Thread: MO, KS, TN and AR members...are you ok?

I'm in Wichita, and we were spared the brunt of the tornados. Here's the article from our newspaper. If you're in one of the affected areas, please check in and let us know you are ok!

Tornadoes rake Kansas and Missouri, with up to 21 deaths reported
Series of strong storms sweep through KC area and SE Kansas
BY STEVE PAUL
Kansas City Star


Bill Millsap, Special to The Star
A funnel cloud was seen near 166th Street and Kansas Avenue in Leavenworth County Sunday afternoon. Reader Bill Millsap took this picture from his front yard.


A relentless series of storms ripped through the Kansas City area for nearly three hours Sunday afternoon, spawning tornadoes that killed at least one person and caused widespread damage.

The death toll overall in Kansas and Missouri was as many as 21, authorities said. Lawrence County in southwest Missouri appeared to be the hardest hit, with up to 12 fatalities, according to a sheriff's estimate.

One huge funnel cloud and other smaller ones flattened neighborhoods in western Wyandotte and Leavenworth counties in Kansas, destroying homes but sparing some of the area's newest landmarks and attractions in its path.

The storms continued a march of destruction into Missouri.

One tornado crossed the Missouri River near Parkville and headed downstream, eventually blasting a Platte County trucking business and a mobile-home park.

Emergency workers fanned out in the storm's aftermath, searching for victims and assessing damage. At least 47 persons were treated for injuries, most of them minor, according to area hospitals.

Emergency shelters opened throughout the area to house and comfort victims.

Kansas City officials declared a local emergency.

Missouri Gov. Bob Holden toured a devastated neighborhood Sunday night in the Platte County town of Northmoor and said he would head back to Jefferson City to declare a state of emergency.

As he gazed at houses missing roofs and huge swaths of siding, Holden said, "This is the worst damage I've seen from a tornado in several years."

Holden said that in addition to massive damage in Clay and Platte counties, he was monitoring severe storms in Cass County, in the Springfield-Joplin area and in southeast Missouri. Two persons died in Greene and Christian counties, and two more in Camden County.

Four storm-related deaths were reported in southeast Kansas.

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius declared seven counties disaster areas, including Leavenworth, Miami and Wyandotte in the Kansas City area, and Cherokee, Crawford, Labette and Neosho counties in southeast Kansas.

Some people watched the storms' violent progress on television; others fled to their basements as high winds indiscriminately laid waste to homes, buildings, industrial parks and other structures, especially in the northern parts of the metropolitan area.

While the vicious winds led to many stories of loss and grief, many expressed relief that the damage wasn't much greater.

"People lucked out, basically," said Nick Crossley of the Leavenworth County Department of Emergency Management.

In some places, the swath of devastation was one-quarter of a mile wide, officials said. Power lines were down and electricity was off in many areas.

Later in the evening, a cold front moved into the area, bringing hail and more rain. Sun was expected today.

Wyandotte County

Don Denney, a spokesman for Wyandotte County and Kansas City, Kan., said one death was confirmed and searchers were looking for other victims. The victim's name and other details were not immediately released.

The man, who was 82, lived on North 85th Place just north of Leavenworth Road.

A neighbor, Victor Hewer, said he saw the man's body near a fire hydrant. Hewer gathered curtains that had been thrown into the street and pulled them over the man. Doctors arrived in about 30 minutes to help survivors.

The heaviest damage in Wyandotte County was reported near 106th and Georgia streets and 99th and Leavenworth Road.

Roofs were ripped off houses and many houses were demolished in neighborhoods east of Interstate 435.

Just blocks away, Kansas Speedway and nearby businesses appeared to suffer little damage.

At least six houses along 99th Street near Leavenworth Road were severely damaged or destroyed. Houses just yards away were spared.

Some residents stood outdoors watching the storm as it descended on their neighborhood.

Dale Wilch stood in his driveway as dark clouds moved across the tree line. He saw a tornado drop out of the clouds and touch down across the street. It was moving east directly toward his house.

"I saw it coming, jumped up and went down to the basement," Wilch said. "As soon as I saw the tornado 100 feet from my house, I knew there was nothing we could do to save what we had."

