Volunteers needed four months later to clean up after destructive Andover KS tornado

More than four months later and there is still plenty to clean up from the EF-3 tornado that ripped through rural Sedgwick County and into a heavily-populated area of Andover in neighboring Butler County.

Dozens of volunteers are needed for a cleanup day from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Sept. 10, at three locations in Andover.

The EF-3 tornado, which had winds as high as 155 mph, leveled multiple homes along its 12.75-mile path. It touched down at 8:10 p.m. on April 29 in a rural part of Sedgwick County where residents had no warning. It went northeast into Andover before dissolving out in the country at 8:31 p.m.

In 21 minutes, the tornado caused structural damage to more than 200 homes and did more than $37 million in damage, according to Butler County Emergency Management Director Keri Korthals. She said the estimate is based on appraisal values, which are much lower than the actual replacement value, and doesn’t include many homes that would have had minor damage for things like roof shingles.

Six people were injured. Most were minor, except for a woman in rural Sedgwick County who had her back broken when the tornado lifted up her mobile home, turned it and dropped it.

Anyone wanting to volunteer can sign up at unitedwayplains.galaxydigital.com, then click on “City of Andover” under recent agencies. Then click to volunteer at one of three areas — Yorktown Road near the heavily-battered YMCA, Central Park or the Lakeview Heights neighborhood — and hit respond. Volunteers will have to enter some basic information as well. The details under each location will have more instructions, including what to bring.

This story was originally published September 3, 2022 at 3:46 PM.