Lindsay Triplett and her family in Andover, Kan., got emergency alerts on their cellphones on Friday night. The roof of their house disappeared minutes later.
Ms. Triplett and her family had escaped harm's way. She'd sought refuge in her family's basement, huddling under a staircase with her husband, four kids, and the family's Labrador puppy. However, when they returned, their home had been destroyed by the tornado that had struck the city directly.
On Saturday, Ms. Triplett stated, "The house will not be salvageable." "I'm trying to keep my cool for the sake of the girls." But, truly, what are we going to do now?"
The tornado in Andover, a town of approximately 15,000 people just outside of Wichita, uprooted trees, tossed automobiles into buildings and ripped houses and electricity lines apart. Authorities have recorded no deaths as a direct result of the strike. Officials estimate that the storm-damaged up to 1,000 buildings in Andover.
Three meteorology students perished in a vehicle accident in Oklahoma on Friday while they were returning from storm chasing in Kansas.
Earlier assessments put the damage at 50 to 100 structures, but the figure grew after rescue officials received more field reports on Saturday. Mike Roosevelt, deputy chief of Andover Fire and Rescue, indicated during a press conference on Saturday that the figure was sure to grow again.
Homes were demolished and automobiles were thrown upside down on lawns in several photos shared on social media.
Only a few individuals were injured, and most of them were minor, according to emergency management authorities, however one fireman was taken to a local hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.
In an earlier press conference carried on Wichita television station KAKE, Chad Russell, fire chief of Andover Fire and Rescue, claimed that "quite a few" individuals had to be saved late Friday night, but that no one was still in need of rescue as of Saturday am. "Houses were entirely blown down" in parts of the communities, he added.
The National Weather Service sent warnings to residents eight minutes before the storm impacted. According to Chance Hayes, a meteorologist with the agency, their prompt response to the warnings saved more serious injuries and fatalities. "They sought shelter in houses, they sought shelter in businesses, they sought sanctuary everywhere they could to be out of harm's way," he added.
Ms. Triplett and her husband opened the front door to inspect the sky after receiving the alert on their phones and noticed the funnel cloud coming.
Ms. Triplett stated, "I thought we had a little bit more time." "However, we didn't."
They could hear the tornado's impact once they were in the basement. "It felt like an airplane taking off," Ms. Triplett remarked. There was a lot of pressure in their ears. "And there was a roaring wave-like sound that you could feel and hear." "I believe it was the ceiling swaying."
As the tornado raged over them, her girls wailed, she claimed. When the noise died down, the family emerged to find the majority of their roof had collapsed and two walls in the dining and living rooms had collapsed. The garage had given up on the family's automobiles.
They stayed at Ms. Triplett's mother's house, which was a mile distant. Ms. Triplett and her husband returned to their house, where they had resided since 2006, early Saturday to see what they might rescue. The tornado's accompanying rains compounded the damage, soaking the family's belongings after the roof collapsed.
When Ann and David Taylor got the tornado alerts on their phones, they were eating supper at home with their children.
"It wasn't five minutes after I got the text before it struck," Ms. Taylor said. "We made it to the laundry room in our basement." I was debating whether we should get a mattress to cover our heads when I heard something that sounded like a train."
She stated they felt it hit the side of their house. "We heard the thumping of automobiles in our garage." "We were frightened the ceiling might fall in on us."
Neighbors assisted the family in climbing out of what remained of their home after the tornado passed. Two automobiles in the garage had been smashed, and the family minivan was now parked in the front room of a neighbor.
"It's a miracle that no one was killed," Ms. Taylor remarked.
Andover was devastated by one of many tornadoes that swept across Kansas and Nebraska. Tornado damage was less severe elsewhere in those states, according to the Weather Service. In a remote area of southern Nebraska, hail up to four inches in diameter was recorded.
The tornado struck just days after the 31st anniversary of a strong tornado that killed 17 people, 13 of them were in a mobile home park, in Andover in 1991.
Severe thunderstorms were forecast to hit sections of the Plains, Midwest, and South this weekend. On Saturday afternoon, more than 7.5 million people were under a tornado watch. On Sunday, strong thunderstorms might hit northern New Mexico and west Texas, posing a fire risk in sections of the Texas Panhandle due to the possibility of lightning.
Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple said on Saturday that an emergency response had begun in Andover, including the establishment of a shelter in a church. He encouraged people to stay off the streets so that emergency vehicles could pass through. On Twitter, he added, "PLEASE be safe, follow the warnings, and have a plan of action in case another tornado hits down."
The tornado affected portions of Sedgwick County, west of Butler, as well as Butler County, which includes Andover, although only minor injuries were recorded, according to officials there.
According to the National Weather Service, winds of up to 45 miles per hour were forecast to persist in the Wichita region on Saturday, posing a risk to emergency services. On Monday, there's a chance of severe thunderstorms.
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