Photo: MICHAEL MATHES / AFP / Getty Images
At least one tornado passed through the area of Wichita, Kansas, on Friday night, damaging dozens of buildings, authorities said.
It is estimated that they were affected between 50 Y 100 structures, Wichita communications director Jim Jonas told CNN in a phone interview.
The video shows the tornado passing through or near a residential community in the eastern suburbs of Wichita as sirens sounded.
More extreme close-range footage of destructive #tornado going through Andover ks. Had bird in the air, attempted to deploy pressure and tornado was on top of me. Went from to 300 mph in seconds pic.twitter.com/Faxnz3vaX8
— Reed Timmer (@ReedTimmerAcc) April 30, 2022
The authorities still they are working to determine what exactly happened, Jonas said, adding that most of the damage occurred after dark.
Wichita Fire Chief Tammy Snow is currently in the nearby city of Andover, helping to assess damage there, Jonas added.
Multiple cars were dragged on the ground and pushed into the Andover YMCA, where significant damage was reported. There were no injuries in the tornado as employees and members took shelter, according to the Greater Wichita YMCA.
The tornado approached from the southwest towards where a neighborhood is located. More than a dozen homes have been destroyed in that area, according to the Wichita Eagle. A Wichita Eagle reporter reported damage to the roofs of several nearby houses.
There’s quite a bit of storm damage in a neighborhood east of Harry and Andover Road. Trees uprooted, roofs gone, walls collapsed. Lots of first responders in the area. Neighbors are checking on each other. #kswx pic.twitter.com/SrUyXx5yYR
— Amy Renee Leiker (@AmyReneeLeiker) April 30, 2022
The Local police reported that several major intersections were blocked due to debris and downed power lines.
Multiple agencies assisting us right now with tonight’s tornado. If you need a place to take refuge, respond to ST. Vincent De Paul, 100 N. Andover Rd. Rds are blocked on most major intersections due to down power lines and large debris. Stay safe and pray for us all #SgtMikeAPD
— Andover KS Police Department (@AndoverKSPD) April 23, 2022
Sedgwick County has declared a state of emergency to help facilitate state aid, according to KAKE.com.
The authorities declared an emergency in Sedgwick County. This declaration will help facilitate state aid.
In separate storms that struck after the tornado, Andover also received golf ball sized hail at 9: 50 pm local time.
Unfortunately, Andover is no stranger to severe tornadoes. Andover was hit by an F5 tornado in April 1991, which killed 13 people in a mobile home park plus 4 other people and caused $300 million dollars in damage. Also more than 200 people were injured.
More tornadoes in Kansas and also in Nebraska
Several other tornadoes have also touched down in Nebraska and Kansas as a large storm system moves east from the center from the Rocky Mountains to the Midwest. More of 20,000 customers stayed No power in Kansas since Friday night.
Two homes were damaged by a possible tornado near Herington, Kansas.
Tornadoes were reported in Wamego, Kansas, and near Stamford, Nebraska, and elsewhere in eastern Kansas, but little damage was reported .
In Shelton, Nebraska, the cars of a train were pushed by strong winds in a straight line Friday night.
It may interest you:
– “Daulatpur-Saturia”, the deadliest tornado in history, killed more than 1000 persons
– Tornadoes that hit Texas leave 23 people injured and more than 15 Destroyed houses
–A hot, dry March made drought conditions worse in the West