Community Corner
Tornadic Wind Shear Hits Wildwood
It sounded like a freight train on the front porch, pet dogs and cats acted in alarm, and now some Wildwood residents are left without electricity -- and roofs -- from the storm that bellowed through just before midnight.
A total of 204 households, located off of Fox Creek Road in Wildwood, are still without electricity after the wind shear that bellowed through the area at approximately 11:11 p.m. Sunday.
Personally speaking, it sounded like a freight train was running right across our front porch at that time. Hail pelted the windows like little arrows, and pets ducked into bed or anywhere else they could hide.
Customers at the in Eureka right now are talking about wanting "no more apocolyptic storms." The coffee cafe is doing a steady flow of business, with many groups of people meeting there to get their first brew of the day.
Find out what's happening in Eureka-Wildwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Life without electricity is QUIET, almost deafeningly quiet. With inky black darkness and eerily 'no sounds ambiance' other than keyboard tapping, it can become a bit strange inside one's own home. Thank goodness for mobile access cards as plan B for our electronic-dependent world.
Ameren repairman and crewleader Terry Evans said the problem of the morning was a large, evergreen tree just off Fox Creek Road in Wildwood that was uprooted by high winds last night and fell over a main power line. It sparked a fire, and other problems that knocked out the power system.
Find out what's happening in Eureka-Wildwoodwith free, real-time updates from Patch.
Evans, also a Wildwood resident who lives off of Fox Creek Road, said he went to his basement last night during the storm. "I grabbed my keys, wallet and cell phone, anad headed down," he said.
He said the lights uncharacteristically flashed off and on several times, then went blank. He said he could see a burst of flames from their house, which he eventually found out was the downed tree on the electrical line. "I told my wife, 'that's it,' we'll being called in to fix some problems," he said.
Evans has worked for Ameren for the past 43 years. He said today will be about getting the main wires repaired, turning on the switches, and see where residual problems occur.
The Eureka-Wildwood Patch accompanying photos also depict problems at the Three Sisters Farm in St. Albans, which hurt horses and buildings there.
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