WICHITA, Kan. (AP) — A tornado that ripped through parts of Kansas has destroyed or damaged hundreds of homes and buildings, injured several people and left more than 15,000 without power, authorities said Saturday.
In addition to debris from the tornado itself, three University of Oklahoma meteorology students returning from storm chasing in Kansas were also killed in a crash Friday night, according to authorities.
Nicholas Nair, 20, of Denton, Texas; Gavin Short, 19, of Grayslake, Illinois; and Drake Brooks, 22, of Evansville, Indiana, were killed in the crash shortly before 11:30 p.m. Friday, according to an Oklahoma Highway Patrol report.
The three were in a vehicle Nair was driving south on Interstate 35 when the vehicle hydroplaned and was struck by a tractor-trailer in Tonkawa, about 85 miles (137 kilometers) north of Oklahoma City, according to the report. .
A statement issued by OU said: “The university is devastated to learn of the tragic passing of three students. They were all valued and loved members of our community.”
According to authorities, more than 1,000 buildings were affected when a strong tornado hit Andover on Friday night. In daylight on Saturday, emergency crews found a path of destruction more extensive than previously estimated.
“We now know that our damage path extended approximately 3 1/2 to 4 miles (5.6 to 6.4 kilometers) north of where we believed it ended last night,” Andover Deputy Fire Chief Mike Roosevelt said. in an information session.
No deaths or critical injuries were reported from the tornado itself, despite widespread destruction. Authorities said only a few injuries had been reported. In Sedgwick County, three people were injured, including a woman who suffered serious injuries.
Search and rescue operations continued Saturday with more than 200 first responders from 30 agencies. Officials kept volunteers away from the damage until a secondary debris search was conducted.
Andover Fire Chief Chad Russell previously said some houses in the neighborhood “were completely leveled.”
There are houses completely knocked off their foundations and entire neighborhoods leveled, Russell said.
City Hall, the Andover YMCA and Prairie Creek Elementary School were among the buildings badly damaged.
National Weather Service field crews worked Saturday to determine the extent and strength of the tornado, Meteorologist Kevin Darmofal said at the Wichita office.
Flor and Aldo Delgado said they prayed in the basement of their Andover home when a tornado passed right over them, destroying their home and cars.
The couple looked out the window on Friday night and saw the tornado beginning to form, so they headed to the basement.
“The lights started flickering and eventually went out, and within a minute the whole house started shaking and it was really loud. We started to feel the water hitting our faces and there was dust everywhere. It lasted what seemed like a minute that it was right on top of us,” Aldo Delgado said.
Flor Delgado said she could hear her house being vandalized as they prayed for her safety, the Wichita Eagle reported.
“The moment I realized there was absolutely nothing we could do. I knew my husband felt it too because he was calm and he comforted me, but at one point he just starts to lose his temper and cry. I could hear his voice crack as he prayed,” he said.
Once the tornado passed, the couple managed to get out of the rubble with only the clothes on their backs. His house, cars and personal items are gone.
“We didn’t even have our wedding rings on at the time,” Flor Delgado added.
Governor Laura Kelly declared a state of disaster emergency for the most affected areas. The declaration makes state resources available to assist local jurisdictions with response and recovery efforts in affected areas throughout the state.
Evergy said about 15,000 customers lost power during the tornado and work continued to restore power. All broken gas and water lines were shut off and no active leaks were known by noon.
In addition to the tornadoes, large hail was reported in several towns in the Plains. Baseball-sized hail was detected near Holbrook, Nebraska, and Enterprise, Kansas, according to the National Weather Service and storm watchers.
Reference-www.bostonglobe.com