WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) — Kansas Governor Laura Kelly issued a verbal state of disaster emergency proclamation at 8:02 a.m. Monday due to severe weather that impacted the state during the day on Sunday and overnight into Monday.
The governor’s office says the declaration activates the Kansas Response Plan and the ability to expedite state agency assistance to communities in need. The Kansas Division of Emergency Management is coordinating requests for support from impacted counties.
According to Kaley Bohlen, the Communications Manager for Evergy, at the peak of the severe weather event, 106,000 Evergy customers across Kansas were impacted . By Monday morning, 85% of the power was restored to those customers. As of 4:30 p.m., over 16,000 customers are still without service.
Power out to over 3,400 customers in Reno County “If it’s not safe for you to stay home, I suggest going somewhere that does have power, and that is safe for you, community shelters or things like that or family members’ homes, keeping your cellphones charged as much as possible, if you are a medical customer, just keeping in contact with us, being careful around downed powerlines. Assume that they’re all live if you’re out picking up tree limbs or debris. If they’re in contact with powerlines, stay away from them,” said Bohlen.
Harvey County
The cities of Burrton and Halstead declared local states of emergency as well on Monday.
According to Harvey County Emergency Management, the U.S. National Weather Service – Wichita office concluded its damage assessment. Results indicate that damage in the county was caused by straight-line winds. Evidence did not indicate a tornado.
The NWS measured wind gusts that reached 72 mph, but they estimate that peak gusts may have exceeded 90 mph.
No storm-related injuries were reported.
Reno County
Reno County Commission Chairman Randy Parks also issued a verbal disaster declaration for Reno County at 4 p.m. on Monday.
“High winds affected a large portion of Reno County however the most impacted areas were the City of Haven and the City of Hutchinson. Many residents are still without power. There are several roadways closed, electrical lines down, and broken tree limbs scattered all over the county. Crews have been working as quickly as possible to clean up debris to open roadways,” read a news release from Reno County.
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