Lucky To Be Alive

Residents in northern Kansas are cleaning up the damage from an EF4 tornado that ripped through the rural area earlier this week.

Tom and Janet Whitehair’s Dickinson County home was among about 20 homes damaged or destroyed by the half-mile-wide tornado that was on the ground for about 90 minutes Wednesday night. No serious injuries or fatalities were reported.

Whitehair said that he and his wife are “lucky to be alive.”

The National Weather Service says the tornado had wind speeds up to 180 mph. Most of the damage was in Dickinson County, but two homes were also damaged in Ottawa County, where the twister began.

Dickinson County administrator Brad Homman says some residents had minor injuries, and ranchers are also reporting missing livestock, horses and pets.

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Associated Press information from: The Topeka Capital-Journal