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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Dec. 10, 2007 No. 07-182
KANSAS NATIONAL GUARD DELIVERING GENERATORS TO SE KANSAS
COUNTIES HIT BY ICE STORM; Icy conditions in southeast Kansas have left more than 21,000 people without power in a three-county area and resulted in loss of power to three sewer treatment systems. More than 5,000 customers are without power in Crawford County, 15,000 in Cherokee and at least 1,300 in the city of Chetopa as a result of icing that began Sunday, Dec. 9. At the request of the Cherokee and Labette counties, members of the Kansas National Guard’s 184th Air Refueling Wing in Wichita are transporting two generators to Baxter Sprints in Cherokee County, and one generator to Chetopa in Labette County to restore power to the sewer lift stations. The generators will be operational Tuesday. Westar Energy is reporting approximately 4,300 customers are without power in 15 additional Kansas counties with nearly a thousand customers awaiting restoration of power in each of the following counties: Geary, Lyon, Reno, and Saline. Weather forecasters are predicting significant icing will occur throughout the state through Wednesday, Dec. 12. National Weather Service is forecasting ice accumulations between a quarter inch to two inches across the state. The Kansas Division of Emergency Management urges all Kansans to be ready for this storm by having a home emergency kit, including food, water, medications, extra clothing, flashlights and batteries, a battery-operated NOAA weather radio and other necessities. Road travel is discouraged during storm situations, but if you must travel, make sure your vehicle’s fuel tank is full. By calling 5-1-1 from anywhere in Kansas – or 1-866-511-KDOT (5368) from anywhere in the U.S. – travelers can hear up-to-date, route-specific road conditions, construction detours and travel weather information for any Interstate, U.S. and Kansas state highways, including Kansas Turnpike routes. Travelers also can get road condition information by visiting http://511.ksdot.org or through KDOT’s main Web site www.ksdot.org. While the 511 maps may not be available to all users, an extensive listing of state routes is available in text. Road conditions are also available on handheld, mobile devices, such as Blackberry or Smartphone, at http://511mm.ksdot.org. Additional information for preparing for winter weather is available through your county emergency management office or at the following websites:
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