Tornado damages farmsteads, causes roll-over near Durham
By ROWENA PLETT
Staff writer
A tornado touched down Thursday afternoon west of Durham and continued on the ground for four or five miles in a northeasterly direction, wreaking havoc on two farmsteads and causing a vehicle accident on K-15.
Returning at 2 p.m. to his farm home at 671 290th, George Gore was greeted by a dark wall cloud approaching from the southwest.
A friend, John Antonowich of Tampa, stopped in to take shelter from the storm. He stood outside a moment to scan the horizon.
He said the cloud looked ominous and when a not-too-distant tree line suddenly disappeared in the blackness, he knew it was time to take cover.
He went in and tried to close the door, but it was being sucked outward with tremendous force.
The two men got halfway down the basement stairway when the tornado struck. They bent over, shaking, as a tremendous force shook the house and the sound of shattering glass reached their ears.
After a long five or 10 seconds, everything was still, and after a brief rain, the sun came out. George said he thought the house was gone.
"We went up the stairs real slow-like," John said, "not knowing what to expect."
They gazed in wonder at a once-beautiful homestead now in shambles, with numerous outbuildings destroyed and trees broken down all around.
A huge piece of one shed "tried to go through the back door," as George's wife, Sonya said later. She was at work when the storm hit.
A patio roof and several windows were broken. Otherwise, the house was intact and sustained minimal shingle and siding damage.
Sonya gazed wistfully at the devastation.
"It was such a beautiful place," she said, "but at least we still have a place to live."
The farmstead is owned by Mary Christiansen. Her son, Gary operates a feedlot just west of the house.
"When I heard about the tornado, I was sure all the cattle were dead," Mary said.
But most survived and their pen remained intact. Two steers were impaled by debris and had to be destroyed. Mary said five or six others are walking around in a dazed state.
Five outbuildings were totally destroyed and a large machine shed was declared a total loss. A big part of the roof of was torn off and rafters broken. The west wall fell onto a planter. No other machinery was damaged.
A large grain trailer sitting next to the shed was moved sideways by the wind.
The storm tracked through the vacant Dorman Becker homestead just across the road at 680 290th. It sustained a lot of tree damage, and two outbuildings were destroyed. The house sustained minimal damage.
Four utility poles were flattened, cutting off electricity in the area. According to Dale Wessel of Flint Hills RECA, some electricity was rerouted from the Hillsboro substation, bringing power back to some as early as 5 p.m. Linemen had restored electricity to everyone in the area by 11:45 p.m.
Friends and neighbors arrived on the scene soon after the storm passed to help the Beckers, Gores, and Christiansens begin the arduous task of cleaning up the debris.
"The Mennonites came and helped us," Mary said. "I can't say enough nice things about them."
Several Dumpsters were provided, and high-loaders were in use to scoop up debris and cart away parts of demolished buildings.
"I'm still shaking," friend John said. "My knees are still wobbling. I never want to go through something like that again."
"What a way to spend my day off," Sonya said Friday as she threw branches on piles. "But at least we're all OK."
According to eyewitness accounts, at 2:13 p.m. Thursday, a 2006 Freightliner Sprinter cargo van was swept off K-15 about two and one-half miles north of Durham when it was hit by the tornado.
Phillip A. Farris, 41, Wichita, was southbound on K-15 in the van owned by Sigma Distributing of Tulsa, Okla., when the incident occurred. The van rolled three or four times before stopping in a ditch next to a fence row. The same funnel cloud also forced two fully loaded semi tractor trailers to shoulders but did not cause any damage or injury.
Farris was taken by Tampa EMS to Hillsboro Community Medical Center with head injuries.
The tornado lifted a quarter of a mile east of there.
According to Michele Abbott-Becker, director of Marion County Emergency Management, National Weather Service personnel toured the path of the tornado and classified it as an F1 when it hit the farmsteads, ranging in speed from 73-112 mph. It was an F0 when it struck and overturned the vehicle on K-15, with winds up to 72 mph.
