Three confirmed tornadoes ripped through areas south of the Kansas City metro, causing damage to homes in Franklin and Miami counties

Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly issued a verbal state of disaster emergency to provide state assistance to communities impacted by Monday evening storms.

Hillsdale was hit by an EF-2 tornado, with winds reaching up to 115 miles per hour. While the storm tore through buildings and livelihoods, it did not break the spirit of this small town. What was once a storage facility is now almost unrecognizable. “Devastation” hardly captures it.

The tornado watch also covers Butler, Chase, Cowley, Harper, Harvey, Marion and Sumner counties as well as counties in southeast Kansas. Storm chances will be the highest during the early to mid-evening hours Tuesday before tapering off overnight. Gusts will be as high as 34 mph, with south winds blowing between 15 and 25 mph.

The National Weather Service in Topeka, KS, issued a tornado warning that included Ottawa, KS, shortly after 7 PM on Monday, April 13. The tornado was confirmed on radar as debris was detected

Kendal Anderson had just moved from Kansas City to Ottawa two months ago, bringing his wife, Natalie, and their five children to their new home after securing a job at TruComp Pipe, a manufacturer of high-pressure gas and oil pipes.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning on Monday for portions of northeast Kansas including Franklin

NOW LET’S GO OVER TO HILLSDALE, KANSAS. LOTS OF DAMAGE THERE TOO. THAT’S WHERE WE FIND OUR OWN RACHEL RIP RACHEL. THAT’S RIGHT MARTIN. SO WE’RE STILL ALONG. 255TH STREET WEST, 255TH STREET HERE WITH HIGHWAY 169.

Before a tornado flipped his trailer on its side, before he was huddled in a concrete storm shelter in the center of the park, and before the sirens made him feel uneasy, Terry Scott set up his tripod to get pictures of the storm rolling into Hillsdale,