A catastrophic tornado destroyed a number of rural homes and did damage to farmland and pastures in the central section of Kansas that includes Abilene Wednesday night. But, by all indications and reports, the greyhound community in the area was spared.
Robbie Britton’s farm, northwest of Abilene perhaps was closest to the twister (about a half-mile away), which did damage or destroy some trees on the property.
David Strong, whose farm is north of nearby Solomon, was about 1 ½ miles south of the tornado as it moved eastward at about 15 mph.
Jeff and Toye Cole’s farm, also northwest of Abilene, also avoided damage—but the twister was close.
“We all started calling each other when the storm moved in,” Toye said on Thursday. “Everyone (greyhound farm owners) seems to be fine today.”
The tornado was moving to the east, and passed the Abilene area about seven miles to the north. Nearby Chapman, Ks., was partially hit, after the twister made a surprising move to the southeast after it passed Abilene, crossing Interstate 70. Chapman had suffered serious destruction several years ago from a tornado.
Another set of storms is scheduled for Thursday night and over the Memorial Day weekend in the Abilene area.