In addition to debris from the tornado itself, three Oklahoma University meteorology students returning from a hurricane chase in Kansas were also killed in an accident Friday night, officials said. Nicholas Nair, 20, of Denton, Texas; Gavin Short, 19, of Grayslake, Illinois; and Drake Brooks, 22, of Evansville, Indiana, died in the crash just before 11:30 p.m. Friday, according to a report by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. The three were riding in a Nair-driven vehicle south on Interstate 35 when the vehicle sank and was hit by a tractor platform in Tonkawa, about 85 miles (137 kilometers) north of Oklahoma City, the report said. In a statement issued by the OU, it said: “The university is devastated to learn of the tragic death of three students. “Everyone was a valuable and dear member of our community.” More than 1,000 buildings were hit when a powerful twist swept through Antwerp on Friday afternoon, authorities said. On Saturday daylight, emergency crews found a more widespread disaster route than previously thought. “We now know that our trail of damage stretched about 3 1/2 to 4 miles (5.6 to 6.4 kilometers) north of where we thought it ended last night,” said Andover Fire Chief Mike Roosevelt, in an update. No casualties or severe damage were reported from the tornado itself, despite extensive damage. Officials said only a few injuries were reported. In Sedgwick County, three people were injured, including a woman who was seriously injured. Search-and-rescue operations continued on Saturday with more than 200 emergency responders from 30 services. Officers kept the volunteers away from the damage until a secondary search was made for the wreckage. Andover Fire Chief Chad Russell said earlier that some houses in the neighborhood had been “completely destroyed”. There are homes that have been completely demolished and entire neighborhoods destroyed, Russell said. City Hall, Andover YMCA and Prairie Creek Elementary School were among the buildings that suffered severe damage. National Meteorological Service field crews worked Saturday to determine the extent and strength of the swivel, meteorologist Kevin Darmofal told the Wichita office. Flor and Aldo Delgado said they prayed in the basement of their Andover home as a tornado passed just above them, destroying their home and cars. The couple looked out the window on Friday night and saw the tornado begin to form, so they headed to the basement. “The lights started to flicker and finally went out, and within a minute then the whole house started shaking and it was so loud. We started to feel water hitting our faces and there was dust everywhere. “It lasted for a minute that was just above us,” said Aldo Delgado. Flor Delgado said she could hear their house being ransacked as they prayed for their safety, the Wichita Eagle said. “It simply came to our notice then that we could do absolutely nothing. I knew that my husband felt it too because he was calm and comforting me, but at some point he started to lose it and cry. “I could hear his voice popping as he prayed,” he said. As soon as the tornado passed, the couple managed to get out of the wreckage with only their clothes on their backs. The house, cars and their personal belongings are gone. “We were not even wearing our wedding rings at the time,” added Flor Delgado. Gov. Laura Kelly has declared a state of emergency for the worst-hit areas. The statement makes state resources available to assist local jurisdictions with response and recovery efforts in affected areas across the state. Evergy said about 15,000 customers lost power during the tornado and work was continuing to restore electricity. Any broken gas and water lines were closed and no active leaks were known until noon. In addition to the tornadoes, there was heavy hail in many cities on the plains. Soft-ball-sized hail was found near Holbrook, Nebraska, and the Kansas Enterprise, according to the National Weather Service and local storms.
