Community of Potosi begins work of tornado recovery

Photos by Jacob Wiegand | jacobwiegand@archstl.org Jessy Dunn and Bill Long took lighting equipment into the basement of what’s left of the home of Chad and Jenna Long and their three teenagers April 8 near Potosi. The home was largely destroyed by an April 2 tornado.

Several residences, businesses northwest of the town destroyed, damaged during April 2 twister

Jennifer Brinker

Submitted on April 10, 2025

Chad Long was in town getting an oil change when a tornado struck near Potosi on April 2.

When he returned home, he found most of his dwelling — a custom story-and-a-half he built just over 20 years ago on family land — had been ripped apart. His wife, Jenna, their three teens and two dogs hunkered in a concrete storm cellar as they rode out the twister.

Chad Long cleared debris from the roadway near what’s left of his home April 8 near Potosi. Long’s home, where he lived with his wife, Jenna, and their three teenagers, was largely destroyed by an April 2 tornado. “We’ll just keep continuing on. … At the end of the day, it’s just a house, it can be rebuilt,” he said. “We’re going to start rebuilding Saturday.”

The next day, the community in Washington County stepped out in full force. Parishioners at St. James in Potosi, where the Longs are members, sent food, washed and dried laundry and used chainsaws and other equipment to help their neighbors begin to dig out of the mess. Friends from the Potosi R-3 School District, where the teens attend school and Jenna teaches, also showed up to lend a hand.

“There’s been a lot of help from a lot of people, cleaning stuff and picking up trash, and you know, just trying to do whatever they can,” Chad Long said. “It’s nice, the community has come together. I’m just trying to try to get everything cleaned up so we can start rebuilding.”

The Longs’ home was among several residences and businesses that were damaged during the EF-3 tornado, which sustained peak winds of 165 miles an hour. The Missouri Highway Patrol confirmed the tornado struck near Highway 185 in Washington County, about six miles northwest of Potosi.

Representatives from Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of St. Louis, other community organizations including the East Missouri Action Agency, and the St. Vincent de Paul food pantries at St. James in Potosi and St. Joachim in Old Mines met with impacted families April 9 to do a formal assessment of families’ needs and begin the long work of recovery.

Catholic Charities visited Potosi the day after the storm and met with several community partners, director of disaster services Ben Perrin said. During their return visit to meet with impacted families, we will be “bringing some perspective to what recovery would look like — what other communities have done and how we look at and address the needs of the community hit by an EF-3 tornado,” he said.

The home of Chad and Jenna Long and their three teenagers was largely destroyed in an April 2 tornado near Potosi. The Longs are parishioners at St. James in Potosi and also attend St. Joachim in Old Mines

Meanwhile, the Longs are staying with Chad Long’s parents, Bill and Phyllis, whose nearby home was spared, save for some exterior damage and loss of farm equipment.

“If Chad hadn’t had that storm cellar, we might have had something else to deal with,” Bill Long said. “Thank God we have this, and we still got a place to go to bed and take care of ourselves.”

Catholic Charities continues to address the needs of those who were impacted by storms that swept through Missouri on March 14, which produced at least 13 tornadoes across the state, according to the National Weather Service.

Catholic Charities completed 271 household intakes representing 851 individuals through several Multi-Agency Resource Centers (MARCs) held in March and April in Arnold, Florissant and Perryville. The events included more than a dozen state agencies and other organizations providing recovery resources and support services for communities impacted by disasters, including cleaning supplies, insurance information, food stamp replacement, emergency financial assistance, legal services and more. Another MARC event was scheduled for April 9 in Pacific.

Catholic Charities’ chief community officer Brian Thouvenot noted that many families impacted by the storms are facing challenges with their homeowners’ insurance, such as high deductibles, lack of coverage because of a roof’s age or other coverage limits.

“What we’re finding is that the insurance business has changed,” Thouvenot said. “That’s where we might be able to step in and fill the need. We’re going to be relying on funds from people who are generous in times of disaster.”

The Knights of Columbus and St. Vincent de Paul at St. James will be making donations to parish families impacted by the tornado, said Becky Howell of the St. Vincent de Paul conference at St. James. Families from St. Joachim in Old Mines (which shares a pastor, Father Anthony Dattilo, with St. James) who sustained damage also will receive similar assistance from their parish.

“Everyone from near and far are doing their best to assist those in need,” Howell said. “Washington County is rich in goodwill for our neighbors.”

How you can help

Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of St. Louis is in need of monetary donations for ongoing disaster recovery from the spring tornadoes. To make a donation, visit give.ccstl.org and select Disaster Relief from the menu.

Donations also may be mailed to Catholic Charities (indicate Disaster Relief in the memo), P.O. Box 952393, St. Louis MO, 63195-2393.