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(CNN) As the tornado-producing storm system that ravages the central United States weakens, communities in southeastern Missouri are sifting through the remains of what was once home and looking ahead to a long road to recovery.
At least five people were killed when a tornado hit Bollinger County, Missouri, during the dark hours of Wednesday night, according to Sheriff Casey Graham.
The storm tore a path of destruction across several communities in the county, turning homes into piles of trees, chipping off the roofs of buildings, splitting trees, and littering roads with debris.
“Looking at the devastation of this, it’s going to be weeks and months before we can recover,” Gov. Mike Parson said after touring Bollinger County. It’s the way.”
Missouri Highway Patrol Colonel Eric Olson said at least 87 structures were damaged, including 12 that were completely destroyed.
“It was a very fast storm. It felt like it was moving very quickly across the county,” Graham told CNN affiliate KFVS.
Bollinger County’s devastation reflects the destruction left behind in parts of the South and Midwest where 32 people died last week from storms and tornadoes.
At least 12 tornadoes were reported Tuesday and Wednesday, including at least seven in Illinois, where several buildings were damaged in the town of Corona.
The storm also hit the community with high winds and massive hail. Four inches of hail, larger than a softball, fell in Davenport, Iowa.
More than 35 million people from parts of North Carolina to the mid-Atlantic are projected to be at a slight risk of severe weather on Thursday as crews from various communities work to clear debris now. I’m here.
Storms from Texas to the northeast could pose a slight threat of flooding on Thursday and Friday, according to the Center for Weather Forecasting.
Approximately 7 million people are under flood surveillance across 750 miles in seven states, from East Texas to Kentucky. Cities to be monitored include Shreveport, Nashville and Memphis, according to the National Weather Service. The clock is valid from Thursday to late Friday.
Flood threats include Texas, southwest Arkansas, northern Louisiana, northern Mississippi, northern Alabama, and western Tennessee.
Heavy rainfall of 2 to 4 inches is possible in these areas, with 5 inches of rain in the most severe storms.
“Homeowner with nothing”
Friends and family recovered items Wednesday from their home in Glenalen, Missouri.
After a suspected tornado hit Bollinger County, residents who were left homeless in the storm were trying to save what they could as the sun rose Wednesday.
Resident Alisha Scaggs told KFVS that the house where her family lived for three years was wiped out by the storm.
“From being a homeowner to having nothing to having to start over, there’s a lot to figure out,” Skaggs said.
Her neighbor Kim Shear told the station that she had lived in the area since 1997 and had never seen a tornado pass by.
“I never thought our house would be attacked. I never thought my neighbor would be attacked,” Shea said. “But we have very nice neighbors. Everyone was checking on everyone. I have a great church group and if they were allowed in, they would clean up for me.” They will help you.”
Her daughter Ciara Shear recounted the terrifying moment when a storm started hitting their home.
“It sounded like a freight train,” Ciara Shear told KFVS. “There were fragile things everywhere and I was scared of everyone else.”
Erica White, a resident of Glenalen, Missouri, said she and her family had to take refuge in the bathroom after the roof of their rental home was damaged in the storm.
“It was the scariest tornado I’ve ever encountered,” White told CNN. “I put all four kids in the bathtub and put the mattress on top of it.”
Hundreds of officials from more than 25 agencies gathered in Bollinger County Wednesday in the aftermath of the storm, sheriffs said. Crew members were working Wednesday to search damaged homes and surrounding roads and clear debris.
“Even in difficult times, it is certainly humbling to see how we are all working together to get through these very difficult times here in rural Missouri.
CNN meteorologists Robert Shackelford and Mike Saenz, CNN’s Jillian Sykes, Paradise Afshar, Carol Alvarado and Andi Babineau contributed to this report.
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