12 homes damaged or destroyed in Quinter area


5/24/2008

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.

Within minutes, 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 tornadoes Friday night. Thursday night, a another six met the same fate, said Pappy Lies, Oakley, the emergency management director for Gove and Logan counties.

An eastbound car on Interstate Highway 70 was picked up by a twister and carried 90 feet across the highway and dropped in a drainage ditch with 18 inches to three feet of water. The driver, a man, suffered a punctured lung, Lies said. One rural resident was hit by flying debris and spent the night in the hospital at Quinter.

A shelter was established in Quinter, where 20 travelers spent the night. Up to 150 tornado victims are expected for dinner Saturday night.

Kansas Emergency Management reported two people were killed by tornadoes in Pratt County and five or six injured in Stafford County.

The National Weather Service is reporting at least 10 tornadoes touched down in central Kansas and seven or more in western Kansas.

Other details from the state emergency management:

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

n In Ellis County, at least one home was damaged and several outbuildings were hit. Power was out in Ellis and surrounding rural areas overnight.

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

n Emergency responders are continuing to search for victims through several counties hit by tornadoes and severe storms overnight, including Clark, Comanche, Decatur, Ellis, Gove, Lane, Pratt, Stafford and Trego. Kansas Highway Patrol has been using one of its aircraft to assist the counties in searching for victims and assessing damage.

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.





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