Andover YMCA releases video footage from 2022 tornado, witness shares experience

ANDOVER, Kan. (KSNW) – Two years after an EF3 tornado struck the town, the Dr. Jim Farha Andover YMCA is releasing security camera video from inside the facility. You can watch KSN’s coverage in the video player above.

The video shows the moments the storm tears through the roof. Rain and debris came down after people were rushed to safety. The storm blew through, throwing cars outside, throwing equipment, and blasting out windows.

Since that day, the YMCA has held programming at other locations while working to make repairs.

The YMCA is preparing to open the brand new facility on Monday. It cost about $30 million to fully rebuild this facility. It’s not open just yet, but KSN got a sneak peek at the new amenities.

They’ll have a 44-foot lucky climber, an expanded gymnastics area, and an indoor gathering space for families.

The branch director says this facility is a testament to the strength of the community.

“We’re super excited to be able to welcome them back into this facility and able to serve them here, you know, in maybe their hometown area that is closer to home for them, and you know, and over was one of the biggest and one of the busiest place that we had,” said Jacob Stein, the Andover YMCA Branch Manager.

Stein said it’s remarkable to see how far they’ve come. The night of the tornado, there were nine cars inside the lobby. He’s grateful everyone was able to get to safety that night.

Andover YMCA ready to reopen after damaging 2022 tornado

Employee recalls experience

Bryan Lee was working at the Andover YMCA on April 29, 2022, training a new lifeguard. That’s when he heard an announcement.

“All of a sudden, we hear over the intercom from the front desk guy, Tony; I just hear him say that, ‘Hey, I need everyone to come to the front desk.’ ‘It’s not drill.’ And ‘everyone come to the front desk, please.’ And then we went up there, and then that’s when we saw that funnel start forming, and it’s like, couldn’t believe it,” he said. “You see the funnel slowly coming down getting bigger and bigger it’s y’know. It’s getting closer, getting bigger, so it’s kind of like, ‘Oh, this is actually happening.'”

The team went through the hallways finding people and helping them get to shelter in the locker rooms. Lee took cover under a sink.

“You could feel the air pressure drop. You feel your ears popping, and then there’s a loud rumble. It’s like the ceiling, so like the bridge is falling down a little bit, then pitch darkness,” he said.

Two years later, he says it’s been surreal to walk through the new building, ready to get back to work.

“This is not how I remembered it. When I left the place, the ceiling was caved in, pouring water, cars blocking the doorway, me having to crawl through the window underneath the glass and stuff, so it’s kind of crazy just seeing like everything just prepared, brand new. It was just kind of – it is really nice to see. Very happy about it,” said Lee.

Lee is now a lead lifeguard. He’s looking forward to being back at the Andover branch.

The facility opens to the public Monday morning but you can check it out Friday when they host an open house and give tours.

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