UPDATE: Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Residents like Debbie Roberts say they are lucky to be alive, after an EF-2 tornado ripped through the town of Harveyville around 9:00 Tuesday night.
"The patio door came in and knocked me back to here," said Roberts.
Roberts and her husband, Rich, were home with their 8-year-old grandson when their windows blew. She says the tornado tried to take their grandson with it.
"When he got up here, he went airborne. He came all the way over here and hit the coffee table and screamed, and Rich reached out to the scream and caught him," said Roberts.
As the tornado headed for Diana Berry's nephew's home, he heard a roar. She says he then rushed his family toward the basement.
"They got about halfway down the stairs, I guess, and he knew something had hit the house. Sure enough, the big tree took the back part of his house off," said Berry.
Across the street, a two-story white home was lifted off its foundation, with the homeowner caught in the stairwell.
Neighbors say when the house dropped back down, it landed several yards from its original location.
Both the man's legs were crushed in the process.
Homes were not the only structures destroyed in the tornado.
The United Methodist Church in town was also leveled. Many say it was more than a building, but a place where many people grew up.
"The core of the town, the root, the spiritual structure of this whole town was right there," said Berry. "Many of the kids got married in that church. The last funeral we went to was my father's. It was in that church."
Now, all that remain are memories, and rubble of a church and homes that have been staples in the Harveyville community for years.
UPDATE: Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Residents in Harveyville began the tedious process of cleaning up their tornado-ravaged town Wednesday. At first daylight, they got a glimpse of what they knew all night: Much of their town is in shambles.
The EF-2 tornado struck at about 9:00 PM Tuesday. With no tornado warning in effect, some residents said they weren't prepared. But the National Weather Service had issued a tornado watch earlier in the afternoon. The storm moving through Waubaunsee County was, in fact, under a Severe Thunderstorm Warning with wording that a tornado was possible.
"My fiance tried to run out the front door as it was hitting," said Frankie Smallwood. "But I grabbed her hand. Then the front door blew off and dragged her to the ground. The entire house disintegrated around us."
Smallwood and his fiance sandwiched their children in between them and held on for dear life. Amazingly, they escaped with only minor scrapes and bruises.
Others weren't so lucky. As many as 13 people were injured. One man remains in critical condition after being trapped inside his collapsed home for several hours.
"I've heard the stories and you feel for the people," explained Melinda Wells, "but until now, we've never actually seen this. Our life is gone."
"The helicopter pictures don't do it justice," said Stan McMechan, who owns a home that's been in his family for decades. "When I came here today, tears came to my eyes. I mean, it's devastation."
The Red Cross said it had served more than 200 people for breakfast Wednesday, but that included emergency workers, as well as townspeople.
"Everybody's affected one way or another," said Ron Frank, Red Cross volunteer. The nice thing is that people are banding together and taking in the folks that, last night, had no place to stay. We did not have a shelter open because people were taking other people in. But tonight might be another story."
UPDATE: Wednesday, February 29, 2012
An EF-2 tornado damaged nearly half of a northeast Kansas town, officials said.
The National Weather Service said a tornado struck Harveyville around 9 p.m. Tuesday.
A report said the tornado was "brief but strong." Winds speeds estimated about 120 to 130 mph. Emergency officials said about 60-percent of the town was damaged.
Sharon Watson, a spokeswoman for the state adjutant general,
says 14 people were injured in the tornado. Eight were treated at
the scene by EMS personnel and six were transported to Topeka
hospitals, where five were treated and released and one remained in
critical condition
The Salvation Army, the American Red Cross and United Way volunteers have set up tents to help the storm victims with food and shelter.
The tornado was part of a powerful system that produced multiple reports of tornadoes across the Midwest late Tuesday and early Wednesday, killing at least nine people.
UPDATE: Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Nearly a dozen people are recovering from injuries after an apparent tornado struck a northeast Kansas town.
The severe storm hit in the city of Harveyville in Wabunsee county around 9 p.m. Tuesday. Harveyville is a town of about 250 people southwest of Topeka.
Emergency officials said dozens of homes were damaged, along with a church and an apartment building. About 40-percent of the town has been damaged.
The storm downed trees and power lines. Utility services have been shut off at impacted buildings. Local officials are working today to restore utility services to non-impacted structures.
Three people were transported to a hospital with critical injuries. Another person was also transported for treatment. Eight other people received minor injuries.
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback declared a State of Disaster Emergency Tuesday night for Wabaunsee County. The governor’s declaration activates the disaster response and recovery portions of the Kansas Response Plan, authorizing state resources to expedite emergency assistance statewide, as necessary.
State and county officials will begin assessing the situation today to determine the extent of the damage. The National Weather Service will also assess damage to determine whether the storm was indeed a tornado.
