My thoughts and prayers are with you all in Branson.
Jay
Yes, I hope everyone is ok. I know there is lots of damage. Praying for everyone!
Dusty
Woke up to this terrible news, am hoping the damage is "less" after daylight.
I am reading/hearing that many theatres and attractions of 76 are damaged....
Hope everyone there is safe, be well.
76 is closed according to my police scanner. Wal mart damaged Jubilee damaged, as wll as taco bell , the area near Titanic was hit hard apparently and Yes reports say that SDC was in fact hit by the tornado. No word of the amount of damage yet .I know I'll be keeping track of it all day.
Ah man, that ain't right! I'll be thinking about the folks in Branson all day now. God be with you.
i also checked the webcams 1st thing, but power is out of course..
Saw a picture on facebook, the branson variety theatre is trashed bad, I heard the wax museum is gone, the American sustained major damage per tim haygood on facebook, but waiting for details,,,
terrible terrible... BUT at least it was Early morning, AND in the off season... Cant even imagine the added damage and loss of life if this would happen at 8:00 on saturday nite in mid-june........
daylight will give many more details!!
Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone in Branson and the surrounding areas. May God be with you during this time.
We will be praying for everyone in Branson. I hope its not as bad as it looks for yall.
One of my coworkers and very good friends has a contact at SDC -- in the PR dept. I'll have him contact the guy and report back as soon as I can.
Stay tuned everyone...
Prayers for all of you there.
Harp
Found some pictures on branson news sights/facebook, looks like ruined structures also include The Burger Shack, possibly what's left of the Shoney's on the strip and JR's Motor Inn. Also significant damage to The Hilton at Branson Landing and Walmart in Branson West. Anyone heard from Paige to see how they fared?
yes, i called her and apparantly shepherd of ther hill expressway escaped damage...
no power as of an hour ago about 7..
but all are well...
she is headed over to check on her new property where she was told... NO damage theor either AND they had power... more to come...
Pictures of damage in Branson and other Ozarks towns:
http://www.ky3.com/galleries/ky3-pictures-feb-2829-tornado-outbreak-20120229,0,458764.photogallery
More info and video:
http://ozarksfirst.com/fulltext?nxd_id=610672
http://www.news9.com/
http://www.news-leader.com/article/20120229/NEWS01/302290053
I learned of the news through Facebook. It's unbelievable! To me, Branson is sort of a sanctuary where the problems of the "real world" don't exist. However, the reality is a tornado can strike anywhere. I sure hope the damage is as isolated as it can be for a tornado.
More Branson, AND Branson Landing damage pictures here. :'(
http://fox4kc.com/2012/02/29/pictures-branson-tornado-damage/ (http://fox4kc.com/2012/02/29/pictures-branson-tornado-damage/)
I woke up this morning to a phone call from a friend who heard it on the news and an email from the GM where I have a condo (Pt. Royale). How horrible! Praying that everyone is safe! That is most important!!
Any reports on damage at SDC?
"@SDCPARKNEWS: There was no storm damage to SDC Attractions last night. We're praying for those impacted."
I am so happy to hear that so far the death toll is LOW!! It stinks that there was so much storm damage to buildings, but they can be replaced. People cant!
Sitting here at work devastated over the news of my 2nd hometown. I'm absolutely devastated over this, and my heart goes out to everyone involved in this.
My thoughts exactly. After my daughter woke me up at 4:30 this morning, my wife was seeing trending Branson issues on Twitter. She let me know and I turned on the Police Scanner to hear many searches taking place. I was saddened by the damage to the area, but hoping that no one was hurt. It can be rebuilt, and I will personally help the economy of the area.
I have trouble looking at the pictures though, but I keep looking hoping that I don't see too devestating pictures. Several of these places were on my list of places to go when I was down on Spring Break at the end of the month.
