BARTON COUNTY -Tuesday’s Barton County tornado started near Pawnee Rock and traveled approximately 12 miles northeast near Kansas Highway 4, to the west of Hoisington.
At 8:03 p.m., the tornado warning sirens in Pawnee Rock sounded. The tornado made its way through the town at 8:16 p.m. The sirens were called in by the Barton County Sheriff’s Office, giving residents 13 minutes of warnings in addition to the National Weather Service cautions.
Barton County Clerk and Public Information Officer Donna Zimmerman mentioned at Wednesday morning’s press conference at the Barton County Courthouse that preliminary damage assessments show two destroyed homes and seven heavily damaged in Pawnee Rock, and seven more houses destroyed in rural Barton County and two more heavily damaged.
Zimmerman says the Kansas Department of Health and Environment is helping residents with methods to remove the debris.
Officials were able to restore electricity, water, and sewer in Pawnee Rock has been early Wednesday morning and crews are hopeful gas can be functioning by Wednesday night.
A high-pressured gas line that feeds the City of Pawnee Rock was ruptured during the storm.
Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir said the tornado was not the classic “wedged shape” and was more of a loose tornado roughly 400 to 500 feet wide. Barton County Emergency Management Director Amy Miller says at this time the county has enough resources that they are not asking for state assistance.
Miller says there is a concern about the number of power lines down throughout the county and getting things evaluated and managed before the expected severe storms roll through the area again Thursday.
If any resident needs assistance or needs to request a service, they should call the Barton County Clerk’s Office at 620-793-1835.
Farmers that received damage as a result of this event are asked to call the USDA Farm Service Agency at 620-792-5329.
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BARTON COUNTY- Tuesday’s storm brought heavy rain, large hail, high winds, funnel clouds and tornadoes.
In addition to the tornadoes reported in Clark and Ford Counties, National Weather Service officials reported multiple tornadoes in southwest Barton County. The storm damaged over a dozen homes and the elementary school in Pawnee Rock.
The storm also damaged a gas line on the west side of town and power lines were reported down in numerous areas, according to Amy Miller, Barton County Emergency Manager.
Emergency crews worked to evacuate the area and set up a shelter.
At 8:24 p.m., Barton County Commission Chair Jennifer Schartz issued a disaster declaration. The work to assess damage and begin cleaning up is already underway. There are no reports of serious injury.
LARGE FUNNEL CLOUD located north of Bucklin, Kansas. 6:37pm CDT @NWSDodgeCity pic.twitter.com/oNBAOnDOAX
— Harrison Sincavage (@HRRRison) May 16, 2017
In addition to the tornado in Barton County, high winds are blamed for damage in Phillips County.
The National Weather Service reported penny to softball size hail from Seward County in southwest Kansas to many areas in northwest and north central Kansas.