Man injured, widespread damage reported after tornado slams part of SE Kansas

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) – A tornado-producing storm in southeast Kansas injured at least one person and caused extensive damage.

Montgomery County Emergency Preparedness Director Rick Whitson reported that the injury was to a man in Sycamore who received treatment at a hospital in Nodesha after first responders extricated him from rubble.

Attending Monday morning’s Montgomery County Commission meeting, the Montgomery County Chronicle reported that the tornadic storm impacted as many as 170 properties, including significant damage to several homes.

The storm that heavily hit Sycamore, north of Independence, reportedly snapped nine power lines along U.S. 75, which led to outages throughout southeast Kansas.

Representatives from the National Weather Service in Wichita are in Sycamore to assess the damage and determine the tornado’s intensity level.

At their meeting on Monday morning, Montgomery County commissioners signed a letter asking for a formal disaster declaration. An official declaration from the governor clears state resources to assist with the storm response and cleanup.

Beyond the Sycamore area, Sunday night’s destructive storm in southeast Kansas prompted the Columbus school district in neighboring Cherokee County to call off classes on Monday.