JLB, Branson Tornadoes?

[GrayFal Silver Contributor and supermoderator Find all posts View Profile Close GrayFal]

Isn't Table Rock Lake near Branson...are u okay???

[Presley Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Presley]

Oh, geez. Is he from Table rock? I read that was one of the harder hit areas.

[GrayFal Silver Contributor and supermoderator Find all posts View Profile Close GrayFal]

Oh, geez. Is he from Table rock? I read that was one of the harder hit areas.

Yes, right on the lake.

My DH was watching the news and they said there was lots of damage right in downtown Branson, it caught his eye because we own a Marriott TS there.
Taco Bell destroyed, Walmart....lots of destruction.

http://www.latimes.com/news/nation/n...,3602314.story

By Michael Muskal
February 29, 2012, 12:33 p.m.
Some of the giants of country music have trod the boards of Branson, Mo.’s legendary strip of theaters. On Wednesday, a different kind of giant – a tornado -- moved through the town, leaving widespread destruction.

The twister ripped through the fabled music and entertainment resort at about 1 a.m. hitting an area known as "The Strip” along Highway 76, home to more than 50 theaters. The tornado moved through the convention center, across a lake and into a housing division, said John Moore, owner of the damaged Cakes-n-Creams '50s Diner. The tornado appeared to “jump side to side,” he said in a telephone interview.

Branson was one of the harder hit communities in the state along with Buffalo, Cassville, Lebanon and Oak Ridge, according to Missouri officials. At least three deaths were reported along with “numerous” injuries, mainly cuts and bruises, to residents in the southeast and southwest portions of the state.

“There was significant damage to business and tourist locations in Branson, including hotels and theaters,” officials said.

Gov. Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency Wednesday morning and said he will tour the storm areas in the afternoon.

Branson, a city of about 10,500 people, has been a major tourist destination for anyone visiting the Ozarks. The storm struck before the start of the spring tourist season, helping to keep down the number of injuries.

[Presley Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Presley]

My SIL lives very close to the strip. My husband can't get through on the phone.

[GrayFal Silver Contributor and supermoderator Find all posts View Profile Close GrayFal]

My SIL lives very close to the strip. My husband can't get through on the phone.

I am sure services are strained in the area right now.....

[billymach4 Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close billymach4]

And we all know it's not like JLB to be away from the 4ms for so long. Hope its just power outages

But wasn't he in just in Florida?

[Nancy Platinum Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close Nancy]

Believe he's in FL, but think his wife was flying home for the day and he was going to Orlando.

Nancy

[bigfrank Administrator Find all posts View Profile Close bigfrank]

I am sure Jim is OK, If the Tornado picked him up it would spit him right out I am not worried because he did log in after the Tornado hit. I will say for him to stay away this long. Jim might be helping someone out or he is showing someone around Branson or he is having it out with his best friend next door again or he just lost power.

[rapmarks Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close rapmarks]

jlb is at his florida home unless he went back to branson

[ace2000 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close ace2000]

jlb is at his florida home unless he went back to branson

I could have sworn jlb is at his branson home unless he went back to florida.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

All of the above.

Yeah, I know, a day without JLB is like a day without sunshine.

DW had a 6:00 AM flight out of Orlando, to Branson, and arrived back at 8:00 PM. What with the drive to Orlando, we had not heard anything. My first clue was the "10 Missed Calls" when I looked at my cell phone on the golf course.

DW had to go to the damaged area, and says it is as bad as everyone says. There is also a lot of lake house and dock damage, totally upside down metal docks and boats. Our dockwatch guy is very busy, as DNR wants that cleaned up as quickly as possible. A friendly neighbor called to say things looked OK at our place, and two other people called to ask if we wanted them to go check.

We are in the lake area hit hard. The path was about a mile north of us, and we have friends in that area, including the couple we met through another forum who bought their lake house the week after spending time with us . . . and despite that!!! Actually, they were sitting in the airport in Minneapolis, in a blizzard, trying to fly to Miami, to get on their friend's little boat to cruise to Grand Cayman and the Bahamas.

Two on another forum were building retirement homes that were just about finished, and uninsured because of that. I guess they did not have construction insurance. They lost everything. One guy's pickup got carried 1/4 mile.

Like the trooper I am, I gutted it out. The cart guy woke me up in the parking lot at 6:00 AM, and I left the golf course at 6:30 PM. In Orlando. The English bloke I was paired with left after 27 holes, but I got in 36.

We got home about midnight. Long day, 1 AM to Midnight. If were driving back to Branson, we woulda been there!

Have a sunny day.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

The path for this damage would be about a mile north of us. This is the windward side of the point the Kimberling City marina is on. The other side of the same point is full of docks with high-dollar houseboats, a popular way many have their lake place. I haven't seen pictures of the houseboat docks.

Photos: Port of Kimberling tornado damage - ky3.com

If this link works, the docks on the right are the houseboat ones and the docks on the left are the ones in the pictures. As you can see, they are even protected from winds:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=kimber...,0.038409&z=15

Here's Branson damage:

http://fox4kc.com/2012/02/29/picture...ornado-damage/

Aerial:

http://www.news-leader.com/apps/pbcs...2290074&Ref=PH

[Hobbitess Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Hobbitess]

I haven't seen pictures of the houseboat docks.

Maybe because they're fine. Or at least I hope so. The Hollywood Wax Museum's right across from some of the hotels that got clobbered, yet King Kong's still standing.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

yet King Kong's still standing.

Why wouldn't he be? All those airplanes and mortars and so forth, did not faze him.

[gophish Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close gophish]

JLB, glad to hear that you are ok. Sorry about your friends houses and all the other damage.
My son just moved to St. Louis for a job with Armstrong/Teasdale law firm and when I first heard about a tornado in MO we were worried because they were having the tornado sirens going off a couple of weeks ago but didn't get hit. I guess he is quite a bit north of your area though. We are coming out to visit him in May and also have a week booked in Branson at the same time, at the Wyndham at the Meadows. Any news if any of the timeshares got hit?
Again we are glad to hear from you and that you are safe.
take care.
Ken H.