Watch: Storm chaser captures up-close video of tornado near Lawrence, Kansas
A storm chaser who captured video of a tornado that wrecked homes Tuesday night in Lawrence as it made its way through northeastern Kansas called the windstorm was one of the largest he has seen.
Dalton Coody, 33, of Mountainburg, Arkansas, posted 14 minutes of video of the storm online.
As he followed the tornado in Lawrence, Coody’s SUV got stuck as he put it in reverse on East 900th Road, he said. His vehicle wouldn’t move for about 30 seconds as the tornado touched down nearby, he said.
“I was definitely in fear for my life,” Coody said.
A former sheriff’s deputy, Coody has called for a better way for chasers to directly contact storm prediction centers to give citizens quicker warnings about dangerous tornadoes. It could save lives, he said.
The tornado Tuesday traveled from the southwest corner of Douglas County through the Lawrence area to Linwood, in Leavenworth County, injuring about 20 people between the two, as well as tearing apart buildings.
Another tornado touched down near Kearney in Clay County and moved toward Excelsior Springs.
This story was originally published May 30, 2019 at 2:04 PM.
