At long last, power has returned to Eureka.
Westar Energy crews fully restored power to Eureka and other Greenwood County locations after Tuesday night’s tornado. Spokesperson Gina Penzig says company officials immediately started directing crews to Eureka as the damage to the electric grid became clear Tuesday night.
The power may be on, but food left in refrigerators may have to go out the door. Greenwood County Emergency Management has provided information about what foods can be kept and what has to be thrown out. Meats, poultry, seafood, soft or shredded cheeses, milk or dairy products, opened baby formula, eggs, dough or cooked pasta and cooked or cut produce all has to be thrown out immediately.
Donations have poured in, so much so that food and water are well in abundance and the community primarily needs monetary donations to help with demolition of damaged homes. On KVOE’s 8:05 am newscast Friday, Emporia Community Foundation Director Becky Jeppesen highlighted the Growing Greenwood Relief Fund, which has been in place since the 2016 tornado. She says organizers made a recent change that was designed to benefit the county in upcoming disasters — not realizing the next one would take place as soon as it did after that decision.
Jeppesen credited Dirty Kanza officials for spreading the word after Eureka was a checkpoint for the event four weeks ago. You can either donate online on www.emporiacf.org under the Affiliates page or by mailing checks to the Emporia Community Foundation, 527 Commercial Suite B in Emporia.
All told, 167 homes sustained damage, 19 were destroyed and 32 sustained major damage. At least 20 commercial buildings were destroyed and eight others were damaged. Volunteers also served 1,335 meals Thursday and 1,600 meals Friday to the community. Eight people were injured in Tuesday’s twister. No updates have been provided on their conditions.
KVOE News coverage of the June 26, 2018 Eureka tornado
*Click here for Friday’s update on debris clearing efforts and food/water donations
*Click here for Thursday’s update on the number of damaged structures, the ongoing help of Emporia and Lyon County government agencies and the upcoming implementation of the MARC
*Click here for information on Wednesday’s tour by Gov. Jeff Colyer and the National Weather Service’s preliminary rating
*Click here for Wednesday’s damage assessment by Eureka and Greenwood County officials
*Click here for Wednesday’s story on how to help the recovery effort
*Click here for Wednesday’s initial story and photos about the Eureka tornado
