We've got some very local flooding here in Leavenworth, which the city seems to be handling just fine. This update just came in from the Kansas Adjutant General. The Castle is high and dry and at no risk. It would take a biblical flood or a direct hit from a water bomber to flood the Castle.
While the residents of Greensburg , Kan. , continue to dig out from the tornado that leveled the town on May 4, other Kansans are dealing with flooding caused by heavy rains over the weekend.As of mid-day on Tuesday, May 8, 25 counties were under flood warnings. These include Allen, Atchison , Barton, Bourbon, Chase, Chautauqua, Cherokee, Crawford, Doniphan, Elk, Johnson, Labette, Leavenworth , Linn, Miami , Montgomery , Neosho, Reno , Rice, Saline, Sedgwick, Stafford, Wilson , Woodson and Wyandotte Counties .
Several of these counties have already declared a local disaster emergency due to flooding, including Reno County , which issued a disaster declaration this morning. Breaches have occurred in a levee close near south Hutchinson along the Arkansas River . Emergency crews are working on sandbagging the breaches. Authorities are also monitoring the status of a tributary to Stranger Creek in rural Leavenworth County .
Twenty-five counties have declared local disaster emergencies due to flooding. Those include Barton, Clark, Clay, Dickinson , Doniphan, Edwards, Ellsworth, Geary, Harper, Leavenworth , Lincoln , Lyon, Nemaha, Osage, Osborne, Phillips, Pottawatomie, Pratt, Reno , Rice, Riley, Saline, Shawnee , Stafford and Washington Counties .
As of Tuesday morning, May 8, a number of highways and county roads were closed. These include Highways K-7, K-31 and K-65 in Bourbon County ; K-14 in Rice County ; K-87 in Marshall County ; and K-7 in Doniphan County .
The American Red Cross is operating shelters in several communities to assist people displaced by flooding and the Greensburg tornado, but the number of people needing shelter in each is declining or remaining steady. The shelter in Haviland housed 54 people Sunday night and 49 people Monday night. Mullenville sheltered 27 on Sunday and the same number on Monday. Five people were sheltered in Ogden on Monday nights. In Topeka , the ARC Topeka Community Center sheltered two people Monday evening. The ARC is operating an evacuation site at the Odd Fellows Lodge in St. John where storm victims can rest, meet with friends and family and eat lunch. That site will operate from 8:30 a.m. until 3:30 p.m. daily.
Eight people were assisted at a shelter in the Belair Baptist Church in Salina on Sunday and Monday nights.
The Red Cross has served 17,350 meals in Greensburg in addition to 3,930 snacks. The ARC has 12 emergency vehicles in the field. Four are in Greensburg serving hot meals in cooperation with the Salvation Army and four are aid stations where people can receive minor first aid, if needed. Two other vehicles are in Topeka and two in Salina . The ARC also has one communication vehicle at the Haviland shelter and one will be at the service center at Barclay College in Haviland beginning at 9 a.m. on Wednesday, May 9.
The Red Cross also has three emergency response vehicles in Greensburg serving food, plus a communications vehicle at the Haviland shelter to assist people with registering for the ARC “Safe and Well” web site.
The Salvation Army is operating four feeding stations in Greensburg for storm victims and rescue workers. Since Saturday, the Salvation Army has served approximately 4,800 meals to storms victims and rescue workers.
A number of groups and organizations have been organizing clothing drives. However, emergency management officials emphasize that the people of Greensburg and flood victims are better served by monetary donations made through the American Red Cross, Salvation Army or United Way . Clothing and other commodities must be stored until they can be distributed and, particularly in the Greensburg situation, there is no place to store such items.
Donations can be made through the American Red Cross at 785-234-0568 or the Salvation Army by calling 1-800-SAL-ARMY or at www.armykettle.com. The United Way in Kansas has a call center for persons wishing to donate or volunteer. In Kansas , dial 211 or toll-free at 1-888-413-4327. In all cases, please note that the cash contributions should be designated for those affected by the Greensburg tornado or other weather-related disasters in Kansas .
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