WATCH: Drone Captures Shocking Moment Powerful Tornado Rips Through Populated Area in Kansas
Cliff Casteel
Stunning drone footage captured the moment a strong tornado ripped through suburban Wichita, Kansas, on Friday evening just before dusk.
Some residents of the city of Andover began their weekend displaced or homeless. A strong EF3 tornado ripped through the community as a severe storm system passed through the area.
Footage of the twister has gone viral online:
Incredible footage from the Andover, KS tornado. Thanks, @cliffcasteel for the video. pic.twitter.com/pG2882SMD2
— Mike Collier (@MikeCollierWX) April 30, 2022
Myriad of phone clips from the Andover, #Kansas tornado today starting around 8:15. Really hated seeing such a strong tornado go through a populated area. Clips are in chronological order. #Tornado #WXtwitter pic.twitter.com/N4y5a9tBp5
— Gage Shaw (@WXgage) April 30, 2022
#INCREDIBLE up-close #tornado suction vortices crossing US-400 in #Andover #Kansas #KSwx @breakingweather @ReedTimmerAccu @MikeCollierWX pic.twitter.com/NP4Trxwnsw
— Mike Scantlin (@theScantman) April 30, 2022
One video, shared on Twitter by storm chaser Reed Timmer, captures the devastation from the air.
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
“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,” Timmer tweeted. “Incredibly, no lives were lost by this tornado.”
Up to 100 structures sustained damage, KSNW reported:
Wichita Mayor Brandon Whipple said Wichita Fire Department Chief Tammy Snow told him that around 50-100 structures have been damaged. He said all Wichita Police Command have been directed to assist with emergency management in Andover and that Wichita City Manager Rober Layton reached out to the Andover City Manager to offer help in the coming days.
Wichita Interim Police Chief Lem Moore said, “please do not come to Andover unless you have to. Emergency services want to focus on the families in Andover and not have to manage people wanted to drive by to see the damages.”
Storm chaser Cliff Casteel, with KTFX-FM in Muskogee, Oklahoma, was among numerous storm chasers who intercepted the system that devastated the community.
Casteel offered Mediaite exclusive images of the powerful storm as it made its way through Andover.
Cliff Casteel
Cliff Casteel
“I was just really happy that even with all the destruction, there were no fatalities,” Casteel said. “I would encourage everyone, whether in tornado alley or elsewhere, to make a disaster plan and practice it. You never know what you might face.”
Watch the drone footage above, via Reed Timmer.
