Residents were left cleaning up damage and some still dealing with power outages Thursday morning after reported 80 mph wind hit Kansas and Missouri overnight.
Story updated at 3:15 p.m. Thursday
Director of Public Works Branden Boyd said Thursday afternoon that the city has all the power back on, but some services are still out. He said they have around a dozen service lines with trees on them. He said they hope to get those issues resolved by 5 p.m. The city has outside crews from KMEA and Osawatomie helping out.
Boyd said if residents have services out they should reach out to the city, but said Public Works should be able to tell what residents are still experiencing issues.
Throughout the night, crews got at least one lane of roads cleared and are now going back and clearing the rest of those streets, he said.
The city said Thursday afternoon that residents should remove as much brush as possible from their property. Public Works will then do its best to remove what is left at the curb.
The city announced extended dates and times for the brush dump site at 515 W. Seventh St.: 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. today (Thursday), 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Friday and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday.
City staff will be on site, which is open to current Eudora residents. A driver’s license or other ID will be required for entry. Materials that can be dropped off include trees, brush, wood chips from tree grinding and tree stumps under 18 inches in diameter.
Evergy reported 117,000 customers were impacted by the storms, with about 70% having power restored this morning.
Evergy said it has 1,100 personnel working to clear trees and repair power Thursday morning with additional help expected.
Assistant Fire Chief Chris Hull said crews were out until the early morning with a record number of calls. Most calls were regarding power lines but required crews to clean trees from roads to get around the city, he said.
There were no injuries related to the weather, although Hull said there were some medical incidents somewhat related to the storm.
Hull said after paperwork is complete, he will have a more solid estimate on call totals, but said it was a record number in a period of time.
Hull said crews were triaging power lines and coordinating with the electric company to get them fixed. Public Works is the primary agency responsible for getting roads clear, but the fire department stepped in as they had a lot of work to do, Hull said.
Hull said there was a second wave of calls regarding arcing lines around 5 a.m. when power started to come back on.
Hull said 911 was overloaded during the night, and asked that residents only call 911 if there is a life-threatening emergency. If people are looking for assistance with a public works issue or needing a street cleared, he recommended calling City Hall.
Barbwire Barbecue was hit with storm damage and was cleaning up its patio Thursday morning. The restaurant will be open for business while doing cleanup.
Assistant City Manager Zack Daniel said Thursday morning that Public Works was out until 2 a.m. doing cleanup.
Gene’s Heartland Foods’ power is back on and the store is open. Manager Lance Handley said when he arrived at the store at 5:30 a.m. freezers were working properly and there was no food spoilage.
Stacie Blubaugh of Main Street Scoops and Sweets also said they would be open today and did not have issues.
Grant High said power is on at Kaw Valley State Bank and they are open.
The following closures and cancellations have been reported thus far:
The library is closed Thursday morning and unsure when it may open. It had limited power with no internet or air conditioning.
Zeb’s is closed Thursday.
High school band camp is canceled Thursday.
If anybody needs help, the school district has offered to provide what it can. Contact [email protected]. The school district reported its buildings were fine.
At 11 p.m. Wednesday, the police department reported police officers, firefighters and Public Works employees were out dealing with downed power lines and trees across the city since much of the city was without power.
This is a developing story. Check back throughout the day for updates.
