BAKERSFIELD, Mo. (KY3/Gray News) – A Missouri family who was out of town for a concert came back to find their home in ruins after a deadly mass of tornadoes hit the state.
Eric See and his family were in St. Louis for a concert Friday night, but when they heard an EF-3 tornado hit their town of Bakersfield, they rushed back as soon as possible, KY3 reports.
The family arrived to find their home of 10 years had been destroyed by the tornado’s 140 mile per hour winds.
“We’re more in shock and everything,” See said. “Just went through the motions of trying to clean up and pick up and get everything done that we could while we could.”
When the family built the house, they wrote Bible verses on the inside of the walls. Now that the walls have fallen over, the verses can be seen clearly.
“We just wanted him [God] to be a part of the house that we built,” See said. “I thank he kept his hand of protection upon us during those times.”
Despite the destruction, See is just grateful everyone in the family is still alive. Not everyone got so lucky. At least three people died when the tornado hit Bakersfield.
“Life can be over in the blink of an eye,” See said.
The family plans to rebuild their home, and this time, they will include a storm shelter. See says everyone should always take tornado sirens seriously.
“You can replace things, but you can’t replace your family,” he said. “Don’t wait. Get in the cellar like they recommend because it just takes a split second and your life could be gone.”
The tornado was part of an unusually vicious bout of weather that struck multiple U.S. states over the weekend. At least 12 deaths have been reported in Missouri, and at least 39 have been reported nationwide, according to the Associated Press.
Copyright 2025 KY3 via Gray Local Media, Inc. All rights reserved.