Posted on 09/08/2002 10:29:33 PM PDT by KuernoDeChivo
Tornado Hits Manti
MANTI, Utah (AP) _ A tornado tore through this central Utah town Sunday afternoon, destroying houses, uprooting trees and bringing down power lines.
The tornado destroyed six houses and damaged two dozen others, said Sanpete County sheriff's Lt. Rick Howe, who estimated damage at $1 million.
"No one got hurt," said Peter Case, an emergency management technician. "A lot of people were in church."
Residents reported seeing the funnel cloud touch down at 1:50 p.m.
City Manager Bill Nicholson declared a state of emergency and he and Gary Vetterly, a state emergency officials, said it appeared to have been an F2 tornado. The National Weather Service will make the official determination after workers visit the site Monday and take measurements.
Dave Sanders, a lead forecaster for the weather service in Salt Lake City, said that from media reports it appeared to be at least an F1 and possibly an F2 tornado on the Fujita scale, which ascends from F0 to F6. F2 tornadoes have winds of 113 to 157 mph.
The tornado peeled part of the metal roof off at Anderson Lumber, and lumber was scattered as far as one-half mile away. However, store officials expected to reopen as soon as power is restored.
Power was out for most of the town and it was unknown when it would be fully restored. The municipal power company was getting assistance in repairs from Utah Power & Light and other utility companies.
Joe Bennett, a sheriff's dispatcher, said the tornado destroyed his house and lifted a 2½-ton camp trailer onto his neighbor's garage.
Bennett said the tornado struck without warning, that he opened a door and got sandblasted by the wind.
`The windows just blew out and everything came flying in," he said. "We're just lucky no one got hurt.
Robbie Hansen, who worked at Anderson Lumber, lost his home and a pickup truck.
In the hardest-hit neighborhood, homes were damaged, 40-foot pine trees were uprooted, sheds were pancaked and garages were moved. One garage exploded outward as the tornado passed, but the car inside was untouched.
"Stuff was flying 300 feet in the air, said Roy Hansen, Robbie's father.
By evening, most of the damaged homes already had been secured, with plastic over the roofs.
"People in this town pull together pretty quick," said Roy Hansen, 47, a coal miner.
Resident Brett Cheney said the funnel, jumping and skipping across town, was larger than a building lot.
It caused a mile-long path of destruction, said Kevin Holman, county emergency management director.
The tornado moved across Manti's southwest side before moving east and dissolving over the Wasatch Plateau, said Karen Kahl of the National Weather Service in Salt Lake City.
A second funnel cloud may have passed over Manti, but it didn't touch ground and caused no damage, Kahl said.
Utah records about two tornadoes a year, rarely causing much damage. The last significant twister tore through downtown Salt Lake City on Aug. 11, 1999, killing one man, injuring several others and destroying five houses. It caused more than $150 million in damage.
Sunday's twister came on the third day of thunderstorms that have left almost no corner of Utah dry. Forecasters are calling for two or three more days of scattered showers.
The Wasatch Front received an inch of rain, while Arches National Park and Bullfrog Marina at Lake Powell both reported receiving 1½ inches in 24-hour totals. Half-inch hail fell late Sunday in St. George, Sanders said, and Bullfrog Marina on Lake Powell earlier recorded wind gusts of over 60 mph.
(Copyright 2002 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
September 8, 2002
Gratefully (grateful to God) no one was killed. Being from big tornado country down in Texas, I still have visions of the big one that hit Wichita Falls many years ago (1980's). Went and saw the devastation afterwards.
If you are from that area of Utah ... it's a beautiful and wonderful spot. Wish I was getting ready to do some hunting on the back side of Mt. Nebo. But, we do alright now here in SW Idaho.
FRegards.
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