Destructive tornado hits Eureka, 5 people injured, state of disaster declared, Kansas

A destructive tornado swept through Eureka, Kansas late afternoon Tuesday, June 26, 2018, injuring at least 5 people. Emergency sirens were activated, but the tornado developed quickly, leaving residents little time to take shelter. 

Kansas Governor Jeff Colyer declared a state of disaster in Greenwood County after a destructive tornado swept through the small town of Eureka (population 2 450).

A tornado warning was issued at 19:19 CDT and tornado struck just two minutes later, leaving residents little time to take shelter.

An initial assessment found damage to more than 100 city blocks and extensive tree damage. At least 5 people were injured, one of them critically, police said.

About 5 700 Westar Energy customers lost power during the storm and at least 1 718 remained without power Wednesday morning.

The Kansas Department of Transportation temporarily closed Highway 54 from mile marker 287 to mile marker 266.

Greenwood County Emergency Management asked any volunteers helping with cleanup to report to the Matt Samuels Community Building at noon Wednesday.

Another tornado touched down in Butler County, north of El Dorado on the same day and was accompanied by baseball-sized hail.

Teo Blašković

I'm a dedicated researcher, journalist, and editor at The Watchers. With over 20 years of experience in the media industry, I specialize in hard science news, focusing on extreme weather, seismic and volcanic activity, space weather, and astronomy, including near-Earth objects and planetary defense strategies. You can reach me at teo /at/ watchers.news.

• Teo Blašković

  Shallow M6.6 and M6.0 earthquakes hit near the east coast of Kamchatka, Russia
• Teo Blašković

  Shallow M6.6 earthquake hits central Mid-Atlantic Ridge
• Teo Blašković

  Strong and shallow M6.3 earthquake hits northern Qinghai, China
• Teo Blašković

  Strong and shallow M6.7 earthquake hits Sulawesi, Indonesia