HILLSDALE, Kan. — Cleanup efforts are underway in some of the hardest hit areas from Monday’s storms, including Hillsdale, Kansas.
The National Weather Service confirmed an EF-2 tornado tore through the Hillsdale area, with winds gusting up to 115 miles per hour.
The Miami County Sheriff’s Office said one person suffered minor injuries. The tornado destroyed trees, sheds and homes.
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“There was a barn right in front of that, a big barn,” Whitney Frizell said. “There was an entrance right here, it’s just gone, she has nowhere for horse.”
Frizell is friends with the owner of a home that was destroyed.
Frizell joined more than 140 volunteers on Wednesday morning, clearing debris, fixing fences and pulling pieces of homes and property out of trees.
She’s grateful her friend is alive.
“She was hiding in her linen closet. She was home when this happened. She was in the linen closet and that is one of the, almost the only thing left standing in that house,” Frizell said. “I’m just glad that she’s still here.”
The homeowner said she’s lived here for 15 years. The garage is gone, and the tornado only left a piece of her barn behind.
“I find pieces of her saddle and things like that in there and I try not to cry because why am I crying, I still have my house, and she doesn’t,” Frizell said. “It just hurts.”
The homeowner was moved to tears, watching about a dozen volunteers, some strangers, helping pick up the pieces in her yard.
“See people come up, get food and then, boom; they’re back out working,” Rick Schoenberger said.
He owns The BBQ Shack food truck and is fueling the volunteers.
On Tuesday, they offered free meals to 60-70 first responders.
“I saw a need with the damage and all,” Schoenberger said. “Everybody’s going to need to eat in order to keep working.”
Since then, he said donations have poured in to feed the volunteers. They’ve raised nearly $11,000.
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“I couldn’t be here without the generosity of the people in Miami Co., not just the Hillsdale area, Paola and beyond,” Schoenberger said.
Schoenberger grew up in Hillsdale. He said seeing the devastation from this tornado hit home.
“It’s terrible. People need help. So, I’ve got a way to help them,” Schoenberger said. “Just hang in there. It will get better.”
Rick said if there’s work to be done and they have the funds, his crew will be in Hillsdale serving up free meals.
