Wabaunsee Co. home destroyed by presumed tornado

WABAUNSEE CO., Kan. (WIBW) - Strong storms completely destroyed a home outside of Eskridge in Wabaunsee County Friday night.

Wabaunsee Co. Emergency Manager Amy Terrapin told 13 NEWS that the home is located at the intersection of Mission Valley Rd. and Massasoit Rd., which is just west of Mission Valley High School.

Terrapin said the occupants were not home when the storm rolled through. Three pets inside were not injured.

The two-story structure appears to be a total loss.

Terrapin said local law enforcement and members of the local volunteer fire departments canvassed the county for downed power lines and other damage the storm may have caused. Terrapin said nothing significant was reported, and no other structures appeared to be impacted.

Portions of Wabaunsee Co. were under a Tornado warning for nearly an hour, between 8:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m. Friday night. Scanner traffic indicated a tornado was spotted around the damaged home, however, no confirmation was ever made. The National Weather Service is expected to survey the damaged area over the weekend to determine if the storm that leveled the home was in fact a tornado.

The storm that tore through this home was one of two lines of severe weather that swept through the eastern portion of Kansas beginning late Friday afternoon. The systems produced multiple tornado warnings between 6:30 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

As of 10:30 p.m., approximately 3,000 customers in Northeast Kansas were reported to be without power. No injuries have been reported.

Preliminary reports indicate between 50-100 structures were damaged in severe storms in SE Kansas. At one time, around 21,000 customers were without power in Wichita and surrounding areas.

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