Andover tornado

WICHITA, Kan. — A suspected tornado that barreled through parts of Kansas destroyed or damaged dozens of homes and buildings, injured several people and ...

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WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - Storm Team 12 is tracking severe weather through central and eastern Kansas. Powerful storms produced tornadoes, including a large ...

Evergy continues to work to restore power in the area. The Butler County Landfill will offer extended hours and will waive fees for debris cleanup related to the tornado/storm event. They have also asked people not to fly drones in the area until those searches are complete. Russell said that while preliminary assessments had been done, it is unknown how many buildings were damaged in Andover. The next briefing from authorities will be at noon today. Wichita citizens can take trash and debris to the Brooks C&D Landfill located at 4100 N West St, Wichita, KS 67205. There is good news to report. The best way to help, for now, is through the United Way website, but more opportunities will become available as needs are identified. The storm resulted in hundreds of damaged buildings, including homes destroyed, and the Andover YMCA took a direct hit. 1 p.m. Update: Kellogg remains closed in Andover while emergency crews conduct searches in the tornado-damaged neighborhoods. Update 4:30 p.m. Andover Central girls basketball player Gracie Hett and assistant coach Jacob Britain lost their homes in Friday’s tornado. All of those injured were treated and released.

A powerful tornado tore through the Wichita, Kansas, area Friday night, leveling dozens of structures in the city of Andover, according to officials.

As cleanup work gets underway Saturday morning, Russell said, the primary objective is to get crews out to power lines down across the road on Highway 54 in Andover. "They've got a ton of work out there. "By taking these steps early we are able to more quickly react when the counties ask for assistance." A total of 15 tornadoes -- 14 of which were across Kansas or Nebraska -- were reported Friday, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Storm Prediction Center. The other tornado was in Florida, the center said. The recovery will take years, Russell said. "We stepped out of our front door, and it was coming straight to our place," she said. "I just couldn't believe.

No fatalities were initially reported in the city of Andover, near Wichita, as the authorities assessed the damage.

Brandon Whipple, the mayor of Wichita, said on Saturday that an emergency response had begun in Andover, including the opening of a shelter in a church. “PLEASE stay safe, respect the warnings and have a plan of action in case another tornado touches down,” he wrote on Twitter. Two cars in the garage were crushed, and the family minivan, they saw, was now sitting in a neighbor’s front room. This weekend, severe thunderstorms were expected across parts of the Plains, Midwest and South. More than 7.5 million people were under a tornado watch Saturday afternoon. When it grew quiet, the family came out to find most of their roof gone and two walls collapsing in on the dining and living rooms. We were afraid the ceiling was going to come down on us.” In some of the neighborhoods, he added, “houses were completely blown down.” “As soon as I got the text, it wasn’t five minutes before it hit,” Ms. Taylor said. “The house won’t be salvageable,” Ms. Triplett said on Saturday. “I am trying to remain calm for the girls. But when they emerged, their home was in ruins, in the wake of devastation left by the tornado that hit the city directly. The garage had caved in on the family cars. Minutes later, the roof of their home vanished.

Andover Fire Chief Chad Russell said no critical injuries or fatalities have been reported from the tornado that damaged hundreds of homes and businesses.

“What this tornado did was it caught a lot of people off guard,” he said. At the YMCA, about a dozen cars were smashed, but across the street, a school sustained lighter damage, with broken windows and a caved-in doorway, he said. Victor Gensini, an associate professor of meteorology at Northern Illinois University, said it’s not uncommon to see tornadoes destroy one home and leave one next to it with minimal damage. Cars were left crumpled, tossed into some of the homes. Rigsby, who is stationed in Oklahoma City for storm season, told The Washington Post that the tornado was strong but narrow. Russell said Saturday that it was not the first time Andover had experienced such devastation.

WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – KSN News received videos showing the Andover tornado damage from the air. Authorities say more than 1000 buildings were affected when ...