51黑料

6:25 p.m. A "sizeable area" of Clayton was damaged in the storm, according to a press release. Officials in that 51黑料 County municipality say they have no confirmed reports of injuries.聽

The area with damage is roughly bordered by South Brentwood Boulevard, Skinker Boulevard, Forsyth Boulevard and Clayton Road.

6:10 p.m. One of the deaths from the storms came at Centennial Christian Disciples of Christ church, near Kingshighway and Fountain Avenue in 51黑料, where the steeple toppled onto the front walkway and the roof collapsed.

Two people were rescued from the building, but a third person was killed. Church members said the victim was the church cook, known to provide food for the homeless and neighborhood residents.

"She was selfless," said Alderwoman Shameem Clark Hubbard.聽

The church earlier in the day had conducted a food and and supply giveaway, as it often does for the neighborhood.聽

The church has been a staple in the neighborhood for 80 years, Clark Hubbard said.

"It's an amazing anchor for the community," she said.

6:01 p.m.聽About 100,000 Ameren Missouri customers were without power as of early Friday evening, in addition to almost 40,000 of the 51黑料-based power utility鈥檚 customers in Illinois. This map shows where the power outages are.

6 p.m. 51黑料 police dispatchers received at least 16 911 calls reporting collapsed buildings between 3-5 p.m., according to a system that tracks 911 calls.

The calls show the extent of damage through North 51黑料, extending from north of Delmar and Union boulevards to Shreve Avenue and Interstate 70.

5:55 p.m. Based on the radar, 鈥渋t definitely looked like a tornado that went through north city,鈥� said Jayson Gosselin, a local NWS meteorologist.

However, officials from the local forecast office of the National Weather Service are planning to send personnel out on Saturday to survey local storm damage and potentially confirm the presence of any local tornadoes that occurred.聽

He said the radar showed 鈥渞eally strong rotation鈥� of the storm and also appeared to pick up debris that was lofted thousands of feet in the air. That suspected tornadic part of the storm 鈥渟pun out pretty quick,鈥� Gosselin said, adding that it only lasted for about 5 to 10 minutes.

Radar also suggested that a separate possible tornado struck a part of Iron County, in the Ozarks, Gosselin said.

The storm delivered other threats, too. Gosselin said that the NWS forecast office in Weldon Spring received a direct hit from hailstones that were 2 inches in diameter.

5:51 p.m. "This is truly, truly devastating," said 51黑料 Mayor Cara Spencer. She said a fourth fatality was confirmed as the press conference went on. City leaders said people should stay off roads.

"This is going to require a massive effort" to clean up, Spencer said.聽The city is working to set up shelters for people who need them.聽

5:50 p.m. 51黑料 Fire Chief Dennis Jenkerson says first responders are searching North 51黑料 to find victims among collapsed buildings.聽

"We're going to search every building," in a roughly 20 block area, Jenkerson said during a press conference. City leaders talked to the media about 5:45 p.m. at a staging area near Delmar and Kingshighway.

5:45 p.m. Mayor Cara Spencer says three are dead after storm sweeps through 51黑料.

5:30 p.m.:聽Aldermen in north 51黑料 reported significant property damage across broad swaths of their wards.

Alderwoman Laura Keys, of the O鈥橣allon neighborhood, said the back of her century-old home was severely damaged, and her block was littered with debris and downed trees.

鈥淭hank God nobody鈥檚 hurt,鈥� she said. 鈥淏ut this is bad. And it has really just devastated this side of town.鈥�

Alderwoman Sharon Tyus, of Kingsway East, said residents were grabbing their chainsaws to cut up fallen trees, and people who hang out on corners were directing traffic.

鈥淓verybody鈥檚 pitching in,鈥� Tyus said, 鈥渟o I鈥檓 really proud of that.鈥�

5:24 p.m.: Every car along Euclid Avenue, from Delmar Boulevard north to the Fountain Park area, was damaged by the storm. One was flipped upside down. Multiple houses were hit, some with their roofs blown off.

The roof of one house came off and landed across the street. The people inside survived, including a 4-month-old baby.

鈥淚 was in the back bedroom right there when I heard 鈥榯he train whistle鈥�,鈥� said Michael Brann, staring at the missing back half of his rental house.

He was headed for the basement when the storm hit. 鈥淎ll I heard was a big crash,鈥� he said.

Everyone inside, including the baby, got out safely.

5:08 p.m.:聽At Centennial Christian Disciples of Christ church, near Kingshighway and Fountain Avenue, the steeple toppled onto the front walkway and the roof collapsed.

Two people were rescued from the building, and first-responders were still searching for a third person believed to still be inside, according to the Rev. Derrick Perkins, a former pastor.

