The sun was barely up and there was a stiff chill in the air as Kansas Congressman Roger Marshall made his way along the muddy dirt roads of western Barton County early Saturday morning. It was a private pilgrimage to see the damage from last Tuesday’s tornado.
“The scene of tornado damage was all too familiar to my eyes as I visited impacted areas this morning,” he said Saturday. The Great Bend doctor-turned Republican lawmaker was back in his First District for a Rotary District conference in Hays, but had to see the effect of the storm for himself.
He drove around the area, taking time to stop at several of the homesteads destroyed by the twister. With winds up to 167 miles per hour, the EF3 tornado flattened 10 homes and damaged many more in its 27-mile path, inuring two.
Marshall said Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir kept him apprized the situation as it unfolded. “It always amazes me how two houses side-by-side, one completely gone, the other with minimal damage.”
The scene brought back memories for Marshall.
“Having raced over to Hoisington shortly after its devastating destruction in 2001, and having witnessed firsthand a tornado go through our hunting cabin and hunting land and surrounding neighbors (the same tornado that destroyed Greensburg), this scene of leafless trees and flattened houses brought back to reality how helpless we all are in the face of Mother Nature,” he said. “Since the tornado, we’ve had several early evening storms, several of which contained 60 -70 mile an hour winds, hail, and sheets of ice like I’ve never seen before.”
In addition to the homes damaged, many farm crops also took a hit, he said. “It would appear that some people will have excellent wheat crops this year, and others will have none.”
He said many areas of the state has now suffered over the past two months with a 600,000-acre prairie fire, a 15-20-inch snow in May, and now tornadoes and hail. “There is no wonder why Kansas possess toughness and grit. Laina and I pray for all impacted, and will do everything we can to help.”
