BOLLINGER COUNTY, Mo.–The Bollinger County Sheriff has released the names of the five victims killed in Wednesday’s suspected EF2 tornado. Four people were also injured in the storm. The victims were inside a mobile home or adjacent camper, according to authorities.
The Missouri State Highway Patrol released the names of the victims. Glenn Burcks, 62, lived in the mobile home in the rural village of Glenallen. Susan Sullivan, 57, also lived there along with her 37-year-old nephew, James Skaggs. Also killed were Sullivan's 16-year-old granddaughter, Destinee Nicole Koenig of Sikeston, Missouri, and her boyfriend, 18-year-old Michael McCoy.
“My baby,” said McCoy’s mother, Stormiee Mayberry, in a direct Facebook message. “He was such a strong wonderful young man he was my everything.”
“I truly cannot talk right now,” she added. “It’s too much. Too much hurt.”
A fire station and church were destroyed, and dozens of homes were damaged, many beyond repair. The mobile home and camper where the five people died were smashed beyond recognition.
McCoy's uncle, Rustin Kinder, said the teenager's dad and another uncle hurried to the trailer once they heard about the tornado. The uncle found McCoy badly injured in a field. Kinder said his nephew was rushed to a hospital but “just couldn’t hang on.”
Kinder described McCoy as charismatic and funny and said he was “young and in love” with Koenig, calling her McCoy's “whole world.”
"He basically had a bright future, you know, but he didn’t even get a chance to have a family," Kinder said. “And, you know, it’s just sad, really.”
Koenig was a sophomore at New Madrid High School and loved animals, especially cats and dogs. Principal Justin Poley said the school is offering help for students dealing with the loss of their classmate.
“She did have quite a few friends that are having a difficult time right now,” Poley said.
Burcks was “a sweet and giving man, and he'd give the shirt off his back for you,” his sister-in-law, Dorothy Burcks, said. He considered Sullivan and her relatives family.
Burcks had worked at a saw mill but was in ill health and was retired, Dorothy Burcks said.
“He lived out in the country all his life,” she said. “He loved country. He didn’t like the town life orthe city life.”
Sullivan worked as a teacher for Head Start for about 15 years, according to her obituary. She had a fondness for her dog, “Baby,” and for pigs.
First responders from across the state, including many from St. Louis, are in Bollinger County to assist with the recovery efforts. The agencies worked together to access the tornado path and conducted a primary and secondary search of every affected structure, according to the Jackson Fire Rescue.
The crews reported finding 13 structures destroyed, 16 with major damage, 28 affected and 32 with minor damage.
Volunteers also gathered Friday morning to assist with the initial clean-up phase in hard-hit Glen Allen and the surrounding areas.
The sheriff says resources are being deployed to help affected residents. He is asking property owners that need help cleaning their property to reach out to the Bollinger County Health Center at (573)238-2817 for help.
The Red Cross has set up a shelter at the Marble Hill Baptist Church for those that need a place to stay.
Gov. Mike Parson, Sen. Josh Hawley and other elected officials visited the affected communities Wednesday. The White House confirms it has talked with Gov. Parson and is committed to providing resources.
The National Weather Service in Paducah released the preliminary damage survey for the tornado and believes there is evidence of an EF2 tornado, packing winds of 130 miles per hour. The storm was on the ground for 22.3 miles and was 150 yards wide.
The information from the survey also says the most severe damage was in Glenallen where the injuries and fatalities occurred. They also say hundreds of trees were snapped at the base.