1 person dead, 3 hurt after tornado strikes Westmoreland

POTTAWATOMIE COUNTY, Kan. ( KSNT ) – One person is confirmed dead, and three are hurt after a tornado hit Westmoreland Tuesday afternoon.

Pottawatomie County officials said on Facebook that a tornado struck the city of about 700 people Tuesday evening, destroying 22 homes, three RVs and five outbuildings and damaging another 13 homes and one commercial building. First responders were conducting grid searches in Westmoreland to survey damage and to look for people who may have been injured.

A Pottawatomie County spokesperson confirmed the single fatality in a news release sent to media. The name of the person who died was being withheld pending family notification.

Three people also were reported injured, but none of them were critical, the county spokesperson said in a follow-up statement.

Westmoreland is about 45 miles northwest of Topeka and is the Pottawatomie County seat.

Images posted to social media showed a tornado on the ground in Westmoreland, as well as damaged homes, uprooted trees and a flipped semi.

The county spokesperson said the entire city was without power Tuesday night, and county offices were running on emergency generators. The Red Cross set up a shelter at the local high school about 6 miles from town.

A temporary shelter is now open at Rock Creek High School for residents who are displaced. The American Red Cross is operating the shelter. The Salvation Army will also be responding to help care for the emergency responders.

Tuesday’s storms came just two days after tornadoes tore through Oklahoma on Sunday, killing four people and injuring at least 100. On Friday, tornadoes twisted through Nebraska and Iowa , demolishing homes and businesses and leaving one person dead.

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