OTTAWA, Kan. — According to the National Weather Service, an EF-2 tornado reaching speeds of 125 mph hit Ottawa, Kansas, on Monday night.
Tornado damage is extensive throughout Ottawa. Not even 24 hours after the storm, people who call Ottawa home started showing up to help each other.
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One group spent the afternoon going door-to-door, delivering food and water to some of the neighborhoods hit hardest by Monday’s tornado.
“We said, let’s reach out to some of our local businesses. Let’s see who can donate so we can go take some meals to the volunteers helping, the community that’s without power, the linemen out there, all of our city workers, they’ve been working nonstop since last night,” said Shannon Wilt, an Ottawa business owner who was delivering meals Tuesday afternoon. “Walmart donated over 500 hot dogs and hot dog buns. Price Chopper donated 39 cases of water. We had different community members donate money so we could buy chips, oranges, and other things, like hydration powders to go with the water. So that we can feed all these people who are affected.”
Storm damage can be seen throughout Ottawa: from damaged homes and destroyed businesses to scattered debris and downed power lines.
The recovery process will be long.
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“I have to take a minute because this is my community. This is where my kids are going to grow up. Some of their friends are displaced now because they don’t have a house to go home to. There are a lot of permanent members over at the Knights Inn, and it’s gone. There are just so many families that are now displaced. It just hurts,” Wilt explained.
She says now is the time for the Ottawa community to lean on each other and do what they can to support neighbors.
“This might be something super small, but to me, this is just me helping, but I know that it’s a little something we can do. I wish there were more we could do, but I’m glad that we could do this. It just hurts to see my community hurting,” Wilt said.
In an update Tuesday afternoon, the City of Ottawa said power restoration remains a top priority. Adding that the City currently does not need any volunteers or physical item donations. If you would like to make a financial donation to Franklin County United Way, those funds will be used in the recovery effort.
For the most current storm recovery information from the City of Ottawa, click here.
Residents affected by the tornado needing assistance can reach out to the Franklin County United Way for possible resources.
