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Dozens of buildings leveled after powerful tornado tore through Wichita area

2022-04-30T10:35:46.114Z


A powerful tornado hit the Wichita area Friday night, leveling dozens of structures in the city of Andover, according to authorities.


Strong storms forecast in the central US 0:38

(CNN) --

A powerful tornado hit the Wichita area Friday night, leveling dozens of structures in the city of Andover, according to authorities.

The tornado touched down in Sedgewick County, Kansas, before traveling to Andover in Butler County, the city's Fire Chief Chad Russell said during a news conference.

More than 950 buildings were in the tornado's path, he said.

At least one tornado touched down near Andover, Kansas, on Friday.

"We had a lot of buildings in Andover that were very heavily damaged," Russell said, adding that some houses were "completely knocked down."

Recovery will take years, Russell said.

"Unfortunately, we've been through this before," he added, referring to the devastation caused by an F-5 tornado that hit Andover on April 26, 1991. Seventeen people were killed in that tornado.

Although the damage was extensive on Friday, authorities only reported a handful of injuries early Saturday morning.

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Andover, a city of about 15,000 people, is about 14 miles east of Wichita, Kansas.

Resident Alaina Adkins told CNN that she took shelter in her neighbor's basement across the street from her apartment complex when the tornado passed.

"I just couldn't believe it. It just didn't seem real," the 26-year-old said.

"We walked out the front door and it was coming right to our place," he said.

The tornado passed by his home for a block, but power was knocked out in his neighborhood, Adkins added.

More than 20,000 homes and businesses in Kansas were without power in the immediate aftermath.

As of 4 a.m. ET, that number had dropped to around 8,500, according to poweroutage.us.

Videos and photos showed mangled homes, overturned cars and debris from the storm littering streets and front yards.

In an initial estimate, Jim Jonas, director of communications for Wichita, said the tornado damaged between 50 and 100 structures.

One of those buildings was a YMCA community center in Andover, which sustained significant damage, said City Manager Jennifer McCausland.

Some of the tornado damage in Andover, Kansas.

14 tornadoes reported in Kansas or Nebraska

The National Weather Service in Wichita said it will send crews Saturday to conduct damage surveys.

"Our thoughts and prayers are with those affected by the tornadoes tonight," he said.

Several tornadoes touched down Friday in Kansas, according to Gov. Laura Kelly, who declared a state of emergency for disaster.

"We've learned from past experience that we can't wait for the storm to come before responding," Kelly said.

"By taking these steps early, we can react more quickly when counties request assistance."

A total of 15 tornadoes, 14 of which were in 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.

Additionally, there have been more than 70 reports of wind damage and more than 50 reports of hail.


In Enterprise, Kansas, there was hail up to four inches in diameter.

This Saturday, the storm is expected to move east, where more than 40 million people are under the general threat of severe storms.

A level 2 of 5 risk has been issued for severe storms and includes Chicago, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Little Rock.

"Severe thunderstorms associated with a threat of large hail and wind damage are possible Saturday from the lower Mississippi Valley north to the western Great Lakes," the Storm Prediction Center said, "They may also occur a couple of tornadoes.

Paradise Afshar, CNN's Andy Rose, Taylor Ward, Allison Chinchar and Sharif Paget contributed to this report.

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Source: cnnespanol

All news articles on 2022-04-30

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