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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 24, 2008 No. 08-048 TWO DIE, SEVERAL INJURED OVERNIGHT BY TORNADOES IN WESTERN AND CENTRAL KANSAS Two people were killed in Pratt County when tornadoes ripped through the state Friday evening and early Saturday morning. The individuals, a man and woman from Colorado, were found in a car in a field 13 miles east of Pratt. Next of kin are in the process of being notified; therefore, their identities cannot be released yet. Authorities learned of the wreckage late Saturday morning and notified Kansas Division of Emergency Management. Stafford County officials reported five to six injuries with one person being transported to a Wichita hospital for significant injuries, while the other individuals suffered minor injuries. Gove County officials reported one man was injured when his car was picked up and carried across I-70 near Quinter last night. He was transported to the hospital in Quinter. “I am very saddened to hear of the loss of two people in the storms overnight and I will keep their families and friends in my prayers, along with those who were injured,” said Gov. Kathleen Sebelius. “We know many people are trying to assess the total extent of the tornado damage and we will provide whatever resources we can to assist counties that may have exhausted resources locally.” Emergency responders are continuing to search for more potential victims through several counties hit by tornadoes and severe storms overnight including Clark, Comanche, Decatur, Ellis, Gove, Lane, Pratt, Stafford and Trego counties. Kansas Highway Patrol has been using one of its aircraft to assist the counties in searching for victims and assessing damage. The National Weather Service is reporting at least 10 tornadoes touched down in central Kansas, and seven or more in western Kansas. “The state emergency operations center was activated Friday night as storms moved across Kansas and we monitored damage reports and kept communication with counties throughout the storms,” said Maj. Gen. Tod Bunting, Kansas adjutant general and director of Kansas Division of Emergency Management. “We are continuing to work with each county affected and will assist them in whatever way we can.” Structural Damage Significant damage to some homes and outbuildings was reported in each of the impacted counties, as well as power lines down across roadways, semi trucks overturned in some areas, and trees down. In Comanche and Clark County roadways were closed or reduced to one lane due to power lines down and semi trucks overturned. In Comanche County, the town of Protection was hit by a tornado on the east side resulting in damage to several homes and structures. In Clark County, Highway 34 was closed south of Bucklin for a time due to two semi trucks overturning. Highway 283 was down to one lane north of Englewood (Clark County) for a time. And Highway 160 (runs from Clark to Comanche County), west of Protection was closed due to power lines across the road. In Decatur County, homes and outbuildings were damaged including the Decatur County Feed Yard. In Ellis County, at least one home was damaged and several outbuildings were hit. Power was out in the town of Ellis and surrounding rural areas overnight. In Gove County, at least 12 homes have major damage and two tornadoes were reported to have touched down, one southwest of Quinter and the other east of Park. In Lane County, some mobile homes were destroyed, others damaged, but no injuries were reported. A grain bin was damaged. In Pratt County, some homes were destroyed, and other structural damage reported throughout the county, with trees and power lines down. In Stafford County, at least seven homes received major damage and several others have minor damage. In Trego County, at least two homes were destroyed, trees down and power lines down. A semi truck was reported to have overturned. Power Outages Kansas Rural Electric Cooperatives is reporting eleven cooperatives had damage directly related to the storm including power lines and poles down and transmission structures damaged. Hardest his were CMS Electric Cooperative, headquartered in Mead; Midwest Energy, headquartered in Hays; Ninnescah Electric Cooperative, headquartered in Pratt; Sunflower Electric Power Corporation, headquartered in Hays; and Western Cooperative Electric, headquartered in WaKeeney. Shelters A shelter was established overnight in Quinter in Gove County and shelters have also been opened in Decatur County. More severe weather expected during holiday weekend “As more storms are expected to move across the state over the weekend, we ask those traveling to stay tuned to local weather reports for storm information and remind everyone to rely on a weather alert radio rather than outdoor sirens for weather warnings when inside your home or in rural areas,” said Bunting. “If you are traveling in a car and storms are approaching, find a safe place to park and seek shelter quickly in a ditch or low lying area.” Due to heavy rains, several Kansas counties are under flood warnings
today. Drivers should use caution when approaching flooded roadways, and
seek alternative highways due to flood dangers. -30- |
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