High Winds, Rain and Hail Pound the Region

Although the storm damage in Ladue and Frontenac was not too severe, there were isolated incidents that could have been life threatening.

A huge tree came crashing through a single-story addition to a home on Warson Terrace, missing the homeowners by a narrow margin. The family was scrambling to the basement when the tree was toppled and smashed into the one story addition, totally destroying that part of the house. While insurance adjusters were assessing the damage, structural engineers had to check out the house to make sure it was habitable.

“We had seven men in by midnight and we spent the whole night clearing trees and limbs from roadways,” said Dennis Bible, Ladue’s public works director. The department was equipped with chain saws and tractors to sweep away the bulk of the debris. Ladue maintains 22 miles of roads.

“Our main concern is to clear roadways so emergency vehicles will be able to pass through,” said Bible.

This morning, tree services were clearing a large pine tree that was toppled at the entrance of Conway Close and Conway Road. The sidewalk was impassable because of the damage.

Other storm damage was reported on Ricardo Lane and South Price Boulevard, at 63 Fair Oaks Dr., 1025 South Warson Rd., 9797 Litzsinger Rd. and No. 3 St. Andrews Dr.

“This has been some crazy winter,” said Bible, rattling off the deep snow and frequent ice storms that have kept his crews working constantly around the clock. We’ve seen more than our share of snow,” he said.

“Last night, the temperature dropped drastically. It went down some 25-30 degrees in a matter of a couple of hours,” said Bible.

Bible credits Ameren UE for all the off season work they’ve done. “They’ve really stepped up to the plate. The tree trimming program is paying off. We would have had a lot more damage had they not done that. When we got out a midnight last night, Ameren crews were already on the scene, dealing with dropped life wires on the ground.”

One fire was reported on Black Creek Drive, though minor in nature. “It was in an electrical box in a garage. Our crew knocked it down very quickly,” said Ladue Fire Chief Ted Jury.

Meanwhile, all was mostly quiet in Frontenac. “We’ve haven’t too much reported to us,” said Jeff Wappelhorst, public works director in Frontenac. “Our building department is out checking damage. I think they have a report of a tree falling on a deck?”