UPDATE 8:25 AM: Kansas Governor Sam Brownback declared a State of Disaster Emergency Tuesday night for Wabaunsee County.
An apparent tornado struck the City of Harveyville just after 9 p-m. One person has been critically hurt, and several minor injuries were reported. A number of homes were damaged along with a church, and there are numerous reports of trees down and power lines down throughout the area.
The governor’s declaration activates the disaster response and recovery portions of the Kansas Response Plan, authorizing state resources to expedite emergency assistance statewide, as necessary.
Wabaunsee County Emergency Management advised the Kansas Division of Emergency Management (KDEM) that four individuals had been trapped in a structure for a time. Law enforcement officials confirm everyone has been accounted for in the area.
Wabaunsee requested through KDEM a search and rescue team and an Incident Management Team from Northeast Kansas deploy to Harveyville to assist with the response. The American Red Cross has been notified to assist. A shelter has been established at the high school in Harveyville.
Wabaunsee County requested mutual aid assistance from Pottawatomie County; American Medical Response is the ambulance service and has requested additional resources from AMR in Topeka.
The Kansas Division of Emergency Management will continue to staff the State Emergency Operation Center in Topeka to monitor the situation and manage requests for additional state resources.
UPDATE 5:35 AM: Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback declared a state of emergency late Tuesday after an apparent tornado struck Harveyville, part of a powerful storm system that pounded the state’s midsection.
The declaration covers Wabaunsee County, southwest of Topeka. A news release from the governor’s office said one person was critically injured and “a number of homes” and a church were damaged, and trees and power lines were down.
UPDATE 10:45PM Tuesday: The National Weather Service says a possible tornado has caused significant damage in Harveyville, KS, 40 miles south of Topeka.
Search and rescue efforts are reportedly underway. At least two people have been reported as seriously injured.
The National Weather Service says the storm struck shortly after 9PM.
Powerful storms pounded parts of central Kansas as a tornado watch stretched across the state’s midsection from Nebraska to the Oklahoma line.
The National Weather Service reported brief tornado touchdowns southwest of the Hutchinson area before 7 p.m. Tuesday, although there were no immediate reports of any damage.
Tornado warnings were posted earlier in the evening for a handful of north-central counties, but there no reports of funnel clouds.
Law enforcement in Republic County reported some power lines down in the city of Belleville, just south of the Nebraska line, shortly after 6 p.m.
• 40 MPH Wind Gust In Salina
• Golf ball sized hail reported in Hutchinson
ORIGINAL: The National Weather Service Storm Prediction Center in Norman, OK has issued a Tornado Watch For Saline County until 11PM.
Other counties included in the Tornado Watch: Barton, Butler, Chase, Cowley, Ellsworth, Harper, Harvey, McPherson, Reno, Rice, Russell, Sedwick and Sumner.