SEAN BOSTON
Hutch Post
PLEVNA, Kan. — A tornado struck the tiny Reno County community of Plevna late Sunday night, leaving behind widespread damage and prompting a community-wide cleanup effort Monday morning.
Vonda Zongker, who lives just north of Plevna, described a chaotic night as the storm tore through homes, vehicles and landmarks in and around the town.
“Right now what the city of Plevna could use is porta pottys,” Zongker said. “Everybody’s got their own wells, and we have no electricity, no water, no bathrooms.”
At least four homes are believed to be destroyed — three in the immediate Plevna area and one closer to the community of Zenith. Numerous other structures were also damaged or destroyed, including the town’s Plevna Community Bible Church and its parsonage.
“The church in Plevna has a lot of damage, most of the roof is gone. The parsonage is, I’m sure, a total wipeout and will have to be rebuilt,” Zongker said.
The tornado also demolished a neighbor’s shed and totaled the vehicles that were stored inside. Their house, Zongker added, is “pretty well totaled.”
Zongker said the twister passed between her home and a neighbor’s to the east, just a mile apart, shortly after they had left each other’s homes.
“A lot of damage, and we could use a lot of prayers out here,” she said. “A lot of people are struggling.”
Emergency crews and residents are currently assessing the damage and beginning cleanup efforts. No injuries had been reported as of midmorning, but officials were still working to evaluate the full impact of the storm.
The National Weather Service has not yet released an official damage rating for the tornado.
