Kansas Tornadoes Sweep Midwest

Tornadoes swept across Kansas Saturday leaving one man dead and a local town completely destroyed. As of Sunday, residents were still cleaning debut left by the storm. More than 20 homes were destroyed and 200 more were damaged.

At least 20 tornadoes were reported across three states: 14 in Kansas, 5 in Oklahoma, and 1 in Missouri.

“Lots of damage all over town, the farther south in town the more damage there is. Lots of trees down, large trees, there’s buildings that have been totally devastated,” said Coffee County Emergency Coordinator Russel Stukey.

One fatality and several injuries were reported in connection with the twisters, according to authorities.

“Everything is destroyed. We’re going to have to stay strong for the community,” said one resident told Kansas City ABC News affiliate KMBC.

Power was knocked out Saturday and roads in and out of area were closed, KMBC reported.

According to Sharon Watson with the Kansas State Division of Emergency Management, there was also hail as large as a baseball reported throughout northeast part of the state.

“We’ve been fortunate so far to not have as much damage as we have seen in the past, such as the year 2007 when the town of Greensburg was basically destroyed, a town of 1,500,” Watson said.

Kansas Governor Sam Brownback declared a state of emergency for at least 16 counties.

Stay Connected