(Wichita) A powerful tornado destroyed or damaged dozens of homes and buildings in Kansas, injuring many people and destroying 6,500 residents.
Posted yesterday at 3:51pm.
By Friday night, officials said, the hurricane had moved to parts of southeastern Wichita and Andover. Andover fire chief Chad Russell said at a news conference early Saturday morning that 50 to 100 buildings were damaged in Sedgwick County.
Photo by Amy Laker, The Associated Press
The towering tornado left behind a lot of damage.
Mr. Russell claimed that homes in some neighborhoods were “completely destroyed”.
Rescue teams have already circled the rubble in Andover. The fire chief said there were houses that were completely destroyed and entire neighborhoods wiped out, but there were no serious injuries.
Mr Russell added that City Hall was also damaged, hampering “some of our efforts”.
Meteorologist Kevin Darmoval said National Weather Service crews worked on Saturday to determine the extent and strength of the hurricane.
Fleur and Aldo Delgado said they were praying in the basement of their Andover home as a hurricane swept over them, destroying their home and cars.
The couple had taken refuge downstairs after looking out the window on Friday evening and seeing a tornado begin to form.
Images by Jamie Green, The Associated Press
“The lights started flashing and eventually went out, and within a minute the whole house started shaking and the sound was so loud. We started feeling the water hitting our faces, and the dust was everywhere. It lasted what seemed like a minute, when she was right above us,” recalls Aldo Delgado. .
The Wichita Eagle reports that Fleur Delgado said she heard their house disintegrating while they were praying for their safety.
“At the time, I realized there was absolutely nothing we could do. I knew my husband felt it too because he was calm and comforting me, but at some point he started losing his mind and crying. I could hear his voice breaking as he prayed,” she said.
After the hurricane passed, the Delgados emerged from the rubble with only the clothes they had on their backs. Their homes, cars and personal belongings all disappeared.
“We didn’t even have wedding rings at that time,” Fleur Delgado added.
State Governor Laura Kelly declared a state of emergency in the hardest-hit areas.
This makes state resources available to assist local jurisdictions in affected areas.
In addition to the hurricanes, large hail were reported in several towns in the area. According to the National Weather Service, softball volume was observed near Holbrook, Nebraska and Enterprise, Kansas.