State hit by tornadoes
KTKA was on the air when a tornado moved into Manhattan, damaging several buildings including the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house and the building that houses Kansas State's nuclear reactor. The reactor is not in any danger.
Damage in Manhattan
K-State damage estimated at $20M
Kansas State University officials say storm damage to the campus will exceed $20 million.
KSU vice president for administration and finance Tom Rawson said Thursday that "Roofs have been damaged or torn off, windows have been blown out in many buildings."
He said Weber Hall was severely damaged, and the Wind Erosion Lab was destroyed. There was also significant damage to the engineering complex, and to at least four other buildings including Ward Hall, which houses the university's nuclear reactor. Rawson said the reactor was undamaged.
School officials say the Sigma Alpha Epsilon fraternity house is heavily damaged, but all residents are safe.
Thursday classes were canceled, while freshman orientation and enrollment activities remained the same and were moved to Bramlage Coliseum.
CHAPMAN — Residents of this central Kansas town sorted through the debris Thursday after a deadly tornado roared through the heart of their community and evoked memories of a larger killer storm last year in far away Greensburg.
The twister that touched down Wednesday night in Chapman cut a path six blocks wide through much of the town, leaving one woman dead, reducing some houses and businesses to rubble, snapping utility poles and downing trees.
Elsewhere in Kansas, tornadoes caused extensive damage at Kansas State University in Manhattan and killed one person in the tiny town of Soldier.
Names of the storm's victims had not been released.
The hardest-hit area in the state seemed to be Chapman, a town of about 1,400 about 140 miles west of Kansas City. Officials said 100 homes were destroyed or heavily damaged and up to 80 percent of the town saw at least minor damage.
The widespread destruction, disaster relief crews and rescue dogs invited comparisons to the tornado in May 2007 that killed 11 and nearly wiped out Greensburg, a town of similar size in Kiowa County about 150 miles to the southwest.
"We've still got half the town intact," said Brad Homman, director of administration and emergency services for Dickinson County, where Chapman is located.
But the Chapman tornado left some survivors with vivid - and frightening - memories.
About 100 people huddled in two locker rooms in the school district's gymnasium for shelter as the tornado roared over them.
Construction worker Zac Arensman shielded his 4-year-old stepdaughter with his body after abandoning his family's nearby trailer home. After the twister passed, he and others used a dislodged door as a stretcher to carry to safety a man who had been trapped in his car, one of three people authorities said had been critically injured. Two of the injured were in fair condition by Thursday afternoon.
"He was covered in blood," Arensman said of the man he helped carry. "It was chaotic. That's the best way to describe it - I mean, everybody freaking out, a mess."
Outside the gym, several cars looked as if they had been tossed from the parking lot into a nearby field. The elementary and middle schools next to the gym lost part of their roofs and many of their windows and suffered other damage. The high school was in even worse shape, with dislodged cement blocks and bricks from the building strewn around it.
Arensman and his wife, Katrina, eventually were bused to a shelter in a building on the county fairgrounds in Abilene, 11 miles to the west. They weren't sure when the would return home.
"I would just like to see if we have a house to go back to," Katrina Arensman said.
About 35 miles away at Kansas State, storm damage was estimated to exceed $20 million, according to Tom Rawson, the university's vice president for administration and finance. Thursday's classes were canceled.
"The damage on campus is extensive," Rawson said. "Roofs have been damaged or torn off, windows have been blown out in many buildings."
Off of campus, the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house was heavily damaged, but all residents were safe and no injuries were reported.
In Soldier, only a few homes were damaged, but one man was found dead outside a mobile home, according to Sharon Watson, spokeswoman for the Kansas Adjutant General's Department.
In Chapman, Dan Scanlan, a probation officer, survived by hunkering down in his bathtub. The tornado tore off part of his home's roof, blew out the windows, moved it slightly off its foundation and damaged his garage enough that he couldn't get his car out.
But Scanlan considered himself lucky.
"People around me - houses are gone," Scanlan said. "Mine's sitting there in probably the best shape of all."
