‘It was like a war zone’: Ottawa couple recalls sheltering from Monday night tornado
By Ryan Gamboa
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OTTAWA, Kansas (KSHB) — Monday night’s storms brought tornadoes that damaged numerous rural communities in outer-lying Kansas City metropolitan area communities.
The first reported damage in the Kansas City viewing area was in Ottawa, Kansas just after 7:30 p.m. on Monday.
“All the sudden the door just flew open,” Eileen Sprickler recalled. “We were going to leave and we thought we had time and we looked out and it was like no. The sky just changed really suddenly.”
Eileen and her husband Barry were at a community meeting that was being hosted in Hope House, a local non-profit food bank.
The Spickler’s shared that it was only a matter of minutes from when they received the Tornado warning, that someone yelled at them to get inside and take cover.
Moments later, a tornado touched down outside the building.
“When I walked in that door today, I didn’t know that tornado was going to be coming right to where we were,” Barry Spickler said. “It was kind of unsettling to walk out and see there’s a 30-foot-tall tree on the side of the building that was now six feet tall with a lot of rubble next to it.”
Barry shared some pictures of the aftermath with KSHB 41 News Reporter Ryan Gamboa that show shattered windows in the Hope House building, facades torn off neighboring buildings, and even Barry’s car seen with damage to its side paneling and windows.
“What struck me was the amazing power of this very local event. The tornado didn’t affect everyone in town as far as property damage, but it chose specific places to hit,” he said. “I mean it looked like a war zone.”
No injuries were reported in the City of Ottawa, according to Police Chief Adam Weingartner.
Franklin County Undersheriff Kiel Lasswell told Gamboa that a few people suffered minor injuries in an isolated event during the storm out in the county.
“We have done a lot of planning and testing for responding to exercises just like this, so now we begin the plan to really help those that need us,” Weingartner said. “We’ll start to triage the businesses and making sure those are safe and secure. And then seeing what the next step of our operational periods are going to be to provide the support to the community that they really need.”
While the Spickler’s home remains in tact with no damage — they spent the rest of the evening waiting for their power to flip back on.
For Eileen, she realized how much under prepared her home was for an event like this. She plans to add more batteries and electronic charging tools to her home in case she’s put in a position like this again.
For now, they’re looking to tomorrow and the community rebuild effort that will begin.
“It’s gonna take everybody to rebuild,” she said. “There’s a sense of community ere that you don’t find in larger cities. I would venture to say up in Kansas City you might not, the way you do here. Community building is really, really important, that’s how you survive disasters.”
As for what’s next for them, they’ll assess the damage to Barry’s car in the morning and navigate the financial impacts that will have on their family.
They’re just grateful to see another day.
“We’re sitting at home with battery powered lights all over the place, but we’re safe and the lights will come back on, power will be dealt with,” Barry Spickler said. “We could’ve stayed and helped with the clean-up if we could, but that’s a tomorrow thing.”
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