ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) – When an EF-2 tornado hit the Villa Ridge area on March 14th, it packed winds of up to 130 miles an hour.

“It ripped the roof completely off our structure and knocked down some of our bigger trees,” said Kevin Fee.

Fee’s house on Old Highway 100 was damaged so badly it was deemed unsafe. Like other tornado victims in Franklin County, Fee had to decide where his family would live.

“We knew we couldn’t afford a mortgage and rent, not for any place big enough to hold a family of eight plus pet,” he said.

So, Fee bought a camper for the family to live in. Monthly payments are about a third of the cost to rent a house and his children don’t have to transfer to a different school district.

His house is a manufactured home on a basement and Fee said his new house should be in place by the end of October.

Nearby in the Charing Cross subdivision, at least 12 houses were destroyed by the tornado. Since then debris has been removed and the foundations are clear and ready for new homes to be built.

Some storm victims didn’t have renters insurance or their coverage hasn’t covered all of their costs.

The Load of Love Foundation is a national disaster relief organization based in Pacific. After the March tornado it responded by helping cleanup debris, provide meals and give tornado victims needed supplies.

The foundation, along with other local foundations, continues to help storm victims recover. Dana Bowers is the founder and chief executive officer of Load of Love.

“Just the ongoing process of helping them acquire a lot of what they lost. Replace personal items and appliances,” she said.

Tornado victims still needing help with recovery can contact the non-profit organization through its Facebook page or by calling 314-960-6461.

LINKS

https://www.weather.gov/lsx/3_14_25#:~:text=0%2F0-,Summary%3A,were%20damaged%20closer%20to%20Etlah.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/558824796823387/

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