Harvey County storm clean up continues

Emergency personnel throughout Harvey County continued to examine damage caused by significant storms that battered the county this past Sunday.

The U.S. National Weather Service, (NWS), Wichita office conducted damage assessments and storm classifications on Monday. Its report concluded that damage in Harvey County was caused by

straight-line winds – evidence did not indicate a tornado. The NWS measured wind gusts that reached 72 mph, and the NWS estimated peak gusts may have exceeded 90 mph.

The cities of Burrton and Halstead declared local states of emergency Monday du e to stormdamages. The Kansas Governor also issued a state disaster declaration. Harvey County made a verbal disaster declaration Sunday night. “It’s been a difficult 24 hours for our residents. They’ve also shown their resilience in this challenging situation,” said Harvey County Commission Chair Becky Reimer. “We’ve had such a tremendous response from our first responders, our local public works employees and our utility teams. I’m extremely proud of their efforts around the clock in response to these storms.”

South Halstead Road between U.S. Highway 50 and Southwest 30th Street was closed Monday afternoon to allow utility workers safety while resetting power lines and poles. There was no timeline for the road to reopen.

The cities of Burrton, Halstead, Hesston and Newton have announced plans for debris clean-up in their communities over the coming days. Harvey County Emergency Management encourages residents to practice safe, smart handling of debris to avoid injury.

No storm-related injuries have been reported to Harvey County Communications through the duration of the severe weather event. However, several buildings were damaged throughout the county.