1991 April 27 Andover, Kansas F5 Tornado Damage Survey

This is a video clip from the DVD program "Storm Chase 1990-1992 by Robert Prentice."

This is a damage survey of the devastating F5 tornado damage at the Andover, Kansas Golden Spur Mobile Home Park shot on April 27, 1991. This internationally famous event has been featured in many documentary and news programs. Oddities include mangled cars, de-barked trees and a bent spoon embedded into the ground. Some scenes contain flattened homes as far as the eye can see. Sobering video that forces us to remember the human toll tornadoes sometime take.

The complete DVD program listing and ordering information can be found at:

http://members.cox.net/rprentice/chase_1990-1992.htm

Copyright Robert A. Prentice, 1991, 1996, 2005

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[RobertPrentice]

This was plastic waving in the wind, *not* the legs of a dead woman ;-)

[RobertPrentice]

If the Andover, KS had passed through a large, dense American city, it would have caused a 1/4rd to 1/2-mile wide path of EF3 and EF4 damage, with patches of EF5 damage. EF5 damage can produce "significant structural deformation" of high-rise (21+ story) buildings and "permanent structural deformation" of mid-rise (5-20 story) buildings. Please refer to the EF-scale document for full details.

[TheMightykaz]

How could you measure a tornado as an f0-f5 if it landed in a field but did not damage any structures?

[RobertPrentice]

@TheMightykaz

The Fujita (now the Enhanced Fujita) scale rates tornadoes by the damage they leave behind. If nothing is hit, the tornado cannot be assigned a rating even though they are typically rated F0 (now EF0) in such cases.

[gluiderg]

Thanks for posting this. Just wondering if you have any more video from the 27th. One of my big brothers and my brother-in-law spent most of the day out there looking for my mom. But my sister and I found her instead, in the mourge. My step dad was found in the mourge on the 26th. Because he had his wallet on him, they contacted his family that night. They didn't just loose the things they owned, they lost their lives. There is still a big hole in our family that use to be occupied by them.

[coolinamerica]

Thank you Robert! Life is good today.

[Landrar]

@DNWGretsch182 Incorrect. Even though the Enhanced Fujita Scale uses wind speed as a classification system, it relies on damage done to make that determination.

This is why the 99 Mulhall, OK tornado was given a rating of F4 even though it was just as intense as the F5 that landed in Moore.

The EF scale, and TORRO scale, still operate on the same principal because we can't, yet, get direct measurement of wind speeds on most tornadoes.

[kpg2471]

Holy shit, if my house was there I would get down on the ground and scream at myself until i died lol

[iamsaztak]

Ooh, eerie. The gray car at 2:14 looks just like the car my mom had. And we moved to the trailer park that got obliterated about 5 years after this tornado. That hits too close to home!

[Lizaria]

6sec n in the left top of tree, are those legs from a dead woman? Looks like RIP

[u12kno]

Notice, the city's name is AND-OVER.......

[u12kno]

Notice, the city's name is AND-OVER.......

[DNWGretsch182]

@TheMightykaz the scale is not measure by damage intake, but by wind speed.

[bradwatson7324]

Strange how that styrofoam cup remained standing.

[horshooer]

I noticed Old Glory was still waving in the wind....