Pierce City surveys devastation by weekend storms

Much of downtown Pierce City was severely damaged by a tornado Sunday night.

In Pierce City, Missouri - a town utterly devastated by last weekend's string of tornadoes - residents waded through a wasteland of wreckage on Tuesday and vowed to rebuild.

Resident Debbie Aust had decided to dine out on Sunday evening. Her decision may have saved her life, as a tornado tore the second level off her house while she was gone and dropped it on the living room below it.

Aust feared that her dog had perished in the rubble, but she said she could not cry anymore. "It's all gone...what can you do? Nothing, absolutely nothing," she said.

Aust's husband David said he was glad that his family was safe. "We can replace everything I've lost," he said, "All my family's safe; that's all that matters."

Many of the buildings that were still standing after the storm remained dangerous on Tuesday. Residents were forced to wait while structural engineers checked each building to ensure its safety.

RESOURCES • CNN.com: More severe weather rolls through ravaged area  • National Weather Service  • Handling Stress after a Natural Disaster  • Emotional Reactions to Disasters  • FEMA: Coping With Stress After A Disaster  RELATED Audio Slide Show:Tornadoes and their aftermath  Gallery:A deadly path through four states  Interactive: Map of killer tornadoes  Interactive: Facts and safety tips  Interactive: Fujita scale  Interactive: How a tornado forms

Glenn Dittmar, who was overseeing salvage operations in Pierce City, said engineers were on guard for "holes in the floor [and] debris that can fall from above." He added that workers would not allow residents to go into areas where they could become injured or trapped.

The community had a sense of great loss, according to CNN's David Mattingly. It seemed likely on Tuesday that many of Pierce City's historic buildings would have to be torn down, which could affect the town's standing as a tourist attraction.

Despite losing so much, some citizens refused to consider leaving the town. One woman said that she had lived there all of her life and implied that she had no intention of moving. And Mattingly said that residents promised to rebuild what they could.

Federal disaster relief will help the town pay for cleanup costs, reinforcements for damaged buildings, and demolition if the town council decides it is necessary. However, there is no money guaranteed at this time to restore Pierce City.