“It was quite an evening.”
That was the initial response Reading Mayor Todd Hensley had on KVOE’s Morning Show on Wednesday with the 10-year anniversary of a devastating EF-3 tornado Friday. Hensley was on the Reading City Council at the time of the storm and later became mayor. He says he was on his front porch as the tornado approached and reluctantly went to shelter in the Reading United Methodist Church.
Hensley also wasn’t in the shelter too long before coming out. When he emerged, he saw a vastly different Reading.
The tornado was one of four to hit Lyon and Osage counties that evening and was the worst of the four. It started just north of Emporia State University and tracked to the northeast, eventually swelling to a quarter-mile as it struck the town and expanding to nearly half a mile before it dissipated near Osage City. It damaged or destroyed most of the buildings in town, including the church, fire station, city hall, post office and bank, and killed one person. The population has dipped from around 250 at the time of the tornado to around 200 in 2019 before rebounding slightly last year, based on US Census estimates, but Hensley says residents wanted to make sure the town survived and thrived afterward.
Reading built a new community building and city park. Citizens State Bank launched in late 2011 and Miracle Cafe resumed its operations as well. The town’s post office returned to work in 2015.
Reading has no official plans to mark the 10-year tornado anniversary. It has been working to celebrate its 150th anniversary, but last year’s plans were halted due to the coronavirus pandemic. Hensley says the sesquicentennial plans should be finalized later this year.
Tornado photos from KVOE listeners
{gallery}Reading Tornado-KVOE listeners{/gallery}
Tornado aftermath photos from KVOE listeners
{gallery}Reading Tornado Aftermath-KVOE listeners{/gallery}
Tornado aftermath photos from KVOE News
{gallery}Reading Tornado-KVOE News{/gallery}
