Twister landed in Sedgwick County, Kansas, before traveling to Andover, Butler County, Chad Russell Fire Chief said during a news conference. More than 950 buildings were in the way of the tornado, he said.
“We had a lot of buildings in Andover that suffered a lot of damage,” Russell said, adding that some homes were “completely destroyed.”
Recovery will take years, Russell said. “Unfortunately, we’ve been through this before,” he added, alluding to the devastation caused by the F-5 tornado that struck Andover on April 26, 1991. Seventeen people died after the tornado.
Andover, a city of about 15,000 people, is about 14 miles east of Wichita, Kansas.
Resident Alain Adkins told CNN that she took refuge in her neighbor’s basement across the street from her apartment complex while the tornado passed.
“I just couldn’t believe it. It just didn’t look real,” the 26-year-old said. “We came out of our front door and it was coming straight to our place,” she said.
The tornado missed her home with a block, but the electricity in her neighborhood was cut off, Adkins added.
More than 20,000 homes and businesses in Kansas were without electricity immediately afterwards. By 4 a.m. ET, that number had dropped to about 8,500, according to poweroutage.us.
Videos and photos show destroyed homes, overturned cars and storm debris, littering streets and front yards.
In an early assessment, Jim Jonas, Wichita’s communications director, said between 50 and 100 structures were damaged by the tornado.
One of these buildings was the YMCA community center in Andover, which suffered significant damage, said city administrator Jennifer McCowland.
14 tornadoes have been reported in Kansas or Nebraska
The National Weather Service in Wichita said it would send teams on Saturday to conduct damage investigations. “Our thoughts and prayers are focused on those affected by the tornado tonight,” the statement said.
Several tornadoes landed in Kansas on Friday, according to Gov. Laura Kelly, who declared a state of emergency.
“We’ve learned from past experience that we can’t wait for the storm to hit before we react,” Kelly said. “By taking these steps early, we are able to respond more quickly when counties ask for help.
A total of 15 tornadoes – 14 in Kansas or Nebraska – were reported Friday, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Storm Forecasting Center. The other tornado was in Florida, the center said.
In addition, there are more than 70 reports of wind damage and more than 50 reports of hail.
In Enterprise, Kansas, there was hail up to four inches in diameter.
The storm is expected to move east on Saturday, where more than 40 million people are under the general threat of severe storms.
Level 2 of 5 has been issued at risk of severe storms and includes Chicago, Indianapolis, St. Louis and Little Rock.
“Severe thunderstorms are possible on Saturday, threatening wind damage and heavy hail from the lower Mississippi Valley north to the western Great Lakes,” the Storm Forecast Center said. “Several tornadoes may occur.”
CNN’s Paradise Afshar, Andy Rose, Taylor Ward, Alison Chinchar and Sharif Paget contributed to this report.
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