Police in Gladstone said there was a reported tornado touchdown in the area of Highway 152 and Indiana on the north side of the city. However, KMBC's Bev Chapman reported spotty power outages and downed limbs in that area, but no apparent tornadic damage.Kansas City Power & Light reported that 385 customers were still without power as of 3 p.m. Originally 8,000 customers lost electricity.
KMBC's Joel Nichols said the small but intense storm cell moved through the area around 3 a.m.Hurricane-force wind gusts from 80 mph to 90 mph were reported in the area near Liberty.
39th and Central
At 39th and Central in Kansas City, a tree fell onto an apartment building, according to police. Officers said no one was hurt, but the building's roof was damaged.Lee's Summit Fire Battalion Chief Jim Eden was sitting in his vehicle when it was struck by lightning, KMBC's Brenda Washington reported. Eden said he was parked along Highway 291 North at Interstate 70, doing some storm spotting in Independence when the concrete suddenly flew up and the power in his car went out. An antenna on his car that was normally about 12 inches was melted down to less than one-quarter inch, but Eden said he was not hurt."The vehicle provides some protection. Obviously, the best thing to do is, if severe weather is approaching, is to stay home and to stay inside and take shelter," he said.
79th and Old Antioch
KMBC-TV's building was also hit by lightning early Friday morning. A power surge went through much of the station's technical equipment.Joel Nichols was prepared to go on the air during the tornado warnings that were issued for three metropolitan counties, but was unable to do so until the equipment was fixed.
Copyright 2005 by TheKansasCityChannel.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Watch The Friday Forecast
