Wed, Oct 15 2008
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Published May 12, 2008 05:30 pm - Monday was a day for counting blessings and losses. In Newtonia, some continued sifting through the ruins to see what could be salvaged. Some continued marveling at how they had survived and pondering the days ahead.  'Newton County is crying today' day-after video Click the link below to view the video of Newton County residents discussing Saturday's tornado that damaged the historic Richie Mansion, damaged hundreds of area homes and businesses and killed more than a dozen.
By Derek Spellman dspellman@joplinglobe.com Monday was a day for counting blessings and losses. In Newtonia, some continued sifting through the ruins to see what could be salvaged. Some continued marveling at how they had survived and pondering the days ahead. In an area north of Seneca, near Missouri Highway 43 and Iris Road, authorities announced that the death toll from the weekend storms had reached 14 in Newton County, and that preliminary estimates indicate 270 homes sustained major damage or were destroyed, according to Gary Roark, the county’s emergency management director. “Newton County is crying today,” said Jerry Carter, presiding county commissioner, in an interview with the Globe. Less than two days after a tornado tore through the area, residents of storm-ravaged areas on Monday started wrestling with questions about whether, when and how to rebuild, while volunteers and lawmakers poured in to help with cleanup and begin coordinating disaster relief. Parts of Newtonia offered a vision of a war zone: canted utility poles, debris-covered lawns, splintered trees and shattered houses. In other parts, houses showed only roof and window damage. Dee Wormington, mayor of Newtonia, spent much of Monday picking through the remains of City Hall. The structure was flattened by Saturday’s tornado, and the city had no insurance on the building, she said. “We are hoping FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and SEMA (State Emergency Management Agency) can come through for us,” she said of rebuilding City Hall. As neighbors combed the rubble of their homes, Wormington tried to salvage what she could from what had been the seat of local government. A coffee pot. Packs of shingles still in plastic. A few pictures. A bag of paper plates. A chair. Coils of copper wire. Some residents hauled appliances from damaged houses. Other looked for any furniture that might be reused, as well as pictures and family mementos. Wormington said 10 homes in the village were demolished by the storm, and 30 others sustained significant damage. 
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