Tornado whips up damage near Ripley

Scrap wood and insulation is all that remains of a vacant mobile home on Kimberly and Jeff Willson’s property near Ripley after a strong F1 tornado touched down Monday. Photo by J. D. Meisner
Scrap wood and insulation is all that remains of a vacant mobile home on Kimberly and Jeff Willson’s property near Ripley after a strong F1 tornado touched down Monday. Photo by J. D. Meisner

What meteorologists are calling a strong F-1 tornado lashed across about a quarter mile of land Wednesday, destroying a pair of mobile homes, three garages and several sheds south of Ripley Monday.

Kimberly Willson said she, her husband and her daughter were in her home, about a half mile south of Ripley on the east side of SH 18, with the TV tuned to a movie. She said she had no idea that storm ch…