I couldn't sleep last night so I ended up on Facebook. The first thing I saw was Timothy Haygood's post about the Americana. I got to reading everyone else's statuses and I thought I was gonna throw up because of how worried I got. Its one thing for a nice place like that to get hit, but its another thing when its a place you consider to be home and you have so many friends that live there. I'm really glad SDC is ok, and I'm praying that everyone can pull together and get everything cleaned up and repaired really quickly. I wish I could head to Branson right now so that feeling of "I wish I could do something" would go away. :(
Prayers going out to everyone in Branson and the Ozarks. It is such a very special place. Glad to hear SDC and Paige were not impacted.
Thought I would share this with those of you who are on Facebook.
http://www.facebook.com/BransonTornadoInfo?sk=wall
Sadly One person died in the mobile home park near Buffalo and around a dozen people were injured. Two others died in the Cassville and Puxico areas of Missouri. My thoughts and prayers go out to them and their families.
It has been a rather mild winter, and I predict there will be multiple tornado outbreaks this Spring. We are just getting started.
Looks like Branson took one right in the kisser last night. Check KY 3 news for pics. Lebannon, Bufflao, and even Edgas Springs (just south of me) got hit. A couple deaths.
Follow up: among the attractions hit was the Ducks. The Vets Museum took damage, too.
You are a little late my friend. :)
http://sdcfans.com/forums/index.php?topic=2024.0 (http://sdcfans.com/forums/index.php?topic=2024.0)
I rarely look at the non-SDC boards; my bad. :-[ :-[
SDC's Facebook page said they had no damage to the park or Showboat. The ducks had minor damage.
Ozarkland is gone. There's an icon lost!
I saw that too. It made me sad because you know your in branson when you pass ozark land. I love that store!
Thank God this one didn't end up like Joplin's tornado last year! Much less death. Buildings would have come and gone anyways, so I'm just happy to hear that the people are fine for the most part.
Quote from: DollarCityBoy on February 29, 2012, 10:07:56 AM
Sitting here at work devastated over the news of my 2nd hometown. I'm absolutely devastated over this, and my heart goes out to everyone involved in this.
I echo that sentiment...
terrible thing, we were scheduled to go down this weekend. I think i will still go down, they should have all the streets open by then..
I am like rube, i had a list of places i wonted to check out this year and now some of them are gone or beyond repair.. anxious to see the damage in person.
ozarkland being gone is a shame..it was a landmark.
My hubby woke me up early this morning to give me the news. My heart is broken over the news. We live in Springfield, so we've gotten lots of news coverage. If you are a Facebook member there is a page giving updates about the damage. (https://www.facebook.com/BransonTornadoInfo) It has been ruled an EF-2. Everyone keeps repeating how blessed they are that this happened before tourist season instead of during.
The tornado passed about a mile north of my house and we suffered no damage. The sirens just a hundred yards from my house started blaring around 1:30 and woke me up. They stopped after a minute or so and then came back on two more times in the next fifteen minutes. I got the family up and we started listening to the EMS scanner. Emergency workers were searching for injured, doing preliminary road clearing, identifying downed power lines, and generally trying to get things organized. We lost power for about an hour and a half, coming back on around 3 am, and we watched the news and internet to keep abreast of what was going on around us. The wife and I went back to bed a little later while the two kids were out driving around surveying the aftermath.
On my way to work at 6:45 am, I didn't see much more than small limbs and twigs across the roads until, on 265, I reached that antique dealership about a half mile south of the 265/376 intersection. Some of you may know of it from your visits to the area. It was demolished, power lines down and traffic restricted to one lane. Got to work, and of course, the topic of discussion was the storm, with people talking about damage in the Kimberling City areas as well as Branson. SDC was not hit at all.
The talking heads are saying we'll be up and running in no time at all, some saying within a week or so (a bit optimistically) and encouraging fans of Branson not to put off/cancel their plans to visit. Of course, despite the fact that the tornado tracked right down 76 and a lot of damage was done, there are still a lot of theaters and businesses that were not hurt at all. Our "hit" was nothing compared to Joplin's last year...no deaths and relatively few injuries. Thank you, Lord, for watching over us all.
