ST. LOUIS (AP) — Debris from splintered homes covered the ground in neighborhoods around St. Louis, while toppled trees and overturned cars littered lawns and driveways. From the air, one home looked like a dollhouse that had had its roof lifted off. Looking down, the dining room table and other contents could be seen, damp in lingering rain.
Amid such damage, officials appeared awed that a tornado that roared through the area Friday night, striking the airport and several nearby suburbs, hadn't seriously injured anyone.
Some 750 homes in the St. Louis region were damaged, and less than 100 were uninhabitable, Gov. Jay Nixon said. Updates from RMS indicate that the number of damaged homes may reach well into the thousands.
At Lambert, workers boarded up windows and swept up glass in the main terminal, where the twister had torn off part of the roof and blown out half of the large, plate-glass windows. The damaged concourse was likely to remain closed for up to two months.
Insurance adjusters converged in nearby Maryland Heights and Bridgeton, where roofers were going door to door to offer free temporary repairs.
Below and on the following pages illustrate the damage that can occur when tornadoes strike densely populated areas.
In this aerial photograph, debris is strewn about a neighborhood Saturday, April 23, 2011, in Bridgeton, Mo., following a Friday-evening tornado in the area. A severe storm that struck the St. Louis area left homes flattened in suburbs around Lambert International Airport in St. Louis. The National Weather Service confirms that a tornado that struck the airport, causing several injuries and sending people scurrying for shelter as plated glass shattered around them. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
In this aerial photo, a large hole is seen in the roof of Concourse C at Lambert-St. Louis International Airport Saturday, April 23, 2011, in St. Louis. A tornado struck the airport causing several injuries and shattered windows. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
From left to right, Shaun Jones and Jacob Caldwell of BAM Contracting in St. Louis, work to repair damage to windows in the main terminal of St. Louis' Lambert International Airport, Saturday, April 23, 2011. The aiport reopened Sunday, two days after a strong tornado caused significant damage to it. The airport director says one American Airlines 757 jet sustained significant damage, and four other American planes had minor damage. Five or six flights had to be diverted away from St. Louis when the storm hit. (AP Photo/St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Johnny Andrews)
In this aerial photograph, debris is strewn around a neighborhood Saturday, April 23, 2011, in Bridgeton, Mo., following a Friday-evening tornado in the area. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Jim Weiss, from St. Louis, carries out a chair from his friend Roger Schnell's house on Royal Avenue that was severely damaged by a tornado the night before, on Saturday, April 23, 2011, in Ferguson, Mo. "He'd help me if I needed it," said Weiss. (AP Photo/St. Louis Post-Dispatch, David Carson)
Denny Searcy, from Kansas City, Mo., looks over the damage to the Metro One Insurance Agency office where he works in Ferguson, Mo., after a tornado ripped through the city the night before, Saturday, April 23, 2011. (AP Photo/St. Louis Post-Dispatch, David Carson)
Debris is strewn around a neighborhood Saturday, April 23, 2011, in Bridgeton, Mo., following a Friday-evening tornado in the area. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Rick Gamma, whose family owns Gamma Tree Service, surveys his progress in cutting up a tree that blew down on Royal Avenue during Friday night's tornado, on Saturday, April 23, 2011, in Ferguson, Mo. (AP Photo/St. Louis Post-Dispatch, David Carson)
In this aerial photograph, debris is strewn about a neighborhood Saturday, April 23, 2011, in Bridgeton, Mo., following a Friday-evening tornado in the area. St. Louis' main airport was closed for business Saturday while crews cleaned up after a tornado tore through a terminal, causing several injuries and sending people scurrying for shelter as plated glass shattered around them. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
Darrell Peebles, right, walks through damage in Berkeley, Mo., after a tornado swept through the neighborhood the night before, Saturday, April 23, 2011. (AP Photo/St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Christian Gooden)
Barry Henning, a friend of Brianna McIntyre, carries belongings out of McIntyre's storm-damaged home Saturday, April 23, 2011, in Bridgeton, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
James Shrum walks on the roof of his mother's home with his son James Shrum Jr., 13, as they check out the damage done to the home on Bern Avenue in Granite City Saturday April 23, 2011. (AP Photo/Post-Dispatch, Emily Rasinski)
In this aerial photo, two pedestrians walk past a large tree toppled by a tornado Saturday, April 23, 2011, in Bridgeton, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
In this aerial photograph, debris is strewn about a neighborhood Saturday, April 23, 2011, in Bridgeton, Mo., following a Friday-evening tornado in the area. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
The aforementioned "doll house" that had its roof torn off following a Friday-evening tornado in the area. St. Louis' main airport was closed for business Saturday while crews cleaned up after a tornado tore through the area, causing several injuries and sending people scurrying for shelter. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
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