Victims of Kansas tornadoes identified
Topeka ? The victims of this week’s deadly tornadoes have been identified as a 21-year-old woman from Chapman and a 62-year-old Jackson County farmer who was thrown from his mobile home after a twister picked it up.
A tornado between the tiny towns of Soldier and Circleville threw George Askren’s home about 225 yards, crushing it and blocking a local road, county Undersheriff Danny Howerton said. Askren’s body was found about 50 yards closer to where the home had been.
A funeral home in nearby Abilene confirmed that the victim in Chapman was Crystal Bishop. Her obituary said she was attending Cloud County Community College. Authorities have said she was found outside in a yard.
Both died Wednesday night, as tornadoes roared through Chapman, Manhattan and northern Jackson County. While there were no reports of serious injuries in Manhattan, the twister there caused more than $20 million in damage to the Kansas State University campus.
Officials initially estimated the damage in Chapman at more than $20 million and said the tornado heavily damaged or destroyed 65 buildings or homes, meaning between half to 60 percent of Chapman’s buildings were hit. Its schools were heavily damaged.
The city set up a disaster relief fund and was asking for donations of tents, ropes, gloves and trash bags – but no clothes. Today, it planned to allow volunteers into the community of about 1,400 residents, 70 miles west of Topeka.
“We certainly would take the help,” said Brad Homman, director of administration and emergency services for Dickinson County.
A curfew remained in effect between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m., and the city told police, firefighters, emergency workers and disaster relief crews not to use sirens. That’s because the town’s tornado sirens were blown down, and it will use vehicle sirens to warn residents should another storm come, Homman said.
While storms continued Thursday, the affected communities were luckier those hit Wednesday night, with no major damage.
The National Weather Service said a tornado was reported outside of Topeka, near Washburn Rural High School. Three were reported south of Cottonwood Falls.
Another was spotted along the Kansas Turnpike southwest of its Admire exit, in Lyon County.
A small tornado in Linwood caused tree and power line damage.