Thoughts & Prayers for all involved.
Glad to hear you are ok, Zephon. Has anyone one heard from Copper? Steam Freak?
We were very fortunate. No property damage at Homestay or Econo. BW Landing does have some damage but are up and going as of late this afternoon. I am also posting on another thread (Homestay Inn) as we are NOW open! ;D
Hope my SDC family are all alright. Breaks my heart because of all the damage, but like was said earlier....all that "stuff" can be rebuilt. The important thing is everyone is OK. Thoughts and prayers going up for the entire area!
KY3 now reports that it was an EF-2 tornado that started near Joe Bald Rd. in Kimberling City and ended 22 miles east of Forsyth near Kissee Mills. Winds were 120 -130 mph and it was 400 yards wide. It lasted 19 minutes.
The Hilton Convention Center Hotel and the Branson Convention Center will be closed for 90 - 100 days. The list indicates that 15 hotels/motels were damaged or destroyed, 12 theaters/attractions damaged, and 50 stores/shops damaged or destroyed.
More details:
http://www.ky3.com/news/ky3-tornado-that-hit-branson-had-22mile-track-in-stone-taney-counties-20120229,0,607553.story
It's interesting to hear how city officials are trying to persuade tourist to keep their plans, and still visit despite the damage. Branson may get a tiny boost anyway just for folks wanting to come see the aftermath.
Yeah, my wife asked me (with a grin on her face) if I was planning to go down and check out the damage. I said that although it was tempting, without SDC being open, I'd pass. Plus, it would be very sad to see memories damaged all around. But the most important thing is that there was not many injuries and Branson is still there with all the people that make her great.
I had plans to go this weekend, am after making some calls yestarday.. I am still going down for a couple of days.
I would bet there is a lot of traffic saturday and sunday, people looking at the damage..
terry sanders posted an excellant video on you tube.. show alot of damage to the area,, Also show some of the "landmarks" that are badly damaged damaged. some will be saved,,,,,some wont :(
http://www.facebook.com/TerrysTourGuide?sk=wall
Wow, that video is the first time for me to actually see the true scope of the damage! I never knew the Riverboat Motel got hit! And the yellow airplane from the put-put was ripped to pieces. Unbelievable. I also hate to see Ozarkland looking so devastated. Seeing those Branson landmarks destroyed just sinks my heart so much. As the Mayor said though, Branson is resilient, and will shine again.
Quote from: sanddunerider on March 01, 2012, 09:03:05 AM
terry sanders posted an excellant video on you tube.. show alot of damage to the area,, Also show some of the "landmarks" that are badly damaged damaged. some will be saved,,,,,some wont :(
http://www.facebook.com/TerrysTourGuide?sk=wall
Here's a link directly to the video.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tGZegrNgYyA
I really hated to see the old riverboat motel that damaged, i remember staying there with my folks wya back when...I hate seeing the landmarks getting damaged, you know they wont replace them the way they were.. :(
As of today, more businesses are getting up and running (ones with "minor damage"). Most of the Landing is open now; McDonald's by Walmart on 76 is open; some of the shops in Historic Branson are open. To hear all this is wonderful news! Can only hope the ones hit hard can recover quickly... :-\ We have lot's of volunteers so far, makes one feel hope that it will be just fine in Branson very soon! Most of the minor damage theaters pushed back opening show till next week. Everyday brings a new ray of sunshine!
Was the Dick's 5 & 10 damaged?
According to BW Landing and other sources they are fine. Walmart on 76 open now but limited stock.
I started to tear up watching that video. Branson really is home to us, and it is so hard to see such a special place go through that. God was really watching over everyone that night, to have no deaths in such a terrible storm really is remarkable.
As the Mayor said, Branson is resilient, and will be on its feet once again.
Hey guys, I'm good, tornado missed my house, I was at work in a lift focusing lights when it hit, we went down to the basement until it passed and then went right back to work, didn't realize what had happened till I got home and my wife told me.
Glad to hear you made it through ok, Steam Freak!
