90-mph wind blacks out county towns
Staff writer
Wind gusts reaching 90 mph battered northern Marion County on Monday night, tearing the roof from a Tampa fertilizer facility, damaging structures, downing trees and power lines, and leaving entire communities without electricity as emergency crews worked through the night to clear roads and restore service.
The hardest-hit areas appeared to be Durham, Tampa, Lost Springs, and Lincolnville, emergency management director Marcy Hostetler said, although damage was reported elsewhere in the county.
Agri Trails’ fertilizer plant at Tampa lost its roof. Three structures north of K-150 between Yarrow Rd. and Zebulon Rd. also were damaged, Hostetler said.
“There was an actual 90-mile-an-hour wind recorded from Lincolnville on a kestrel, which is a wind device,” Hostetler said. “That’s a legit wind speed.”
National Weather Service crews surveyed damage Tuesday and will review damage reports, radar data, and field observations before determining how the storm will be classified.
Hostetler spent Tuesday inspecting damage across the county. She reported widespread tree damage, ranging from small limbs to mature trees that had fallen onto homes. Utility poles were leaning, power lines were broken or snapped, a stop sign was blown away, and two railroad signs were pushed over by the wind.
Low-water crossings also remained flooded Tuesday, although Hostetler said they were roads that routinely flooded after heavy rain.
Road and bridge crews, city workers, firefighters, sheriff’s officers, and emergency management personnel worked into the early morning hours clearing roads and assessing damage. Hostetler said all 12 county fire departments were active on the radio system during the storm.
“That’s what is so great about Marion County,” Hostetler said. “You need help, just tell one person, and before you know it, there’s 10 people helping.”
She recalled one instance in which residents quickly mobilized after learning a tree had crashed through a home’s bedroom that night.
The storm left northern communities without power during Tuesday’s heat advisory. Evergy initially reported that 126 Lincolnville customers remained without power Tuesday afternoon but later said service was restored.
Power also was restored in Lost Springs by Tuesday evening. However, crews still were repairing secondary lines damaged by falling trees, assistant fire chief Brett Hajek said.
Power in Lost Springs went out about 10:30 p.m. Monday, Hajek said. Residents who needed air conditioning, running water, or restroom facilities were directed to Lincolnville, where a generator had been connected to the community building, which was prepared for use as a cooling center.
Hostetler said all Flint Hills Rural Electric Cooperative customers had power restored Tuesday while some Evergy customers remained without service into the evening.
Lost Springs suffered extensive tree damage but avoided serious injuries.
“We can clean the trees up and we’ll go again,” Hajek said.
Hostetler said Marion County had informally declared a disaster and planned to follow up with a written declaration at Monday’s meeting of county commissioners.
She encouraged residents with storm damage to report it to dispatchers or emergency management so damage could be documented for the National Weather Service and state emergency management officials.
As crews continued cleanup Tuesday, the county also prepared for another potential round of severe weather.
Resources were pre-positioned, the Kansas Division of Emergency Management was notified, the Red Cross was on standby, and neighboring agencies offered assistance if needed, Hostetler said.
Forecasters were calling for another chance of strong thunderstorms into the day today, bringing the potential for damaging winds, hail, and heavy rainfall.