SPRINGFIELD, Mo – While the Ozarks escaped major damage during Tuesday’s severe thunderstorms and possible tornadoes, the same wasn’t the case on this day 42 years ago.
On the evening of April 29, 1983, a large and deadly EF-3 tornado touched down in Republic before heading into South Springfield and carving a five-square-mile disaster zone. More than 350 homes and businesses in the area near Campbell Ave. at Battlefield Rd. were severely damaged or destroyed. Redeemer Lutheran Church was nearly leveled, and a Dillon’s grocery store (now home to Incredible Pizza) was hit. During the violent storm, a 16-year-old girl was killed, and 27 other residents were hurt.
Also, this Sunday marks 22 years since twenty-five people were killed in one of the worst tornado outbreaks the Ozarks has seen in modern times. On May 4, 2003, fifteen twisters destroyed parts of Battlefield, Marionville, Pierce City, and Stockton. In all, close to 3,000 homes and businesses were hit by the storms. It took the communities several years to rebuild…