2001 Hoisington tornado
 Aftermath of the tornado | |
| Meteorological history | |
|---|---|
| Date | April 21, 2001 |
| F4 tornado | |
| on the Fujita scale | |
| Highest winds | 207 mph (333 km/h)–260 mph (420 km/h) |
| Overall effects | |
| Fatalities | 1 |
| Injuries | 28 |
| Damage | $40.1 million (1997 USD) |
| Areas affected | Barton County, Kansas |
Part of the Tornadoes of 2001 | |
The 2001 Hoisington tornado was a violent and destructive tornado that hit the city of Hoisington, Kansas on April 21, 2001. The tornado killed one and injured twenty-eight others, and left one-third of the city devastated, with over 400 structures damaged to varying degrees.
Background
[edit]At 7:49 p.m. on April 21st, radio operator Carl Andersen, the Barton County Emergency Coordinator for emergency radio communication at the Emergency Operations Center (EOC) in Great Bend, Kansas, sent out a warning that storms were reported in the neighboring counties to the west. At that point, the warning was only for hail. However by 9:15 P.M., it had changed to a tornado warning because of funnel cloud sightings in the Hoisington area. At 9:30 p.m., another radio operator, Larry Bruce, reported back to the EOC that a storm had just passed through Hoisington, approximately 10 miles north of Great Bend.[1]
Tornado summary
[edit]Shortly past 9:00 PM CST, the tornado touched down in an area southwest of the city of Hoisington.[2] The tornado moved northwest through West 2nd Street, directly striking several housing units.[3] As it caused intense damage in the residential areas located in the south of the city, the tornado began to run roughly parallel to South Main Street, one of the main streets in the town. One person, a 69 year old man, was killed when his home was hit by the tornado.[4]
As the tornado left the downtown area, it began to weaken, inflicting F2 damage as it exited city limits. It dissipated shortly after, tracking a total of 5 miles (8.0 km).[3]
Aftermath
[edit]200 homes were destroyed by the tornado, and a further 85 were heavily damaged. 12 businesses were also destroyed by the tornado.[3][5][6] One person was killed, and 28 others were injured.[7]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Mitigation Case Studies: Clara Barton Hospital Shelter" (PDF). National Weather Service and FEMA. May 2004. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
- ^ Kilborn, Peter T. (April 24, 2001). "Stealthy Tornado Stole a Third of Unsuspecting Kansas Town". New York Times.
- ^ a b c "April 21st 2001 Hoisington Tornado". National Weather Service.
- ^ Observer-Dispatch. "EF4 tornado on Apr. 21, 2001 20:15 PM CDT". Observer-Dispatch. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
- ^ "Friday marks 22nd anniversary of Hoisington tornado". KSN-TV. 2023-04-21. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
- ^ "MEMORIES FROM THE DARK". www.gbtribune.com. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
- ^ Staff, KWCH (2021-04-21). "April 21 marks 20 years since devastating Hoisington tornado". KWCH. Retrieved 2024-11-06.
Sources
[edit]- "Mitigation Case Studies: Clara Barton Hospital Shelter". National Weather Service and FEMA. May 2004. Retrieved November 6, 2024.
This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain: FEMA.
