Residents from across mid-Missouri’s Cooper County are in Pilot Grove on this Saturday morning, getting their gloves and work boots ready for today’s cleanup the in tornado-damaged town.
April 2, 2025 photo courtesy of KWRT Radio in Boonville)
The National Weather Service (NWS) in Pleasant Hill says an EF-2 tornado packing 135 mile-per-hour winds struck the town on April 2. State Rep. Tim Taylor (R-Speed), a former firefighter, and Cooper County emergency managers say the tornado destroyed or severely damaged at least ten homes. Pilot Grove, which has about 675 residents, is south of Boonville.
While there were no serious injuries or deaths, there were downed power lines on Highway 135 and power outages. The tornado also struck the Katy Manor nursing home in Cooper County, damaging its roof and garage. The tornado also left numerous fields covered in debris. Today’s cleanup will focus on cleaning up the fields. Residents interested in helping should gather in the 14000 block of Highway 135 in Pilot Grove this morning at 8. Other volunteers will be preparing lunch starting at 9:15 at Pilot Grove high school. Lunches will be delivered to the fields at about noon.
Crews from Columbia-based Missouri Task Force One (MO-TF1) were also deployed to Pilot Grove, using drones to conduct search operations, disaster mapping and situation oversight. They also helped with damage assessments. Representative Taylor, who represents Pilot Grove in Jefferson City, is praising today’s cleanup. He told 939 the Eagle News after the tornado that it was neighbors helping neighbors:
“In the rural communities and small towns of Missouri, we help our neighbors. And that’s being played out as we speak right now in the town of Pilot Grove and all of the houses and neighbors up and down that highway,” Rep. Taylor said on April 2.
