‘Amazing to see’: Neighbors help clear debris after overnight tornado hits Johnson County

A small stool with a pot of coffee and colorful mugs sat at the end of Jim and Corby Suptic’s driveway Wednesday morning in Leawood, an offering to neighbors after a night of severe weather including tornadoes.

Corby Suptic said she brought out the coffee for her neighbors because she suspected they were the only house on the block with power because they have a generator.

The Suptics’ block near Windsor Street and 96th Street was covered in downed trees and branches Wednesday after the storms. One large limb damaged a house’s gutters and fell on top of two cars. Another fell into the road, making it impassable. Nearly every house had tree limbs in the yard.

The National Weather Service confirmed that an EF-1 tornado hit Johnson County, Kansas, and Jackson County, Missouri, overnight. The tornado produced winds of 100 mph. It traveled 14 miles and grew to a maximum width of 125 yards, according to the weather service.

The couple said they had been out since 6 a.m. working with neighbors to clear the debris, though they thankfully had only a few trees fall in their yard and their home did not suffer any damage.

Power lines hung down over the mangled trees, and chainsaws roared across the neighborhood as residents and lawn care businesses slowly worked through the mess.

They were lucky, Jim Suptic said, that the tornado was not worse, because the weather alert they received came late.

Jim Suptic said he woke up to the sound of the alert, but the storm was already on top of them. As they grabbed their kids and headed to the basement, he said they could already see tree limbs down in their neighbor’s yard.

The National Weather Service issued a tornado warning at 1:21 a.m. for northeastern Johnson County and southwestern Jackson County. Kansas City officials said that the alert system’s were working correctly, but tornadoes form quickly and it can be difficult to alert everyone in time.

Scott Ogilvie, another resident on Windsor Street, said his family headed to the basement when they were awoken by the alarm, but by that time they had already lost power.

Mary Mitchell, who also lives on Windsor Street, was up late when the storm got louder, then the lights went out. The National Weather Service alert came after that. She was able to use her phone as a flashlight and lit candles, but she said it is hard to move quickly because she is 84 years old.

Mitchell said she heard what she thought was rolling thunder at first, but it was different, like wind blowing really hard.

“I heard the rain and I heard the hail, and that’s not unusual,” Mitchell said. “But then when I heard that funny sound, I couldn’t put a definition on it … but it was loud and my windows rattled. That’s when I realized hell was coming.”

A large limb from a tree in Mitchell’s front yard fell across her driveway and she said her backyard trees were a disaster.

Mitchell’s two sons and a family friend were cutting limbs and moving the debris out of her yard for her, assessing the damage.

“They all have jobs, but today they are here helping mom,” Mitchell said.

She expects the possible damage to her gutters and removing the tree limbs will cost her a few thousand dollars.

Bryan Miller lives on Windsor Street and was driving home from a nearby QuikTrip when the storm hit. His back window was rolled down for his dog when he said a wall of rain and wind flew by them. By the time he got home minutes later, a tree limb had already fallen across his driveway, hitting one of his cars.

Luckily, he said the car was already totaled and not in use, but he had to park on the street and run into his house to take cover.

Corby Suptic said that even though the situation was bad, she had enjoyed meeting her neighbors and working together to help each other out.

“It has been amazing to see,” she said.

This story was originally published June 8, 2022 at 2:44 PM.