Homeowners in Hecker, Ill., face clean up after Saturday’s strong storms topple trees, damage roofs

ST. LOUIS, Mo. (KMOV) - Residents of the small village of Hecker, Illinois, are cleaning up after strong storms damaged trees, fences and roofs Saturday night.

The village of approximately 500 residents was able to survey the damage at sunrise on Sunday after storms rolled through Saturday evening.

“I just stayed in the basement until it was over, and then I come up and see this,” said Dale Rist, who has lived in Hecker his entire life. “It sounded like a train coming through.”

A large tree in Rist’s backyard split at the trunk, sending part of the tree crashing into his driveway, narrowly missing his house.

“It took off a little bit of the roof and gutter, but not much,” he said. “It’s going to be expensive to get someone to come cut it up and haul it away.”

Several trees landed on top of outbuildings on the west side of town as lawn ornaments and other belongings scattered across neighborhoods.

“It was loud,” said Donald Barbeau, who spent Sunday morning picking up small tree branches in his yard. “Just the wind blowing, this stuff cracking, that’s about it. Praying the house didn’t blow away, or my shed or something!”

A few doors down, Sarah Happel and her family were left cleaning up minor damage. Happel was on her way home with her daughter following a softball game on the Missouri side of the river when the storm barreled through.

“We were getting texts that Hecker had funnel clouds and severe damage,” she said. “It was pretty crazy driving home and trying to get through it and seeing all the power poles down, and the trees down and the roofs off the houses.”

The roof of the former Hecker Country Store also suffered damage, leaving much of the roof and gutters scattered in a nearby lot.

The National Weather Service is expected to survey the damage to determine if there are any signs of tornadic activity. No injuries have been reported.

Copyright 2023 KMOV. All rights reserved.