Tornado ripped through RV park, leveled homes in Kansas town: ‘All hell broke loose’
Before a tornado flipped his trailer on its side, before he was huddled in a concrete storm shelter in the center of the park, and before the sirens made him feel uneasy, Terry Scott set up his tripod to get pictures of the storm rolling into Hillsdale, Kansas.
Scott, 67, said he got some good shots of the lightning before he was overcome with an uneasy feeling. He needed to book it to the shelter.
“Rains started getting heavier and I just started not feeling right,” Scott said. “As I was stepping into the shelter I looked over… it was torrential downpour… and I couldn’t distinguish which RVs it was, but I saw two RVs flip and roll.”
“And then all hell broke loose with the windstorm and everything else,” he said.
Scott had his RV parked in the Shady Acres RV Park, a community near Hillsdale, when a tornado ripped through the area Monday night. The storm leveled homes, knocked down trees, overturned vehicles, downed power lines and damaged businesses as it passed through the rural community in Miami County.
About a mile from the RV park sits a gas station, and between that gas station and the RV park, buildings that used to serve as storage units were leveled.
Tuesday, people could be seen sifting through the wreckage to pull out any belongings that were salvageable. Volunteers helped sift through the splintered wood and jagged metal, and cleanup crews were clearing limbs from roads.
Metal panels were seen scattered throughout fields near the intersection of Old Kansas City Road and West 255th Street where stop signs were flattened and the Hillsdale city limits sign was uprooted and crushed.
Early Tuesday morning, Scott and his neighbors were filling out insurance claims for their properties at Shady Acres. He’s unsure how many, but some of the worst damaged homes had to be a total loss, he presumed.
“The first thing you’re thinking is ‘how am I going to recover any personal belongings that have either sentimental or monetary value, and where am I going to live,’” Scott said.
Hillsdale community reeling after tornado
The storm caused long-term power outages in the region after around 50 power poles were toppled and destroyed. Crew members from Evergy near the RV Park Tuesday said restoring power in the area would be a massive undertaking that could take up to 24 hours, maybe more, to complete.
About 100 buildings were damaged by the tornado, and around 50-60 of them were completely destroyed or damaged enough to where they were not livable, according to Matthew Kelly, a spokesperson for the Miami County Sheriff’s Office.
A state of disaster emergency was issued after the storms, allowing for state resources to be used, if requested.
Kelly said Tuesday afternoon that crews were continuing searches of buildings with the help of several outside agencies from the region.
No one was unaccounted for or killed, Kelly said.
“One thing that we’re really concerned about right now is just making sure that structures are safe,” Kelly said. “Outside of that, we’re preparing for a storm that’s also coming this evening, hoping that it doesn’t become significant and that we can weather it… and start our cleanup efforts tomorrow.”
The Sheriff’s Office closed off some roads getting into Hillsdale Tuesday afternoon to help with cleanup efforts.
“If there’s a need, we’re responding to that,” Kelly said. “We’re keeping a very detailed log of stuff.”
Toward the front entrance of Shady Acres sits a pond landscaped with white rocks around its bank.
Curtis and Tonja Gilbert stood there Tuesday morning looking at their RV, which was thrown by the tornado into the pond, as they spoke on the phone with insurance adjusters.
Fortunately, Curtis Gilbert said, he and his wife were at the storm shelter when their RV flipped.
“As you can see, everything was kind of flattened out here,” Curtis Gilbert said, pointing across the RV park. “But right now we’re just waiting on insurance before we can do anything.”
Curtis Gilbert is a pipe fitter for Local 533 who travels for work, and Tonja Gilbert worked from home, which was the RV, before it was damaged in the storm. They’ve been married for 27 years, and moved into the community to be closer to family.
But even with their home wrecked, and next steps still uncertain, the couple said they’ve been able to maintain a positive outlook.
“I’m just so glad everybody in here is doing well, I mean, that nobody was hurt or worse,” Curtis Gilbert said.
Recovery efforts after the storm
Just across the street from Shady Acres sits a wrecked building that used to be the home of Kathi Watts.
Candi Donham, 54, said Watts hid in a linen closet during the storm, struggling to hold the closet door shut as the tornado ripped through her home.
The roof is in pieces, mostly strewn across her lawn with other items from inside the house.
Watts was unavailable for an interview Tuesday, but Donham, her best friend for several years, said she called her Monday night when the storm hit.
“It just makes you sick to see everything now,” Donham said, standing in Watts’ driveway.
A little further down West 255th Street, Douglas Clement and Scott Hoyt loaded items onto a trailer at Hillsdale Boat and Mini Storage.
Only a handful of storage units were left standing after the storm. Picking up items amid the rubble, Clement and Hoyt said they were helping their boss’ daughter get things before a second round of storms Tuesday.
“Looking at the damage, you can actually see how wide it might have been from side to side,” Hoyt said. “It’s going to take a while to get everything taken care of.”
This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 4:38 PM.
