tornadoes

Volunteers filled Andover United Methodist Church Tuesday to help clean up after an EF-3 tornado hit the town last Friday.

Prairie Creek Elementary School was among hundreds of buildings and homes damaged by Friday's storm in Andover, Kansas, about a dozen miles east of Wichita.

Despite extensive damage to several neighborhoods, authorities say only four people were injured in Friday night's storm.

Missouri Sen. Josh Hawley was one of several Republicans to dispute President Joe Biden’s victory, despite no evidence of election fraud, and raised his fist in support of insurrectionists who stormed the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021. One year later, the senator has faced no major political backlash in his home state.

Instances of bullying and harassment have been increasing for students of color in Kansas and Missouri, and many parents are worried about their children's safety. Plus, residents of Joplin, Missouri, reflect one decade after a tornado destroyed a third of their town.

The EF5 tornado in May 2011 destroyed a third of Joplin, a city of 50,000, killing 161 people and causing $3 billion in property damage. “You never get over it, it just gets less raw,” one resident said after similar storms in Kentucky last month.

Western Kentucky is dealing with the aftermath of a deadly tornado now, but 10 years ago Joplin, Mo., was in the same place. Joplin Mayor Ryan Stanley offers his advice for those in Kentucky.

An EF-3 tornado ripped through Defiance, a town of about 150 in St. Charles County's wine country, last Friday. St. Charles County officials estimate damages will exceed $3.5 million.

Missouri and Illinois have few state regulations directly related to tornado safety. Some elected officials are now questioning whether current building requirements are enough to protect residents from powerful storms.

The same storm system that hit Edwardsville and ravaged areas in Kentucky, Arkansas and Tennessee first reached tornado status near the community of Defiance.

Some meteorologists are calling for an active and long severe weather season in the heartland, which means "citizen chasers" might add to the potentially dangerous conditions on the road.

While tornados can't be stopped, better technology means the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration can see weather patterns favorable for their formation days ahead of time.