Booms baffle officials

From: http://www.lakesunleader.com/articles/2007/07/24/news/02.txt

Jul 23, 2007

Cause or point of origin unknown

LAKE OF THE OZARKS ' A series of loud explosive booms that echoed across the area Monday afternoon has law enforcement officials baffled.

No one has been able to determine the cause or point of origin of the booms that prompted a flood of calls to dispatchers.

According to the Camden County Sheriff's Department, the sounds resembled sonic booms or a loud, explosive blast. The booms were accompanied by shaking that reportedly caused some damage in Camden County.

So far, they have not been able to pinpoint a cause. Deputies have checked with the Missouri Department of Transportation and other agencies to see if there was any large blasting projects being set off Monday afternoon. They also checked with the Federal Aviation Administration, Whiteman Air Force Base and the St. Louis Earthquake Center. No leads have turned up. Officials at Whiteman suggested the sheriff's department check back Tuesday to see if there were any reports or training missions in the area that might explain the noises and shaking.

The calls started around 2:15 p.m. Callers reported it sounded like something was 'blowing up or was being bombed.' The calls came from one end of the county to the other, with several coming from Sunny Slope, Cedar Glen and Big Island, all west of Camdenton on the Niangua Arm of the lake. Others came from Sunrise Beach and Camelot. just north of Camdenton, all the way to Kaiser near the Miller County line.

On Lake Road F-12, residents said the booms were loud and sounded nearby.

At least two callers reported damage to walls where the shaking caused sheet rock to crack and windows to rattle.

Osage Beach Police Department reported a few calls.

In Miller County, dispatchers reported that shortly after 2 p.m. one resident in the Iberia area did call to make a report. Morgan County officials did not hear anything about the unexplained occurrence.

Contact this reporter