Twister damages Meyer farm
Sometime between five and six o'clock the morning of June 15, a whirlwind dipped out of the clouds and damaged the farmyard of Leonard and Marla Meyer at 2441 270th, southeast of Lincolnville.
"It was a small tornado, but the damage indicates circular motion," Leonard said.
Neither Leonard nor Marla knew what had happened until later. Leonard had left home early for work. Marla was at home, but the house is about an eighth of a mile away from the barnyard.
Leonard called Marla about 7 a.m. She said the lights were out and strong winds had shook the house.
When Leonard came home at 10 a.m., he found a tree down across the driveway. As he proceeded into the farmyard, he discovered "a big mess." Trees and tree limbs were down everywhere and numerous items had been moved around.
The barn in the corral was torn apart and destroyed. Part of the corral fence was flattened. A grain bin was picked up and mangled.
A camper on the west wide of a cabin was moved to the north side. Shingles were peeled off and windows blown out on the cabin.
One roof was picked up and set down a foot away. A rain gauge was picked up and poked in the ground eight to 10 feet away, and a gate chain was found stretched out in another location.
Marla later found pieces of tin more than a half-mile east of the farm, and two utility poles were leaning.
The Meyers have a variety of animals and birds on their place including llamas, sheep, ducks, chickens, guineas, and peacocks. Three chickens and a duck were lost in the twister. The others were found safe in their houses.
Marla is an employee of Deer Trail Implement. When her boss and fellow workers found out what had happened, about 20 people from branch businesses in Emporia, McPherson, and Marion showed up to cut up trees and clear away much of the debris.
The Meyers were grateful for the help.
"One good thing, the southern and northern borders of the farmyard were left intact," Leonard said. "It's a mess, but we'll just have to clean it up and be thankful it wasn't worse."