As Wilch headed inside, the tornado turned sharply north, cutting through another neighborhood.

Wilch's house had minor damage.

"The awning on my porch -- I don't know where it is," he said.

Ed Miller, who lives two doors north of Wilch, said he didn't retreat to his basement until he saw the first signs of damage across the street.

"It looked like a big wall," Miller said of the dark twister. "There was nothing but trash."

Then wind blew out several windows in his house. His bedroom was filled with glass.

Utility trucks in the neighborhood attended to downed power lines and troublesome trees.

Pieces of roofs scattered throughout the neighborhood.

Not far away, at The Woodlands, the greyhound-racing card was under way when the storm passed through. Track announcer Jeff Turrell said he saw a tornado pass over the east side of the facility, near the horse track.

The power went out, canceling the last four races. About 400 remaining people in the stands waited in the center of the building until the storm passed.

Leavenworth County

Two tornadoes on the ground destroyed nine houses and damaged 38 more in Leavenworth County, leaving several subdivisions looking as if they'd been hit by bombs.

Homes blew apart, as tornadoes dropped out of coal-black skies. The strong storms did most of their damage in residential neighborhoods a mile and half south of Basehor.

Despite the extensive damage, authorities reported only two minor injuries.

The largest tornado first touched down west of Bonner Springs in Leavenworth County, Kan., around 3:30 p.m. The tornado reached 500 yards across at its widest, weather officials said, and it moved on to cause further damage, first in Wyandotte County, then in Platte and Clay counties in Missouri.

Miami County

A tornado caused damage in Miami County early in the evening, ripping apart roofs and blowing out windows, the Sheriff's Department said. The twister touched down south of Louisburg and east of Fontana.

Johnson County

Johnson County escaped the worst of the area's storms. Authorities reported no tornadoes touched down and only a few downed trees along with heavy rain in spots.

Platte County

Roads and highways in southern Platte County were strewn with debris.

The storm destroyed much of an industrial park south of Parkville and at least one Northmoor subdivision.

Emergency crews closed all roads leading into Parkville.

Platte County Commissioner Betty Knight said there were no reports of serious injuries.

Preliminary damage assessments counted 87 homes, 24 apartments and 12 businesses as damaged or destroyed in Platte County. No dollar estimate of the damage was available.

Officials stopped all flights and evacuated terminals at Kansas City International Airport. Passengers were briefly ushered into tunnels leading to parking garages.

Nearly 200 people attending an art show at Park Hill South High School took shelter as the storm crossed the area of Missouri 9 near Riverside and Parkville.

"It was a miracle it didn't hit the school," said Hank Harvey of Cotter, Ark., who was visiting his son and family in Parkville.

Debris was strewn throughout the area. Power lines were down and electricity was out around the area, according to witnesses.

Clay County

Damage was reported in Liberty, Gladstone and neighborhoods around Kansas City, North. The campus of William Jewell College was hard hit. Winds knocked down a new clock tower and caused serious roof damage to the college union and most of the dormitories.

Kansas City Police estimated that the storm damaged more than 100 homes and demolished 10 to 15 homes. Most of the damage occurred in the Northland in an area around 65th Street and North Brighton Avenue.

Liberty Square, whose buildings date to the 19th century, suffered substantial but sporadic damage.

Liberty police officers patrolled the streets with shotguns as residents milled about in the storm's aftermath.

Roofs were gone from four businesses on Liberty Square, including the two-story Country Boutique. Bricks came off in sheets from its top floor and lay scattered in Franklin Street.

A roof from another building sat squarely in front of the old Clay County Courthouse on Kansas Avenue. Nearby, an antique light pole lay on its side, ripped from the pavement. The storm sheared off inch-thick bolts.

Elsewhere in the Northland, many trees were down, and business signs were bent over. Traffic in the area made it difficult for rescue vehicles to get through, and parts of North Oak Trafficway looked like a parking lot.

An estimated 100 cars were damaged at the Englewood Plaza Shopping Center at U.S. 169 and Englewood Road in Kansas City, North.

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