Perkins spoke to the two rescued people, who were not seriously injured.

"They're just happy to be alive and we're happy they can reach their families and start to move down the road to recovery," said Perkins, who recently stepped down as pastor to take a national post.

The church earlier in the day had conducted a food and and supply giveaway, as it often does for the neighborhood. The church members were wrapping up and making plans for future events when the storm hit, Perkins said.

4:50 p.m.: The 51黑料 Zoo sustained damage from the storm, including several downed trees, said spokeswoman Erin Heffernan.

The zoo closed early on Friday after the arrival of the storm, and will remain closed on Saturday. Heffernan said that there were no serious injuries to any people or animals 鈥� which had all been accounted for.

4:45 p.m.: About 20 people were inside the Harlem Taproom, 4161 Dr Martin Luther King Drive, when the storm came through and leveled the upper stories, leaving a heap on what is now the roof of the first floor. Wood, bricks and crumbled building parts collapsed in a pile, creating a void where the interior used to be. String lights sag on the torn red Harlem Taproom awning.

But nobody inside was hurt.

鈥淲e know what to do during storms,鈥� said Ricky Matthews, the nephew of the owner. The group huddled in the back of the building.

鈥淚t sounded like a roaring train,鈥� said a man, looking at where the building used to stand.

A few blocks away, Raymond Johnson searched through through rubble and bricks for his cell phone. He had been waiting at a bus stop when the storm hit.

There was a whistling sound and pouring rain and things spinning in the wind, Johnson said. 鈥淚鈥檝e never seen anything like it,鈥� he said. 鈥淚鈥檝e only seen it on TV.鈥�

4:25 p.m.:聽The stage for Shakespeare Festival 51黑料' upcoming show "Hamlet" was severely damaged in Friday's storm. The custom-painted backdrop was torn off and a lighting tower fell over damaging lights.

Tom Ridgley, executive producer for the festival, says that the stage has never been severely damaged before since he joined the festival in 2018.

"We've had some pretty strong winds before, but this was clearly a tornado," he says. Despite the damage, the festival is committed to putting on the show.

"This may delay tech rehearsal," Ridgely said, but he was fairly certain it wouldn't delay performances, which begin May 28.

Blank Slate and other companies, which work with the festival to build the stage and provide lighting and sound equipment were on hand assessing damage Tuesday afternoon. But organizers said they would not know the true extent of the damage until the weekend.

4:22 p.m.: Richard Bose, 44, walked home from Washington University and saw trees down across the MetroLink tracks at the Waterman Boulevard bridge.

"I got lucky," he said of his Skinker-DeBaliviere neighborhood home. "Just tree branches for me."

4:18 p.m.: Because of storm damage, the 51黑料 Zoo will be closed for the rest of Friday and all of Saturday.

4:15 p.m.:聽Terran Dampier, a resident in the city's Fountain Park neighborhood, said the high winds quickly turned dangerous. She watched as the roof of her home, in the 4800 block of Fountain Avenue, was blown off and the top floor of a neighboring building was torn away.

"This is something I've never seen in my entire life," a tearful Dampier said. "To say I'm scared is an understatement...I don't know what to do. I don't know what to do."

4:15 p.m.: The Shakespeare Festival stage, under construction in Forest Park, has been damaged. The Muny has some damage to a smaller stage in the Purina Plaza.聽

4:05 p.m.:聽Power is out in large areas of the 51黑料 region. In the 6108 zip code, more than 40% of Ameren customers had no electricity. In the 63112 zip code, east of University City at the 51黑料 border, more than 58%. In the Granite City area, more than 76% of residents were out of power. Scroll down to see a map of the outages.

Use this link to send photos of damage or descriptions of damage, if you are safe.

3:55 p.m.: Patrons at the Harlem Taproom, at 4161 Martin Luther King Drive, heard a loud roaring noise.聽

Previously: A strong line of storms and heavy winds on Friday afternoon tore away roofs and walls, uprooted trees and toppled bricks across the the 51黑料 area. Damage reports were trickling in from Clayton, University City, and the Central West End and other 51黑料 city neighborhoods.

Kimberly Mims was in her car at Delmar Boulevard and Kingshighway when the storm rolled through.

鈥淕od is good. He spared my life,鈥� she said. "My car spun around three times. It lifted me up and put me down.鈥�

The National Weather Service says it is investigating reports of tornados, including a possible touch-down in Clayton. Schools in Brentwood and Maplewood-Richmond Heights lost power. Tree limbs littered streets in several cities.

And across the area, massive trees crushed cars, fences and powerlines.

Rooms in a two-story brick building at Enright and Euclid were open to the air after the exterior collapsed.

This story will be updated.