As an aviation enthusiast I really hated to see the hull of the old yellow plane at Lost Treasure torn to shreds. However, I agree that seeing the damage to the historic Riverboat Motel was even harder to swallow. I am glad to hear the news about the rebuilding, and reopening, and look forward to hearing more.
I texted my dad a photo of the damage from the Riverboat seeing that the last room we stayed in up on the top floor is now gone...That one as well as the first place we shopped in in 1982 -Ozarkland-really were tough to see.
I am a photo buff, and I carry 3-4 different cameras all of different formats when I take my trips to Branson. With that being said, I have many photos of many locations. This is a photo in a tilt-shift format.
(http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/rubedugans/ozarkland.jpg)
Oh Rube you always seem to please with your awesome photos. You knew you made it to Branson when you saw this OzarkLand. I hope they rebuild it!!!
I'm an aficionado of all things Kitsch, as well as those of historical value. The Ozarkland destruction and Riverboat damage is heartbreaking. Not to mention J.R.'s Motor Lodge. That place wasn't the nicest place to stay by any means (in terms of luxury), but I'm glad that I got to snap some photos and stay there on my last trip up there.
Thanks for sharing the picture of Ozarkland Rube! Here is a nighttime shot of The Riverboat Motel that I took last fall. There she was, just glistening in the moonlight, and steaming down Highway 76 with her "passengers." :)
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7195/6953472781_387869d345.jpg) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ozarkbbq/6953472781/)
DSC00380 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/ozarkbbq/6953472781/) by ozarkbbq (http://www.flickr.com/people/ozarkbbq/)
Great pic Ozark!! I heart the boat.
Great Minds think alike....Mine is just a bit blurry!
(http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/rubedugans/Picture108.jpg)
More from my stay at the Riverboat
(http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/rubedugans/Picture109.jpg)
(http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/rubedugans/Picture113.jpg)
(http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/rubedugans/Picture110.jpg)
I found this old postcard of The Riverboat Motel, notice how it only has 2 stories, and there is only 1 smoke tower, instead of 2. Interesting, anyone aware of when it changed?
From the reverse description...."The only riverboat on Hwy. 76 West Waterbeds, king size and extra long. Carpet, color TV, air conditioning, extra large pool. Walk to the music shows and 4 restaurants. Harbor Town Shopping Mall next door. Located in the center of all attractions, White Water Park, Shepherd of the Hills, Silver Dollar City. For reservations call 417-334-8889 Visa and Mastercard welcome"
Pretty early...
I have seen that one before. My earliest postcard is from 84' (I am pretty sure) and it has the 3 leveled- 2 smokestacked boat.
Great pictures Rube! Also, I have never seen the "original" Riverboat Motel before DollarCityBoy. What an interesting find! I think looking back on how things were before the storm psychologically helps with the rebuilding process. :)
I have personally been through a tornado, and seen the devestation first hand. I was just hoping that it was not too soon, but also that it would be like a memorial, a rememberance of when...
The old postcard is currently for sale if you have an extra $17 laying around. I don't which is why it is still on sale!
I was in branson this weekend.... several motels were hit BADLY,,,, the river boat is badly damaged, I dont know if it can be saved or not... several of the damaged motels will have to come down.. :(
Thanks for the update sand! Sometimes I wish I could just stick my head in the sand like an ostrich, and pretend like the damage wasn’t so bad. If the Riverboat Motel didn’t have as much damage to its lowest level, then hopefully they can rebuild on top of it. I wish no property damage onto any business, however a standard hotel is easy to replace. It’s the unique landmarks, like the Riverboat Motel that worry me a bit.
Ozark, thats a great picture, I will check my camera and see if we got pics of riverboat..I will post if we did.. but the back 1/3 or so top 2 stories was slammed hard,, lots of damage in front, but you could still make out the main structure.
That's too bad about the River Boat. I appreciate the unique architecture more than most of the other hotels around that are just generic carbon copies of what has been plopped down a thousand other places. This is one of the few structures that told you were in Branson.
