|
|
Published September 05, 2008 06:34 pm - Before it was destroyed by the May 10 tornado, Lant’s Feed Store doubled as a social hub where people swapped gossip, kept abreast of area news and enjoyed a cup of coffee.
Lant’s Feed Store reopens four months after deadly storm
By Derek Spellman
dspellman@joplinglobe.com
Before it was destroyed by the May 10 tornado, Lant’s Feed Store doubled as a social hub where people swapped gossip, kept abreast of area news and enjoyed a cup of coffee.
So perhaps it was a sign that Bill Lant found the coffee maker virtually intact after the storm tore apart the store and scattered its contents.
“How that was possible, we don’t know,” Lant said.
Lant’s rebuilt store, complete with the surviving coffee maker, re-opens today at the same site, near the intersection of Missouri Highway 43 and Iris Road. Although the feed store has been rebuilt, the bridal shop that once accompanied it has not.
The intersection highlights what residents and officials have seen in other parts of the county hit by the tornado: There are signs of recovery amid vestiges of destruction.
Across the street from Lant’s Feed Store, a new home is being built next to the ruins of an old one.
Lant said it sometimes feels strange to look around and find the houses he was accustomed to seeing for years either gone or being rebuilt.
“In some respects, it seems like it (the storm) was yesterday. In others, it seems like forever,” Lant said.
County survey
Gary Roark, the Newton County Emergency Management director, said he plans to continue with a survey of the county next week to gauge how much debris still needs to be removed. Some homeowners disposed of their debris by burying it, burning it or hauling it away.
But Roark did say he has driven through pockets where storm-wrecked houses have not been touched. He speculated that some of those property owners await final settlements from their insurance companies or from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
At the historic Ritchey Mansion in Newtonia, meanwhile, repairs are virtually complete.
The tornado tore off all three of the mansion’s chimneys, part of the brick in the front and several large chunks of the roof. It also inflicted other exterior and interior damage. All of the repair work had been complete last week, save for some painting and recarpeting, said Kay Hively, a member of the Newtonia Battlefields Protection Association, which owns the Civil War-era home.
•
Click to discuss this story with other readers on our forums.
|
|

: Special Offer For New Subscribers
:


 |
|
ORTHOPAEDIC
Specialist of the Four States is currently accepting applications for the following postiions: Physical Therapist, Occcu...>MORE
See all ads |
|
VOLKSWAGEN, 1998 BEETLE,
black, 5 speed, looks, runs and drives great, only 84,000 miles, $3400. 417-621-0850....>MORE
See all ads |
|
1995 16x72 2 BR, 2 BA,
fully furnished, all appliances, 1 owner, beautiful, smoke free, must move. $17,500. (417)423-2385....>MORE
NO CREDIT NEEDED QUALIFY
for 0 down Own completely remodeled 2/2 16x80 single section manufacturered home, 2 acres, trees, corner lot, large deck...>MORE
Deerfield Estates
in Carl Junction, prime building sites, reduced $10,000 each. 417-825-0052...>MORE
NO CREDIT
needed qualify for 0 down Own completely remodeled 3/2 16x80 single section manufacturered home, 2 acres, new front deck...>MORE
See all ads |
|
TEA CUP
Chihuahua pup, female, shots, wormed. Information (417)843-2735...>MORE
CRAFTSMAN
radial 10” arm saw; skil saw 7 1/4”; Singer Featherweight machine; clocks/pocket watches; 7.62-54 rifle, accessories; Ca...>MORE
1993 KUBOTA 1560
lawn tractor, 42” cut with bagger, $800. (417)364-8231....>MORE
10 YEAR OLD BUCKSKIN
mare, 14-hands, broke for anyone, $750; miniature Jack and bred Jenny, $400 pair. (417)434-3700....>MORE
BASS BOAT, 2005
Lowe aluminum, 17’, 2005 90 hp Mercury, 2006 trailer, excellent shape, low hours. $7,500. (417)776-8846 evenings or 417-...>MORE
See all ads |
|
 |
|