SE Wichita family continues to persevere year after surviving tornado

WICHITA, Kan. (KWCH) - Saturday, April 29, marks one year since an EF-3 tornado hit south central Kansas. Andover wasn’t the only community impacted. The tornado also hit portions of southeast Wichita, causing damage to many homes.

That night will be forever remembered by Jamie Seipel and her family.

“It was just a regular night. My phone started buzzing with people asking if I was okay, which was concerning because I’m fine. And then my dad called me,” Seipel said.

Her parents, Jim and Cathy Moore were inside their southeast Wichita home where the tornado first touched down.

“If felt like a gut punch of trying, like I needed to get there as quickly as possible to get to my parents because I had no idea what I was walking into,” Seigel said.

Cathy Moore said April 29, 2022 seemed like a normal night, but in an instant, she wasn’t sure if she was going to make it our of the tornado alive.

“All I could remember is saying, ‘Jim, is that a tornado?’ And that was all I remember until after I woke up in the yard. And then when I woke up in the yard, he was pulling debris off me,” Cathy recalled.

Nearly a year later, Seipel and her family have since moved to a new home. But they say recovery is going well, including Cathy’s physical recovery from serious injuries. She suffered four vertebrae fractures after being thrown onto her lawn with portions of the roof landing on top of her.

After a grueling recovery process, Cathy is smiling and enjoying quality time with her family.

“Well, she stayed for about a month in the rehab hospital and then she started physical therapy, water therapy,” Seipel said. “She has to force herself to get up and do stuff around the house, but it definitely has helped.”

The family said the experience of surviving the tornado has brought them close together and that they will continue to push forward.

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