(CNN) — Workers at the St Louis airport, which was ravaged by a powerful tornado that smashed windows and rocked airplanes parked at gates, scrambled to have it ready to resume flight operations tomorrow, officials said.
The tornado was part of a storm that slashed through metropolitan St. Louis on Friday evening, damaging hundreds of homes and closing the airport.
The tornado went through north St. Louis County and when it hit Bridgeton, it had an EF3 rating, indicating it had winds of between 136 and 165 miles per hour and is considered severe, according to the Nationial Weather Service. The reading at the airport, which is near Bridgeton, may have been different.
Mayor Francis G. Slay said if power to the airport is restored by later today, as expected, about 70 per cent of flights can be operating tomorrow. No operations were scheduled for today, and officials advised passengers to contact their airlines with service questions.
Major damage was evident in nearby communities, including Bridgeton, just west of the airport, but, remarkably, there was no immediate word of deaths or serious injuries.
“Hundreds of houses were impacted. There was devastation across St. Louis County,” County Executive Charlie A. Dooley told reporters. “It was horrific. The fact that no one lost their life is simply a blessing.”
