By CRISTINA JANNEY
Hays Post
Hill City in Graham County reported major damage today after a storm dumped more than 6 inches of rain over the area.
Bush Creek and the Solomon River swelled last night moving buildings, trailer homes and propane tanks off their foundations. One double-wide trailer was moved 100 feet by the water and vehicles were washed as far as a quarter mile downstream, Graham County Sheriff Cole Presley said.
All of the families who lived along the river have been displaced, Presley said, but he did not know how many people were affected.
Complete damage assessments have yet to be made, but he said damage was already easily over $1 million.
He urged people to stay out of the Hill City area as residents try to clean up after the flood.
Several major road closures in the county have been reported, including:
• Graham County Road C at 283 west
• Highway 24 east from Hill City is closed to all but local traffic
• Kansas Highway 18 is closed to all but local traffic from Damar to Bogue
Presley urged residents to watch the sheriff’s Facebook page for further storm reports and road closures.
He expressed concerns about additional rain forecast for today. Although the National Weather Service is forecasting today’s storms to be fast-moving, Presley said even another inch of rain could cause further damage and flooding. He said the county still considers itself in an emergency mood.
He said this is the most flooding the area has seen in 50 years.
The Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks had to come to the aid of a group of boaters Monday night at Cedar Bluff during the storm in Trego County.
A group of boaters were in the water when the storm hit and were unable to get back to their boat without assistance, Kathleen Fabrizius, Trego County Emergency Management director, said.
“Thanks to Wildlife and Parks staff and game wardens they were able to get a boat out there. There were people outside of the boat who could not get back to the boat, and there were no lives lost thanks to a lot of heroic efforts on the part of Wildlife and Parks,” she said.
No one has been reported injured as a result of the storm in that county either.
Fabrizius reported the wind had caused roof and tree damage and one storefront was damaged in WaKeeney. Four semis also were blown over on Interstate 70 a mile west of WaKeeney. She said as of this morning, she believed the semi’s had been cleared from the roadway.
Residents reported water in basements after the storm Monday dumped more than six inches of rain in Trego, Gove and Graham counties, but no roads were closed as of Tuesday morning in Trego County.
Fabrizius said she was extremely concerned about a forecast for further rain and severe thunderstorms tonight in the area. Because the ground is saturated, further rain could cause more flooding.
She urged drivers to not cross roads that are covered with water. They may not know how deep the water is or if there is a passable roadway underneath the water. She also suggested residents pay attention to weather reports today through media or a weather radio.
“Be careful and stay safe,” she said.
Mike Haase, director of Emergency Management in Logan and Gove County, said despite rainfall totals as much as 10 inches in the area, the county has not reported any major damage as of this morning. Water approached several houses and water was out of the banks of several creeks, but the area did not receive the wind damage that other counties received.
No injuries were reported.
Haase urged residents with non-emergency concerns to call the administrative line at 785-938-2250 so that emergency lines could be kept clear.
Logan and Gove counties were not reporting any road closures as of this morning.
Darin Myers, Ellis County Emergency Management director, reported no damage in Ellis County due to the storm.
The 2800 and 2900 block of 130th Ave., Ellis Road, Saline River Road as well as 130th and 140th on Wiles Road are closed today due to high water flooding of the Saline River.
Emergency officials were considering closing some roads in Ellis last night, but water levels went down before that was necessary.
Myers said this morning he did not think more rain today would be an issue in the county as levels in waterways have already started to lower and likely will wash through before the next major rain is expected.
However, Myers also urged drivers to not pass through flooded roadways.