The town of Wessington Springs is nothing short of a mess after taking a near direct hit from a tornado Wednesday night. The first tornado warnings were issued around six-p-m for the area near Ft Thompson. The storm then tracked along South Dakota Highway 34 where storm chasers reported seeing multiple funnel clouds and tornadoes. A twister of unknown strength plummeted down off the Wessington Hills and directly into the town of 950 just after eight p. Amy Kolousek is one of those residents…
She says the storm had the familiar freight train sound as it passed just blocks from her house…
That’s when Kolousek says she looked outside….
The scene was one of chaos…
Despite the devastation only one person suffered minor injuries. The tornado destroyed at least three businesses, including Springs Auto, which moved into a former gas station after a 2012 fire. Storm chaser video shows a farm near Woonsocket sustaining damage. Governor Dennis Daugaard was in Wessington Springs Wednesday evening to survey damage. Daugaard has activated 100 South Dakota National Guard soldiers to assist in the recovery