of town, including the Creasy Springs and Paris Road areas,” a city news release said.

Columbia resident Brad Belcher has lived in a home on Bear Creek drive in Columbia for five years. Belcher said he was standing in the doorway of his home around 5 p.m. Sunday, when he heard a loud burst of wind and saw a tree coming toward his home.

“It’s totaled. Like you can see through my house…there’s trees in the living room, in the kitchen,” Belcher said. “It fell on my truck, too like so you gotta worry about cars, you gotta worry about your home.”

Belcher said he, and his two daughters who were in the basement when the tree fell onto the home all made it out safely.

Cara Joos lives next door to Belcher and said she heard a loud noise around the time the tree fell onto the home. Joos said it was hard to tell what was happening when she looked outside due to the heavy rainfall at the time.

She said it was the most she’s ever felt in danger during her years of living in Missouri.

“I’ve lived in this part of the world for a long time, so tornadoes aren’t anything new and everybody says it sounds like a train and it was like the closest… It was like a train that was far off but it was really loud,” Joos said.

The Columbia Utilities outage map reported more than 2,600 customers without power as of 7:50 p.m. It had reached a peak of nearly 4,000 customers after a strong storm went through the city just before 6 p.m. The Bradford Research Farm in Columbia recorded a 66 mph gust during that storm.

Boone County emergency management authorities reported power lines and trees down, along with flooded roads across the county.

A line of storms earlier in the day caused significant damage in part of Callaway County.

Nia Hinson

CALLAWAY COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ)

Thousands of customers lost power across Mid-Missouri as severe storms moved through the area and set off multiple tornado warnings.

Nearly 4,000 Boone Electric Cooperative customers were without power as of 5:35 p.m. According to the outage map, the outages are happening near Hallsville and Columbia. Emergency managers also sent out public alerts about multiple storm damage reports.

According to the Ameren outage map, 1,870 customers are without service south of Columbia near Ashland, Jefferson City and the Lake of the Ozarks.

One person was injured in Callaway County following reports of a tornado in Callaway County earlier Sunday afternoon. A second line of storms later left behind damage in Columbia.

According to Lt. Curtis Hall, with the Callaway County Sheriff’s Office, deputies found damage to a home on County Road 362. One resident suffered minor injuries from the storm, Hall said.

An ABC 17 News reporter on scene saw a home with its roof partially missing, and several residents working to clean the area.

The National Weather Service report map shows two reports of high wind damage near Guthrie. The damage was reported near roads Y and J, with one roof partially peeled off a home.

Fulton’s tornado sirens experienced a “technical malfunction” and needed repairs after the first line of storms passed through, according to a news release from the Callaway County Office of Emergency Management.

The North Callaway Fire Protection District warned Sunday evening of trees and lines down across roads and water pooling over Interstate 70 between Boone County and mile marker 144. The Missouri State Highway Patrol reported a tree on Highway 54 near Auxvasse.

The same storm system had earlier set off tornado warnings in the Lake of the Ozarks area, including Camdenton.

The second round hit the Columbia area around 5 p.m. after crossing the Missouri River from Moniteau County, where a 61 mph storm gust was reported in California, according to the National Weather Service.

A 66 mph gust was recorded as the storm went over the Bradford Research Farm in Columbia. Just before 6 p.m. — about an hour after the storm hit Columbia — Columbia Water and Light reported about 4,000 customers without power. Boone Electric Cooperative reported that about 4,000 of its members were in the dark just after 6 p.m.

Boone County Emergency Management Director Chris Kelley said some trees had fallen into homes and there are multiple reports of trees and power lines on roads. The damage will take time to assess, he said.

Emergency dispatchers issued public alerts for lines down on Vandiver Drive, a sign on the road near the Range Line Street exit of Interstate 70 and a broken utility pole with lines down on Business Loop 70 W.

Alerts also said traffic lights were out along much of Range Line Street north of Business Loop 70.

Check back for updates to this developing story.

Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Some Boone County residents woke up to power outages Sunday morning.

Around 6 a.m. Sunday, Columbia Water and Light made a post on Facebook saying around 1,200 customers were without power due to an accident near Clark Lane. Power was restored less than an hour later, according to a Facebook post at 6:40 a.m. Sunday.

Boone County Joint Communications also announced wires were down that closed a portion of Highway 63 at Clark Road around 5 a.m. The wires were repaired, and crews reopened the road at 9:49 a.m, BCJC says.

It is unclear if the two outages were connected.

According to Ameren’s outage map, 264 customers are without service in Missouri as of 11 a.m. Sunday.

ABC 17 News is working to learn the cause of the outages, and has reached out to the City of Columbia and Ameren for more details.

Mid-Missouri was hit with intense rain and winds early Sunday morning in the first half of what is expected to be a day full of extreme weather. The ABC 17 Stormtrack Weather Team has issued a Weather Alert Day for severe storms and tornadoes possible on Easter Sunday.

Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The Boone County Office of Emergency Management is reminding residents about extreme weather safety as Mid-Missouri is forecasted to be hit with high winds, heavy rain, and risks for hail and tornadoes on Easter weekend.

In a Facebook post Friday, the BCOEM reminds drivers to avoid driving through moving and high water.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency also advises people not to walk or swim through flood waters and to stay off bridges with fast-moving water in case of flooding.

According to FEMA’s National Flood Hazard Layer Viewer, the City of Columbia has risks of flooding around many creeks and streams in the area, like Hinkson and Bear Creek.

