By TIM UNRUH

Salina Journal

QUINTER -- Sherry Mann peered out of her trailer home at a "big ol' black cloud" Friday night.

She yelled at her husband, Phil, and with five dogs, they headed to their storm cellar.

"Our ears popped and we heard a crash. We opened the door and there was nothing left but trash," she said.

A tornado destroyed their home, pens and a brooder house where they raise game birds on 200 acres.

The Manns' home was among 12 in the Quinter area that were either damaged or a total loss from two tornadoes Friday night. One of them destroyed three homes about three miles southwest of Quinter. On the ground for 10 miles, the tornado threw two vehicles about 200 yards.

It was rated an EF4 tornado by the weather service, producing wind speeds up to 200 mph -- the first of that magnitude confirmed in the tri-state area since June 1990.

On Thursday night, a another six homes were either damaged or a total loss, said George "Pappy" Lies, Oakley, the emergency management director for Gove and Logan counties.

Emergency workers throughout northwest Kansas were relieved to report clearing skies Saturday night after two days of tornadoes -- eight confirmed Thursday and seven on Friday, according to the National Weather Service office in Goodland.

"On average, we have 13 tornadoes for the entire year. We've had a couple of busy days," said Sarah Johnson, a meteorologist at the Goodland office.

Kansas was hit by 17 tornadoes over two days. Two people from Rocky Ford, Colo., were killed Friday night or Saturday morning when the car they were in was blown 150 yards off a highway into a field about 13 miles east of Pratt, the Pratt County Sheriff's Office said. They were identified as Gary S. Whitlow, 33, and Kimberly S. Whitlow, 29.

Kansas Emergency Management also reported five or six people were injured by storms in Stafford County.

Three people were injured in northwest Kansas, including two in Gove County.

Randy Applegate, 49, Westminster, Colo. was driving eastbound on Interstate Highway 70 at 6:30 p.m. when a tornado swept the car he was in off the highway, three miles east of Park. He was taken to Gove County Hospital, Quinter, the Kansas Highway Patrol reported.

One rural resident, who wasn't named, was hit by flying debris and spent the night in the Quinter hospital, Lies said.

Truck driver Philip Hilliard, 49, Kansas City, was eastbound on I-70 when poor visibility forced him to pull over at 8:40 p.m. in Trego County, 14 miles east of WaKeeney. A tornado roared through about two minutes later and blew the truck onto its left side. Hilliard was taken to Trego County-Lemke Memorial Hospital in WaKeeney.

Tornadoes in and around Ellis, 13 miles west of Hays, destroyed outbuildings in rural areas and there was some minor damage in town, said Addie Homburg, director of Ellis County Emergency Management.

The storm rendered Ellis without electricity.

"There are a lot of lines and poles down. We are still without power," she said.

Two to four inches of rain were measured in the Ellis area. Areas of northwest Kansas received up to 8 inches over two days, the weather service reported.

A shelter was established in Quinter, where 20 travelers spent the night. Up to 150 tornado victims are expected for dinner Saturday night, said Eunice Gillaspie, Quinter, who was among hundreds who helped out Saturday.

"People are bringing pies, cakes, cookies, salads, just responding beautifully," she said.

Neighbors immediately became volunteers and began helping at damaged homes.

"At one place north of town, there could be 50 or 75 people there. There are 20 to 35 people at each place," Gillaspie said.

At the Dunn home, five miles north and a quarter-mile east of Quinter, volunteers were helping salvage belongings at the house that was turned into splinters.

"We're trying to save what we can. I just hope the insurance works out this time," Sherry Dunn said. "We have a lot of good neighbors."

The only human problem through the ordeal was with storm chasers blocking roads, Lies said.

"People were going to neighbors to see what they could do and these guys with out-of-state tags and all the antennas on their vehicles -- storm tour people -- were in the way," he said.

There were "serious complaints" from law enforcement officials.

"They need to understand where they're at. They're a guest in the county," Lies said. "They shouldn't get in the way just so they can get a photo."

Other details from the state emergency management:

n At least two homes were destroyed in Trego County with trees and power lines down.

n In Decatur County, homes and outbuildings were damaged, including Decatur County Feed Yard.

n In Lane County, some mobile homes were destroyed and others damaged, but no injuries were reported. A grain bin was damaged.

n Eleven electric cooperatives were damaged by storms, including Midwest Energy and Sunflower Electric, both of Hays, and Western Cooperative Electric, WaKeeney.

n Reporter Tim Unruh can be reached at 822-1419 or by e-mail at tunruh@salina.com.

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McGrath says....
Storm chasers endangered the lives of many people by their reckless driving trying to photograph tornadoes in western Kansas this Memorial Day weekend
5/25/2008

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