After three decades of being hit by an F5 category tornado, Kansas was once again raged against a massive twister. The phenomenon strikes the city of Andover, near where the state's previously large tornado first appeared over 30 years ago.

The city witnessed a calamity right before their eyes as the twister ravaged homes and farmlands. According to the recent updates, the powerful whirl slammed over 1,000 infrastructures across the state.

Andover Twister Ran for 13 Miles with Speed of 155 mph

Tornadoes Touch Down Around Dodge City, Kansas Area
(Photo : Brian Davidson/Getty Images)
DODGE CITY, KS - MAY 24: A tornado is seen South of Dodge City, Kansas moving North on May 24, 2016 in Dodge City, Kansas. About 30 tornadoes were reported on Tuesday in five different states from Michigan to Texas. Damage to homes and property was also reported in Ford County, Kansas.

After a couple of days after experiencing the tornado hit, the city of Andover began its recovery with support from authorities from Kansas state. Residents brought back their belongings including parts of their houses that were displaced during the strike of the whirlwind.

AccuWeather reports that there were over 1,000 buildings damaged due to the tornado when it came across the suburbs of Wichita. Fortunately, there were only four people recorded with injury, as per the local council.

The National Weather Service NWS explained that the recent tornado caused damage to the majority of its path which spanned 13 miles, or about 21 kilometers. The catastrophe lasted for about 21 minutes with a maximum wind speed of approximately 155 miles per hour or 250 kilometers per hour.

 

The capability and damages of the twister were enough for experts to consider it to fall into the category of an EF3 tornado.

The Associated Press said that injuries sum up to four people, including two firefighters that were part of the emergency response operation in the city. Thankfully, the damages incurred from the tempest were just minor, and collectively, no fatalities were confirmed in the region.

Andover fire department chief Chad Russell said that, from the 1,074 infrastructures that were hit by the tornado, about 300 to 400 of them were completely damaged. The fire specialist said that this level of damage would require the city a couple of years in order to recover.

ALSO READ: Seagrass Under Mediterranean Waters at Risk Due to Human Activities


Remembering the 1991 F5 Tornado

In a press conference last Saturday, Russell said that the damage relayed by the 1991 F5 tornado would be felt once again by the affected areas. But in a brighter perspective, the new windstorm was not as bad as the other that appeared 30 years ago, the chief continued.

Last Sunday, the electricity throughout the city came back to houses of over 15,000 citizens that lost the power during the hit. The following day, only 600 electricity customers remained without power.

Andover's YMCA center specialist Jim Farha was among the citizens that took the most damage from the storm. Storm chaser Mike Scantlin was able to check the status of the people that remained in the center during the calamity.

Documentation of the event was provided by many citizens and groups, including the Wichita Eagle publication. The images showed vehicles and pieces of houses scattered across the streets. Other photographs included the twister itself while consuming ground-based infrastructures.

The historic F5 tornado, which occurred on April 26, 1991, demolished an area that scaled to 46 miles or 74 kilometers. This wreckage took the lives of 13 people from Augusta, located just east of Andover.

RELATED ARTICLE: First-Ever Mapping on Living Corals Identify Heatwave Impact, Reveals 'Winner and Loser' Reefs

Check out more news and information on Environment and Climate in Science Times.