The National Weather Service has a flood warning in effect for Hinkson Creek, Petite Saline Creek and Moreau River.

FEMA also reminds people to have an emergency shelter plan, ideally located in a windowless basement or at the lowest level of a building. The shelter should be stocked with food, water and medical supplies.

If a tornado touches down, people should seek shelter immediately. Drivers should exit their vehicles and find a place low or dug into the ground to lie in. It’s also recommended to avoid bridges and underpasses during a tornado.

Haley Swaino

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A Sedalia man suffered moderate injuries in a crash on Friday in Morgan County, according to a crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol. The crash happened at 10 p.m. on Highway 50 near Route 135.

The report says that a 2016 Ford Mustang – driven by a 23-year-old man from Sedalia, Missouri – was heading westbound when the driver crossed the center of the roadway and struck a 2016 Peterbilt 579 heading eastbound, driven by a 36-year-old man from Carson, California.

The Mustang rotated and stopped facing east off the north side of the roadway, the report says. The driver was taken by ambulance to Bothwell Regional Health Center with moderate injuries. The semi-truck driver was not injured.

The driver of the car was not wearing a seatbelt, the driver of the semi-truck was, according to the report. The car was totaled and the semi had extensive damage.

Euphenie Andre

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The University of Missouri and the City of Columbia are stepping up efforts to keep students and community members safe following a violent weekend where five people were shot.

Both MU and the Columbia Police Department said they’re working together to increase patrols in, and around downtown in response to growing safety concerns.

An ABC 17 News reporter observed CPD officers making rounds downtown and MU police officers patrolling near campus on Saturday night.

For many students, weekends downtown are typically a time to relax and connect with friends.

“It’s a very great nightlife, though. There’s a lot of things to do a lot of like kind of walking around, meeting with a bunch of different friend groups, that sort of thing,” MU student Connor Stuart said.

However, last week’s shooting— that left two men injured has made some students think twice before heading out.

“There is normally a lot of cops out, so I would feel safe. But with all the shootings happening, I’m kind of like reluctant to go out. Like, we have started to Uber more just because of it, instead of walking around,” MU student Madison Holmes said.

Columbia Mayor Barbara Buffaloe told ABC 17 News previously that she met with the Columbia Police Department and the University of Missouri to discuss long-term safety strategies.

One of the steps being taken is increasing the number of patrols downtown.

“I live right here on Broadway, and so it’s definitely a little scary kind of (shootings) being right outside my door,” Stuart said. “But, I do feel a lot more comfortable with a lot more cops kind of starting the patrol especially when it gets dark out in the night.”

But not everything aimed at safety is bringing peace of mind. Some students said MU’s alert system sent to students warning of potential crimes can sometimes create more panic, than clarity.

MU sent out alerts over the weekend of the shootings and the initial one had an error and did not have the location. University of Missouri President Mun Choi said during a press conference earlier this week that the university is re-evaluating how it sends out campus alerts.

Marie Moyer

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

As Mid-Missouri faces rainy conditions Saturday and Sunday, Easter celebrations are still on the calendar.

The City of Columbia Parks and Recreation is hosting two egg hunts Saturday. The events will take place at Douglass Park from Noon to 1:15 p.m. and Indian Hills Park from 3 p.m. to 4:15 p.m.

“We’re here for the Easter egg hunt,” attendee Harlow Worley said. “And I want the candy, every single candy,” attendee Amira Eghbali said.

The events will also have crafts and a bunny sack race. Columbia Parks and Rec has not shared any alternative weather plans on its Facebook page.

Jefferson City is hosting its 38th annual Easter egg hunt at Memorial Park from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Jefferson City Jaycees shared in a Facebook post that they planned to monitor the weather. The hunt was held under the park’s pavilion.

Haley Swaino

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

A 73-year-old Osage Beach man suffered moderate injuries in a crash on Friday in Camden County, according to a crash report from the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

According to the report, the crash occurred at the intersection of Route KK and Oak Creek Road shortly before 11:30 a.m.

The report says that a 2017 Range Rover – driven by a 20-year-old man from Osage Beach, Missouri – was heading westbound when the driver turned left into the path of a 2017 Harley Davidson Wideglide. This caused the right side of the motorcycle to hit the Range Rover, the report says.

The 73-year-old man was brought to Lake Regional Hospital by ambulance with moderate injuries, the report says. The bike and SUV had moderate damage.

The driver was wearing a seatbelt and the motorcyclist was not wearing a helmet, according to the report.

Ryan Shiner

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

The University of Missouri on Friday broke ground on the Michael L. Parson Meat Science Education and Training Laboratory.

The facility – named after former Republican Gov. Mike Parson – is projected to open in 2026. According to the university, the lab will further enhance the capabilities of the nationally regarded college of agriculture, food and natural resources.

“This has been a dream for Missouri agriculture. I think I heard earlier today for the last 15 years, so it was a focus on bringing value added production to Missouri, and it’s, it’s a tremendous day,” said Christopher Daubert, who is the dean of the College of Agriculture, Food and Natural Resources.

Daubert announced additional funding for the project from Burgers’ Smokehouse.

A press release sent on Friday states that the new facility will update and consolidate the abattoir and Don Naumann Muscle Foods Processing Laboratory, also known as the Mizzou Meat Market.

Friday also marked the completion of the first phase of the veterinary medical diagnostic laboratory expansion, which added more than 34,000 feet to the building. A ceremony was held for the groundbreaking of Phase 2. The $73 million was by paid for by mutliple groups including private donors.