2 yıl önce

Tornado rips through US state of Kansas

In some neighbourhoods, homes were completely blown away by the twister that also injured three people, with one in serious condition.

AP

When it comes to tornadoes, the US is saddled with meteorological exceptionalism compared to the rest of the world, and by a significant margin.

A tornado that barrelled through parts of Kansas has damaged multiple buildings, injured several people and left more than 6,500 people without power.

Officials said on Saturday that the twister moved though parts of southeast Wichita and Andover on Friday evening.

Andover Fire Chief Chad Russell said during a news conference that 50 to 100 buildings were damaged in Sedgwick County, though it was not immediately known how many buildings were damaged in Andover.

Officials said only a few injuries had been reported. In Sedgwick County, three people were injured, including one woman who suffered serious injuries.

Crews have already finished a secondary search of homes in Andover. There are homes knocked completely off their foundations and entire neighbourhoods wiped out, but no serious injuries, Russell said.

Field crews from the National Weather Service worked Saturday to determine the extent and strength of the twister, said meteorologist Kevin Darmofal at the Wichita office.

AP

For perspective, countries outside the US witness around 200-300 tornadoes per year, while in the US that number is well over 1,200 per year.

State of Disaster Emergency

City Hall also sustained damage, which hampered “some of our efforts,” Russell said.

Other buildings reportedly damaged included the Dr. Jim Farha Andover YMCA and Prairie Creek Elementary School.

Governor Laura Kelly declared a State of Disaster Emergency for the hardest hit areas.

The declaration makes state resources available to help local jurisdictions with response and recovery efforts in areas impacted statewide.

In addition to the tornadoes, large hail was reported in several towns across the Plains. Hail the size of softballs was spotted near Holbrook, Nebraska, and Enterprise, Kansas, according to the National Weather Service and storm spotters.

SOURCE: TRTWorld and agencies