WARSAW, Mo. — A line of evening thunderstorms briefly doused parts of central Missouri on Tuesday, Aug. 4, but a marina on Truman Lake caught the unexpected brunt of the storms, and ended up with catastrophic damage.
At Sterett Creek Resort’s marina—just upstream from the Truman Dam—a group of anglers had taken off from the docks at around 5:15 p.m. for their weekly fishing tournament. Resort owner Ken Beyer said at that time, the weather radar painted an peaceful picture of the evening ahead. But 30 minutes later, disaster struck.
“We could see the wall of rain coming right towards the dock,” Beyer recalled. “All of a sudden the wind… it was just unbelievable. Within a minute, the whole thing was over.”
Once the microburst had passed, the resort’s Dock 5 had been twisted and half of it was flipped upside-down—on top of the other half. There were 44 boats on the dock. Eleven were seriously damaged; another seven were completely crunched, and could not be immediately removed.
Beyer explained, “It basically took the west-facing fingers and flipped them up in the air and over to the other side.”
Beyer explained, “It basically took the west-facing fingers and flipped them up in the air and over to the other side.” The closest angler was not even a half-mile away, Beyer said, and “had no rain, no wind, nothing.”
Beyer and his wife are relatively new owners of Sterett Creek — they bought it two years ago, and he says since that time, the marina has gone through three separate events where the wind speeds ranged from 60 to 70 mph.
In 2014, the docks showed their age when they partially collapsed during the Beyers’ first event to be held at the marina. Since then, they have invested significantly into the docks, replacing bolts, foam and roofing. Then, on July 1, 2015, Beyer says a tornado tore the roof off the marina. A month later, on Aug. 4, the sudden burst of wind turned much of that work into scrap.
“It didn’t stand a chance,” Beyer said.
A line of evening thunderstorms briefly doused parts of central Missouri on Tuesday, Aug. 4, but a marina on Truman Lake caught the unexpected brunt of the storms, and ended up with catastrophic damage.
He expects insurance will cover the damage, but then he said he figures the marina will no longer be covered by any policy.
“The problem is, the insurance industry has just turned their head on inland lake marinas… you have one claim, and they drop you,” he said of his experience, adding, “There are two companies that underwrite marinas. They have a monopoly on it.”
Last year, after the dock collapse, Beyer says he reported the incident to his insurance company right away. Before he had even filed a claim, however, he says he received a certified letter informing him Sterett Creek’s policy would not be renewed. He anticipates the same treatment from his current insurer.
Meanwhile, crews have been busy pulling Dock 5 apart, piece by piece, as the Beyers continue running a business amid a tumultuous summer.
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Meanwhile, crews have been busy pulling Dock 5 apart, piece by piece, as the Beyers continue running a business amid a tumultuous summer.