Officials are asking volunteers to refrain from going to Harveyville Wednesday. Persons interested in volunteering can call United Ways’ 211 phone line for more information.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency said the agency been in constant contact with officials at the Kansas Department of Emergency Management since the severe weather hit.
UPDATE: Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Authorities say 11 people were injured after an apparent tornado caused heavy damage to the eastern Kansas town of Harveyville.
Sharon Watson is a spokeswoman for the Kansas Adjutant General's
office that oversees emergency operations. She says three people were critically injured in the storm late Tuesday, and eight others suffered minor injuries. Many of them were taken to a Topeka hospital.
Harveyville is a town of about 250 people southwest of Topeka. Watson says about 40 percent of the town suffered damage. Homes
were reduced to rubble, with power lines down and gas service out
across the city.
Gov. Sam Brownback has declared a state of emergency for the
town.
UPDATE: Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Gov. Sam Brownback declared a state of disaster emergency late Tuesday in the wake of an apparent tornado striking the town of Harveyville. Harveyville is southwest of Topeka in Wabaunsee County.
The most serious injury discovered by midnight was a man who was trapped under his collapsed home. A friend of the family tells 13 News reporter Suzie Gilbert that the man was a volunteer firefighter in Harveyville. The witness says he was walking down the stairs of his home when the house collapsed on him.
Emergency officials say his injuries were critical and he was flown from the scene by Lifestar helicopter. Stormont-Vail confirms it was receiving that patient and also had treated several less serious injuries.
That man was among nine people injured in the aftermath of Tuesday's storm. One of the other patients has serious injuries. The other injuries were considered minor. A witness tells 13 News that a pregnant woman was among those injured.
Reports of the storm's hit started coming in just after 9 pm Tuesday. Late Tuesday, emergency crews were beginning a house to house search for any other possible victims.
Sterbenz says roughly four blocks of Harveyville suffered significant damage. An early concern about a mass casualty situation at an apartment building, he said, turned out to be unfounded and everyone in the building is accounted for.
Harveyville resident Grant Hill spoke with 13 News by phone. He says the town was receiving heavy rain when suddenly his house started shaking and the windows blew out. He had not yet ventured far outside, but said he could already see some buildings were completely gone.
Sterbenz said the Red Cross and Salvation Army were called to assist rescue crews. He says crews from agencies in Shawnee, Wabaunsee, Osage and Pottawatomie were among those responding. Some agencies brought in light towers so crews can continue working through the night.
News Release;
Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback declared a State of Disaster Emergency tonight for Wabaunsee County. An apparent tornado struck the City of Harveyville just after 9 p.m. One person has been critically hurt, and several minor injuries were reported. A number of homes were damaged along with a church, and there are numerous reports of trees down and power lines down throughout the area.
The governor’s declaration activates the disaster response and recovery portions of the Kansas Response Plan, authorizing state resources to expedite emergency assistance statewide, as necessary.
Wabaunsee County Emergency Management advised the Kansas Division of Emergency Management (KDEM) that four individuals had been trapped in a structure for a time. Law enforcement officials confirm everyone has been accounted for in the area.
Wabaunsee requested through KDEM a search and rescue team and an Incident Management Team from Northeast Kansas deploy to Harveyville to assist with the response. The American Red Cross has been notified to assist. A shelter has been established at the high school in Harveyville.
Wabaunsee County requested mutual aid assistance from Pottawatomie County; American Medical Response is the ambulance service and has requested additional resources from AMR in Topeka.
The Kansas Division of Emergency Management will continue to staff the State Emergency Operation Center in Topeka to monitor the situation and manage requests for additional state resources.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Rescue crews freed a man trapped in his home that collapsed when an apparent tornado struck Harveyville Tuesday night.
Emergency officials say his injuries were critical and he was flown from the scene by Lifestar helicopter.
That man was among nine people injured in the aftermath of Tuesday's storm. One of the other patients has serious injuries. The other injuries were considered minor.
Reports of the storm's hit started coming in just after 9 pm Tuesday. Late Tuesday, emergency crews were beginning a house to house search for any other possible victims.
Sterbenz says roughly four blocks of Harveyville suffered significant damage. An early concern about a mass casualty situation at an apartment building, he said, turned out to be unfounded and everyone in the building is accounted for.
Harveyville resident Grant Hill spoke with 13 News by phone. He says the town was receiving heavy rain when suddenly his house started shaking and the windows blew out. He had not yet ventured far outside, but said he could already see some buildings were completely gone.
Sterbenz said the Red Cross and Salvation Army were called to assist rescue crews. He says crews from agencies in Shawnee, Wabaunsee, Osage and Pottawatomie were among those responding. Some agencies brought in light towers so crews can continue working through the night.
Harveyville is located in Wabaunsee County near the Osage County line, southwest of Auburn. The town's reported population is just over 230 people.
