‘We feel defeated.’ EF-1 tornado wrecks home near Smithville during Tuesday storms
When an EF-1 tornado touched down near Smithville Lake on Tuesday morning, it wrecked a temporary home and left a family feeling defeated.
Kristel McGinnis created a GoFundMe on Tuesday after a camper the family was staying in near the lake was toppled by 95-mph winds. The majority of their belongings were ruined in the storm.
McGinnis said in the GoFundMe description that almost exactly a year ago, her fiance was in a nearly-fatal accident. He broke his neck and back, leaving him unable to work consistently.
Since that accident, the family fell on hard times and has been rebuilding. They were gifted a camper by family, McGinnis said, and were staying near campgrounds at Smithville Lake since February.
“With now no place to call home we feel defeated,” she said.
The tornado touched down around 10:10 a.m. near Smithville Lake on Tuesday, according to reports from the National Weather Service in Kansas City. Much of the Kansas City metro experienced strong, gusty winds, and tornado sirens sounded across Kansas City’s Northland.
The storms resulted in power outages across the metro; a peak of about 16,000 customers were without power in the area.
McGinnis said the family and their dog were able to quickly take shelter, but they were not able to bring their cat inside. Luckily, she said, they found the cat unharmed when the storm had passed.
“Our 11-year-old son is very shaken and not sure how to process all this either,” she said. “From here, we just have to try and rebuild and thank our Lord above that he looked out for us to make the shelter house in a matter of seconds.”
Funds from the GoFundMe will help the family continue to rebuild and find a new home.
The Star’s Nathan Pilling and Bob Cronkleton contributed to this report.
