Severe weather warning : Several Evergy customers reported disruptions throughout central Kansas.
On Wednesday night, a severe thunderstorm blew through Salina, causing significant disruptions and left more than 17,000 homes without electricity.
The storm, which featured powerful lighting, torrential rains, loud thunder, and high gusts, hit the city at 9:20 p.m., causing significant tree damage and power disruptions in various neighborhoods.
According to Evergy’s outage map, electricity is expected to be restored about 11 p.m. on July 31. Many residents remain without power.
“There is a lot of debris in the roadways,” Saline County Emergency Management Director Michelle Weis stated. “Motorists will experience intersections without signs or power to street lights, and debris in the roadways.”
Weis cautions drivers to treat an intersection without functional traffic lights as a four-way stop.
The NWS advises folks to stay indoors and avoid downed power lines. Take precautions and avoid flooded regions.
The Saline County Commission has approved a verbal state of disaster emergency declaration.
Weis advises homeowners that if they have tree debris fallen and it is entirely obstructing the street, they should notify the Salina Police Department at (785) 826-7210, and Road and Bridge will dispatch someone to remove it.
Weis also advised that if you have tree limbs or debris that have seriously damaged your roof or property, such as a huge tree limb that has punctured your roof, you should contact the Salina Police Department.
Once Salina Road and Bridge has completed its work of opening all roads, it will begin collecting all minor limbs on sidewalks, smaller tree limbs on street edges, and so on.
To report and view Evergy outages in your area, follow this link.
Please send any storm damage images and/or videos to admin@salinapost.com. Please provide the person’s name and the place where the photo/video was taken.