CORRECTION...
My postcard is the one pictured above. The reverse has written "Branson MO, Oct 1985 Motel"
When exactly the card was published I do not know, but it was still being used in 85'
I remember when that Riverboat Motel was built. I've been in a couple of rooms there back in the day. (wink, wink, nudge, nudge) That was a LONG time ago. Sorry to see it, as well as Ozarkland bite the dust. I plan on going to SDC next week, if all works out, and will attempt to make a trip down the strip just to see how it all looks.
If you remember to do so, please take some pictures! I am curious to see how the clean up, and rebuilding process is going.
My family stayed at the Riverboat Motel when I was a teen-ager back in the 1980's. Our family has "shopped" at Ozarkland many times. I hope they can be saved or rebuilt.
Yup, if I make a trip I will post many SDC and Branson photos...be looking about Thursday evening of next week!
Parson, i dont know if they can save ozarkland..
it took the complete roof and dropped in on the parking lot, while blowing most of the west wall out of the building..
Thats a lot of damage... :o
Quote from: sanddunerider on March 07, 2012, 03:06:36 PM
Parson, i dont know if they can save ozarkland..
it took the complete roof and dropped in on the parking lot, while blowing most of the west wall out of the building..
Thats a lot of damage... :o
Here's hoping for a rebuild then.
Quote from: sanddunerider on March 07, 2012, 03:06:36 PM
Parson, i dont know if they can save ozarkland..
it took the complete roof and dropped in on the parking lot, while blowing most of the west wall out of the building..
Thats a lot of damage... :o
Damn, Ozarkland too? That's too fairly significant Branson icons now (significant to me at least).
I went down the strip from Fall Creek Rd to the east for the first time since the storm today. It was amazing. Nearly every structure on the north side of 76 from Dixie Stampede eastward has significant damage. Branson Heights was completely destroyed. From there the tornado crossed 76 continuing directly east. I didn't drive through that neighborhood but could see major damage down the street. Cleanup is proceeding with much of the scattered debris already removed. Work continues on power lines. It will be a while before that section of 76 is back and fully functional.
Wow! I keep hoping that the damage was isolated, but it seems to be more spread out than I first realized. What are the odds that the tornado would slice through so much of Highway 76 like that. I'll be looking forward to the update pictures Junior, and anyone else who happens to take some.
yea shave!! Ozarkland and the River Boat Motel, both hit hard...
The Yellow airplane above the Mini golf on the south side of strip was broken in half also.
Not really an icon, but JR"S motel has been there a while took a big hit also!
here is an interesting video about the tornado path.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AOteFXOdRas.
This video was perhaps the most compelling storm video I have ever seen! The path of this tornado went right over the little trailer park on Mt. Branson I lived in while working at SDC all those years ago! Several of the trailers were destroyed. I shudder to think about those who live there today. Candlestick Inn destroyed...a Branson institution! Town residents are so fortunate there were no fatalities. Thanks for posting. This was quite sobering to watch.
Wow, what a video! Very detailed, and eye opening. I had no idea the Candlestick Inn got struck too. It truly is an iconic landmark. In fact, I never go to the Landing without taking a picture of it from the banks. That was a very well done video, although it crushes my heart to see the damage. Tornados are interesting because when looking at the bigger picture, they cut through such a narrow path. However, that path is so unbelievably destructive. It's all about being in just the right spot.
Since the tornado finally over the last week I have been all around town. If it wasn't for the hills, it would have been really bad. It literally jumped through town instead of a solid path. The good news is everyday gets better, everyone is working hard and cleaning up, etc. The positive attitude this town has, it's amazing! Branson is recovering nicely and quickly. There are some areas that will take longer than others but so far it may all get done sooner than we all thought? Here's to hope & positive attitudes! :)
Thankfully Branson is filled with passionate, and hard working people who treat the city as a member of their own family. Even from day one I have not heard many people complain about "why did this have to happen," or similar. Everyone has just accepted it as what it is, and gotten right to work. :)
So, how is the reconstruction going? Has anybody heard if there are plans to rebuild Ozarkland and the River Boat Inn? Hopefully the strip will be returned to as normal as possible.
