BRANSON, Mo.
A powerful storm system that produced multiple reports of tornadoes has lashed the Midwest, roughing up the entertainment resort town of Branson and laying waste to small towns in Illinois and Kansas. An apparent twister rolled through Branson just before 1 a.m. on Feb. 29 and seemed to hopscotch up the city's main roadway, ripping roofs off hotels and damaging some of the city's famed music theaters dangerously close to the start of the heavy tourism season.
"We were blessed with several things - the time of year and certainly the time of day, when people were not in their vehicles or outdoors," said Mayor Raeanne Presley.
She noted that during Branson's peak season, up to 60,000 visitors would have been in the city on any given day and staying in many of the hotels that were damaged.
"If it was a week later, it'd be a different story," said Bill Tirone, assistant general manager for the 530-room downtown Hilton hotel, where windows were shattered and some rooms had furniture sucked away by high winds. Hotel workers were able to get all guests to safety.
Courtesy of Tri-City Herald
