PERRY COUNTY, Mo. – Downed tree branches typically litter yards after a tornado. In Perry County, some residents say that’s exactly how their community looked following Sunday’s winter storm.

“We’ve lived here for 20 years and have never seen anything like this,” Katie Schemel, a longtime Perryville resident, said.

The downed tree limbs and power outages on Monday were due to the weight of ice on tree branches and power lines.

“This is as bad as we’ve seen in decades,” Perryville City administrator Brent Buerck said.

The city has been working with county commissioners to provide places for residents to stay warm. The Perry Park Center opened as a warming center during the day with the Perryville Senior Center serving as an overnight shelter.

Buerck credits power crews for working around the clock, as the number of power outages continued to drop on Monday. Citizens Electric provides power for the county, which is getting help from other cooperatives as well as private companies.

Residents can stay up to date on places to stay warm by following the city’s Facebook page here or the County Emergency Management Facebook page here.

Buerck reminds residents without heat to turn off their water, as freezing pipes could lead to even more damage.

Chris Schemel has been impressed with the effort to restore power and help residents.

“We have a great community,” he said. “Everybody is helping their neighbors and the community out.” 

Without power, the Schemels kept their food from their refrigerator in their garage to stay cool and used their indoor fireplace to stay warm. 

“Even though we don’t have electricity, we do have warmth,” Katie Schemel added. “We’re safe and have a roof, so we’re better off than most people.”