Topeka – Two Stranded Motorists Assistance Response Teams from the Kansas National Guard are patrolling roads in northwest Kansas, searching for stranded motorists. The four vehicles and 10 personnel were activated overnight due to blizzard conditions, according to a media release from the State Division of Emergency Management

The teams are assisting local law enforcement and emergency personnel in providing assistance to motorists whose vehicles have gotten stuck or slid off roadways. The Kansas National Guard teams are patrolling roads in primarily four counties: Cheyenne, Rawlins, Sherman and Thomas. The highways most affected include:
· US-40 from the Wallace County/Colorado state line to K-25 junction in Logan County.
· K-27 Sharon Springs (Wallace County) to the Greeley County line.
· K-25 from the Logan County/Wichita County line to the Nebraska state line.
· US-36 from Bird City (Cheyenne County) to the Rawlins County state line.
· K-117 from the K-117/US-36 junction in Rawlins County to the Nebraska state line.

 
Kansas Governor Sam Brownback issued a state declaration of emergency for the areas affected by the storm.
“We are taking the steps necessary to meet the immediate needs, safety and well-being of those impacted by this storm,” said Brownback. “We urge everyone to use good judgement and stay off the roads, if possible, until conditions improve.”
Emergency response efforts are being coordinated among state and local agencies, including Kansas Division of Emergency Management, KDOT, KHP and county emergency managers and local law enforcement.