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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Dec. 12, 2007
No. 07-189
KANSANS LEAVING HOME FOR SHELTERS SHOULD
TAKE PRECAUTIONS;
GUARD DELIVERING MORE GENERATORS
Power outages are impacting approximately 124,000 customers throughout
the state this afternoon.
Kansas Rural Electric Cooperatives is reporting 50,000 customers out
of service. Westar is reporting approximately 72,000 customers out of
service, Kansas City Power and Light has approximately 1,500 with no power
and BPU has 800 without power.
The National Weather Service predicts temperatures will drop very low
in some areas overnight making it difficult for those Kansans without
power. Anyone without power should consider going to a local shelter for
food, water and relief from the cold. An updated list of shelters is included
at the bottom of the news release.*
Before Leaving Your Home:
If you are planning to leave home and go to a local shelter, take specific
precautions to protect yourself and your home.
- Secure your home. Close and lock doors and windows. Unplug appliances.
- If a hard freeze is likely during your absence, take actions needed
to prevent damage to water pipes by freezing weather, such as:
Turn off water main
- Drain faucets
- Turn off inside valves for external faucets and open the outside
faucets to drain
- Let others know where you are going.
- Put blankets, bottled water, non-perishable foods in your car in case
you become stranded or in case the shelter loses power for a time.
- Stay away from downed power lines as you walk or drive.
Staying in Your Home Without Power
- When using an alternate heat source, such as a fireplace, wood stove,
or a space heater, practice fire safeguards and properly ventilate.
- If you do not have heat inside, close off unneeded rooms, stuff towels
or rags in cracks under doors, and cover the windows at night.
- Eat and drink. Food provides the body with energy for producing its
own heat. Keep the body replenished with fluids to prevent dehydration.
- Wear layers of loose-fitting, lightweight, warm clothing.
- Remove layers to avoid overheating, perspiration, and subsequent chill.
The Kansas National Guard Delivers Generators to Keep Power Going
The Kansas National Guard has responded to numerous requests for generators.
Members of the Guard's190th Air Refueling Wing in Topeka delivered generators,
cots and blankets to Jackson County to the Holton Family Health Care Clinic
which is serving as a shelter. They also delivered cots to Holton Senior
Center.
The Guard also delivered a generator to Doniphan County to the city of
Highland to restore power to the water supply, a generator to Brown County
for an emergency shelter, cots to a shelter in Columbus in Cherokee County
and a generator to restore power to sewer treatment systems in Columbus.
The 184th Intelligence Wing in Wichita supplied generators to four locations
including two nursing homes without power in Seneca in Nemaha County:
Crestview Manor Nursing Home at 808 N. 8th Street and one to Life Care
Center of Seneca at 512 Community Drive. The 184th transported two generators
in southeast Kansas to reestablish power to sewer and water treatment
systems. One generator was set up in Chetopa to restore power to the sewer
lift station. Another generator was set up in Baxter Springs in Cherokee
County at the Rural Water District # 3 to restore power to the water treatment
plant.
The Kansas National Guard’s 891st Engineering Battalion helped Labette
County with clearing debris from roadways. Debris as well as downed power
lines have prevented some emergency responders from traveling on certain
Kansas highways.
In addition, the Kansas National Guard opened two of its armories as
shelters today: the Horton Armory in Brown County, and the Russell Armory
in Russell County.
*Open Shelters (As Reported to State Emergency Operations Center):
- Atchison County: First Baptist Church, Atchison
- Brown County: Kansas National Guard Armory, Horton; Horton City Hall,
Horton; Everest Community Center, Everest; Morrill Community Building,
Morrill
- Cherokee County: First United Methodist Church, Columbus; Columbus
Community Center, Columbus; Galena Community Center, Galena
- Clay County: Methodist Church on Highway 82, Wakefield
- Coffey County: Baptist Church, 420 N. Maple, Lebo; Sunset Manor Nursing
Home, Waverly; Waverly Fire Station
- Crawford County: Pittsburg
- Dickinson County: Herington Community Building, Herington; Sterl Hall,
619 N Rogers, Abilene
- Edwards County: Edwards County Health Department, Kinsley
- Ellsworth County: Friendship Center, 125 N. Main, Holyrood; Wilson
Elementary
- Jackson County: Senior Citizens Center, Holton; Omega Family Clinic,
Holton; Prairie Band Pottawatomie Casino Hotel
- Labette County: Masonic Lodge, Chetopa
- Leavenworth County: Fire Station # 1, Leavenworth; Leavenworth County
Community Center
- Lincoln County: Lincoln Elementary School, Lincoln
- Ottawa County: Minneapolis
- Pawnee County: Larned Community Center, Larned
- Pratt County: Red Cross Office – 114 N. Main
- McPherson County: McPherson American Red Cross 1023 S. Main, McPherson;
Soderstrom Elementary School, 227 N. Washington, Lindsborg
- Reno County: Trinity United Methodist Church, Hutchinson; Turon Community
Building, Turon
- Rice County: Celebration Center, Lyons
- Riley County: Pottorf Hall at CICO Park, Manhattan
- Russell County: Kansas National Guard Armory, Russell; Bunker Hill
Fire Department; Smoky Hill Public Television
- Saline County: Webster Conference Center, Salina; Salina Central High
School, Salina
- Shawnee County: Expo Center, 17th and Topeka Boulevard, Topeka
- Stafford County: First Christian Church, Stafford
- Wabaunsee County: County Courthouse, Alma
- Washington County: Baptist Church, Hanover; City Hall, Morrowville;
City Hall, Haddam
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