On Friday, a tornado ripped through Andover, Kan., doing damage to a large swath of the town but causing only minor injuries.
The twister touched down in Sedgwick County and moved into the town of Andover, which is located southeast of Wichita. Preliminary reports are that the tornado was an EF3, with sustained winds of 136 MPH.
Andover Fire and Police reported that at least 1,000 structures sustained damage from the tornado and that one major highway was shut down, but there were no gas or water leaks.
Survivors reported the typical “freight train” sound that people associate with tornadoes.
“It just shook the building. It almost felt like an earthquake a little bit … it was just the constant sound. It kind of had like a high-pitched whine, too,” Morgan Hamlin, who was working out at the Y when the twister hit, told weather.com.
Another survivor recalled the tornado sounding like a vacuum as she and her kids sheltered in their basement.
A pair of young newlyweds experienced the devastation of their new home.
This newly married couple just lost everything in the Andover tornado.
Their story is intense. They’re pretty shaken up & heartbroken.
The Y’all Squad will be covering their deductible & sending them on a 2nd honeymoon!
Y’all are making a difference, THANK YOU! pic.twitter.com/jXRl6VlzzN
— Ryan Hall, Y’all (@ryanhallyall) May 1, 2022
In the midst of all the devastation, we have new ways of witnessing nature’s fury. Storm chaser and meteorologist Reed Timmer shared high-resolution drone footage of the tornado.
Highest-res drone footage of the Andover, KS #tornado which has received a preliminary rating of EF3. Note how the tornado propagates via vortex dynamics and likely terrain. Incredibly, no lives were lost by this tornado pic.twitter.com/FJDBH8TAv6
— Reed Timmer (@ReedTimmerAccu) April 30, 2022
It’s astonishing to watch the way the tornado throws debris around and leaves destruction in its wake.
Here’s drone footage showing the aftermath of the tornado.
Here is some drone footage of what our neighborhood woke up to. #AndoverTornado #Tornado #andover #kansas pic.twitter.com/aBDPyYrpY7
— Ben Redington (@benredington) April 30, 2022
Three University of Oklahoma meteorology students were killed in a car accident on their way back to Oklahoma from chasing the Andover storm.
Pray for the people of Andover as they rebuild, as well as for the families of the storm chasers who lost their lives. You can donate to a general fund helping Andover residents here, and there’s a specific fund for Aldo and Flor Delgado, the young couple who lost everything.
Watch the full, nine-minute drone footage from Reed Timmer here:
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