Hundreds gather in Andover exactly a year after tornado uprooted hundreds of lives

Finley Watson, a fourth grader at Prairie Creek Elementary, bowed her head in prayer along with hundreds of others Saturday at Andover Central Park during an event to remember the tornado that hit the area exactly a year earlier.

Hope Community Church pastor Charlie Wells called the event a celebration, saying how, through God’s provision, no one was killed and that the tragedy has helped unite many in the community.

On April 29, 2022, an EF-3 tornado started in rural Sedgwick County before crashing through Andover and into rural Butler County before dissipating. It damaged or destroyed more than 200 homes.

A few people were injured, with the only serious injury impacting a woman in rural Sedgwick County. She had her back broken in four places when the tornado lifted a home, turned it and dropped it with her and her husband inside.

In Andover, the tornado destroyed multiple homes in a neighborhood right next to the elementary school. It then heavily damaged the school before destroying the YMCA and then moving on to demolish more homes.

It also went on to hit the park where everyone gathered Saturday. The winds destroyed the lodge near the amphitheater where everyone gathered Saturday, and snapped the nearby tree line.

But in the wake of the destruction, people say they saw the kindness of their neighbors and people outside of the community. People who escaped showed up at their neighbors’ homes to help, and Kansans from outside of Andover also arrived to help with the cleanup.

Close to $900,000 was also raised by around 1,600 people in 32 states. Of that money, more than $260,000 has been given to help 73 families. Another 191 cases are waiting to see what all insurance will cover. Anyone still needing financial help can call United Way of the Plains at 211.

Ten-year-old Finley has also tried to do her part.

Her home was not hit, but she donated some of her clothes to affected classmates.

“It was for a good cause,” she said. “It just felt like the right thing to do.”

Many homes have been rebuilt and some families have started to move back. Mayor Ronnie Price told the people in attendance that the community has rebounded as fast as it has because of all the support.

“We’ve really been a blessed community that people come from all over to help us,” he said. “We’ll keep pushing until we get everything made right.”

The festivities Saturday included a pancake and sausage breakfast, prayers over the community and the first responders who jumped to action when the tornado hit. Officials also unveiled a rendering of the new lodge that will be built.

Price said it’s going to blend better with the amphitheater than the old building.

Additionally, those at the park heard a couple songs from the Prairie Creek Singers. Because of some confusion, Finley was the only singer who didn’t wear a choir shirt. She thought she was supposed to wear a different T-Shirt that says “Together We Rise” with a tornado.

Students at the school were able to get the T-shirts that Finley wore. She said not all of them wanted them — they didn’t want to remember what happened, but she does.

“I think it’s because, like they were talking about, when things like that happen our community can really come together and I feel like it’s a reminder that there are a lot of really good people in our community that want to help other people,” she said. “And it reminds me of that.”

This story was originally published April 29, 2023 at 12:59 PM.