© APBrandon Ivey and Sean Casey, who appear in the Discovery Channel series Storm Chasers, captured the footage in eastern Smith County before the tornado ripped instruments from the top of the vehicle
Brandon Ivey and Sean Casey, who appear in the Discovery Channel series Storm Chasers, captured the footage in eastern Smith County before the tornado ripped instruments from the top of the vehicle.
The two said one of TIV2's doors and the top hatch were blown open by the storm but the vehicle stayed on the ground.
According to Ivey, winds whipped the vehicle at speeds of up to 150 to 175 miles per hour.
The TIV2 is a modified Dodge Ram 3500 platform, giving it six wheel drive capability. Four hydraulic drop down skirts block wind and debris from getting underneath the vehicle and flipping it over.
The vehicle also has a self-leveling suspension system and weighs more than 14,000 pounds.
It can travel up to 100 miles per hour.
Preliminary reports indicated two homes were destroyed northwest of Smith Center but no injuries were reported.
The most significant tornado damage was reported in and around the town of Marysville, where a tornado touched down about 9:50pm, said Bill Schwindamann, Marshall County emergency management director.
A John Deere dealership and a lumber yard and truss company just west of Marysville were completely destroyed and 20 to 25 homes were damaged, including some that were flattened, he said.
Some livestock were missing and power lines were down on Tuesday morning around the town, which is about 150 miles northwest of Kansas City near the Nebraska border.
Another tornado in Jewell County caused significant damage to one home near Esbon but no injuries, said meteorologist Ryan Pfannkuch in the National Weather Service office in Hastings, Nebraska.
Tornadoes also touched down in Clay county.
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