Jefferson City family in limbo after tornado

Many families were left homeless by the EF-3 tornado that ripped some buildings apart last week in Jefferson City.

The Estrada family’s home on Jackson Street near Jefferson City High School was among those damaged during the storm.

Ana Estrada, who was sitting on her porch Tuesday morning, said she has to wait another week until an insurance agent can come out to review the damage.

“They don’t want us to do the repairs before they come and see it, but the electrician said we have to fix it before he can work on the house so it is taking more than what I was thinking,” she said.

With summer coming up, the stress to start rebuilding is growing.

“It’s frustrating because you have kids that have to go to summer school, and you have to see who can pick them up or have to take them to school because we’re not here,” Estrada said.

“We’re homeless so there’s no way the school bus is going to pick them up from the hotel.”

Among all the destruction and frustration, she is optimistic.

“We just have to deal with all of this, be patient,” Estrada said. “It is frustrating, but you have to be patient ’cause it’s not only you. It’s a lot of people, and some of them have it worse than you.”

The tornado, which hit the city last Wednesday, packed winds of up to 160 mph, the National Weather Service reported. The storm damaged 157 buildings and destroyed 11, the Missouri Task Force 1 search and rescue team reported last week.

City and county officials on Tuesday declared an emergency in Jefferson City and Cole County because of the tornado and ongoing flooding on the Missouri River. The declaration is the first step in getting federal disaster recovery funds.