Tornado touches down in Kansas town, causing significant damage, officials say

ANDOVER, Kansas — A tornado touched down late Friday near Andover, Kansas, causing significant damage, according to officials.

"We do know that several homes and cars were damaged," city administrator Jennifer McCausland told CNN in phone interview. "The biggest struggle right now is to get the roads clear."

She said the tornado caused significant damage to a YMCA community center.

Employees and customers at Braum's Ice Cream & Dairy Store hid in the bathroom as the tornado passed nearby, which cut their power.

"We could see it right across from our business," said Sierra Dobbie, a store manager. "It was pretty scary. I work with a bunch of kids, and I needed to get them to a safe spot."

Andover is city in Butler County, located about 14 miles east of Wichita.

As of 9 p.m. MT, there were more than 20,000 homes and businesses in the dark across Kansas without power, according to PowerOutage.us.

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