I havent heard anything yet, BUT i will be in branson and will do a drive through early sunday/monday. Should be able to tell by then which buildings are coming down... AND which ones they are going to try to save..
Thanks...I look forward to hearing an update...Enjoy your visit to Branson...
Alot of the buildings are being repaired, Riverboat Motel, Jubille grocery. But alot is still damaged, Starvin Marvins & motel, Sliver Slipper, JR's. Funny seeing more plywood then windows on the Hilton.
Hit the strip yesterday. I didn't want to go. Brings back memories of May and spending so much time in Joplin to help clean up. Anyway...The damage is worse that I had thought. Many buildings that are just behind the main drag are damaged or down. My dad said what many of us did..."Why couldn't it have done everyone a favor and taken out the Grand Palace?" lol! Anyway, we didn't make it any farther than Tanger. The kids were too fussy, especially the baby. I do have many pictures and will try to post some in the next few days. They have done a great job on the cleanup. To answer a question that was posted earlier, I don't think there is anyway that Ozarkland can be saved. It is gutted and topless. Not sure if they will be rebuilding. I think it is honestly too early to tell what they will try to save or what will go. Most won't even have insurance estimates, etc yet. It will be interesting to keep an eye on what happens over the next few months. BTW...FEMA has declared that it is not a disaster. It has to do with a formula that takes into consideration the number of uninsured businesses and homes. Branson has strict insurance guidelines from what I have heard and businesses have to prove their insurance so this played into the decision. I would disagree with FEMA. It may not be an insurance disaster, but it is certainly a disaster that will have a big effect on the economy this year.
true enough Diana... But as loyal City goers it is very important that we tell everybody we know that Branson is Open for business, On the larger scale the business district did not receive that much damage and people need to keep going and stimulate the economy!!
And I still have people asking me about SDC damage, which of course there wasnt any,,
I will be doing my part this weekend. ;D
Has anyone heard or seen anything about Grand Village or Cakes-N-Creams ??
I thought I read where Cakes-N-Creams was closed for two days after the tornado to make repairs but has since reopened.
Looked as though Grand Village had some minor damage, windows out, etc. but was definitely open. I couldn't tell about Cakes N Creams.
Cakes n Creams is open. :)
Thanks for the updates y'all. Cakes-N-Creams is one of our favorite places to hang out late in the evening & we love Grand Village.
We always hit up Andy's on the strip...did they fare well?
Andy's was untouched
Andy's = yummy. My wife loves that place
Okay everyone has danced around this one, there is a substantial amount of damage that has been done to one building that no one has even mentioned. In case you didn't know, the Ripleys Believe it or Not Museum building has literally appeared to split in half! The damage in the area was enough to damage the sign and the fountain out front as well. Look at the photo here:
(http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/rubedugans/ripleys.jpg)
Ohh, and have a great Monday!
Quote from: rubedugans on April 02, 2012, 08:32:05 AM
Okay everyone has danced around this one, there is a substantial amount of damage that has been done to one building that no one has even mentioned. In case you didn't know, the Ripleys Believe it or Not Museum building has literally appeared to split in half! The damage in the area was enough to damage the sign and the fountain out front as well. Look at the photo here:
(http://i649.photobucket.com/albums/uu218/rubedugans/ripleys.jpg)
Ohh, and have a great Monday!
Shouldn't that have been posted yesterday -- April 1st?
Yah I am a bit off!
altogether now:
http://youtu.be/iMpXAknykeg
Yall some nerds :P :) :D
how is restoration work going on in Branson? Any word on Ozarkland or the boat hotel?
I was there 2 weeks ago and the boat motel was covered with tarps.... ozarkland looked BAD still... they had remoeved the roof that was in the parking lot.
I was told by locals that there is a serious delay in insurance settlements.. ??? dont understand all that..