Comments
LJWorld.com doesn’t necessarily condone the comments here, nor does it review every post. Read our full policy. Also, read about banned accounts and harassing comments.
KansasPerson (anonymous) says…
Geez. We were just in Chapman last Saturday -- stopped there for gas on our way back from Abilene. Admired the little town and the fact that gas was much cheaper than in Lawrence. We also were in Manhattan, on the campus. Sorry to hear that it was hit by this tornado.
rcr (anonymous) says…
"Building housing KSU's nuclear reactor damaged, but officials say there's no danger"Why does KSU have a nuclear reactor?
SWGlassPit (Tristan Moody) says…
K-State has a nuclear engineering program as part of their mechanical engineering department.
TongieMom (anonymous) says…
KSU has a nuclear reactor because they have a nuclear engineering program there.
Confrontation (anonymous) says…
"The university said The Wind Erosion Laboratory is destroyed"Isn't that a little ironic? I'm glad that there haven't been more casualties reported from this storm. A town as small as Chapman might have a tough time rebuilding.
paavopetie (anonymous) says…
I asked the same question when I had to go on a tour of it for my Chemistry 2 class at K-State.It's not to produce power, but to gather protons and neutrons to use for research. Apparently you can't just go out and buy the protons and neutrons you need, so they have to make them, so to speak.
LogicMan (anonymous) says…
KU's similar research reactor was dismantled ~15 years ago. The decontaminated building is still there, however, as part of Burt Hall.
KStater (Kristen Murphy) says…
I hope everyone is safe. That is some scary business considering that students live in some of those buildings (Apparently the Engineer building - Durland Hall - was damaged as well). I also hope everyone is ok in Chapman.
kwjayhawk (anonymous) says…
incredible vidoe.
kwjayhawk (anonymous) says…
incredible video.
MattressMan (anonymous) says…
I'll be the first to sayI't George Bush's and big oil's fault!
kuandksufan (anonymous) says…
People were killed and houses were destroyed, don't get political, have some classOur thoughts are with everyone
sharper (anonymous) says…
Wow. I'm glad that my friend in Manhattan is safe (although unnerved).
EXks (anonymous) says…
Devestating tornado in Kansas & two people killed...WHY isn't this front page news??? C'mon LJW!!!!!!!!!!
This comment was removed by the site staff for violation of the usage agreement.
ontheotherhand (anonymous) says…
I figured all the storms across Kansas, Iowa, and Nebraska are because of the gays. You know, that's what Pat Robertson says on his PTL Club.(said with tongue in cheek, in case you cannot tell)
MattressMan (anonymous) says…
kuandksufan (Anonymous) says: People were killed and houses were destroyed, don't get political, have some class Our thoughts are with everyoneMight want to loosen them there panties up kuksufan, I was havin a little fun with the Bush haters out there that blame everything on him. I understand the destruction and devistation and my thoughts and prayers go out to all affected but I will not lose my sense of humor.
clw7777 (anonymous) says…
As a 2006 graduate of K-state this scares the crap out of me! If this had happened 2 years ago I would have been there not a block away from all the destruction. If I had still been in my dorm, Moore Hall had some damage. 2 out of the 3 places I lived during my time at K-State were damaged or painfully close to the damage, as well as where I spent most of my time. (Seaton Hall)My thoughts are with all the students and Faculty and Staff still on campus during the summer. Just think of how lucky you are that it hit during the summer instead of during the school year. I hope no Engineering students were working late, and I'm sure Seaton Hall was a scary place b/c I know people would be working late there. Go Wildcats!
countrygirl (anonymous) says…
This doesn't mention that Call Hall was damaged. Anyone who has ever had Call Hall ice cream knows how awful that is!
clw7777 (anonymous) says…
Call Hall is a crime! No Ice Cream for people helping clean up. :(
ontheotherhand (anonymous) says…
Just had some ice cream a few weeks ago at the cute little shop they built in Call Hall. Still delicious. Sure am sad to hear of so much destruction on campus. . . .