Elmdale is being evacuated. Cedar Point and Clements are inaccessible. And public workers in Strong City are filling sandbags to protect city buildings.
That gives a sense of the scope of flooding in Chase County, which went to new levels when water overtopped the Elmdale dike. Chase County Sheriff Richard Dorneker says this is not a dike failure at this point, but the water is now over the top of the dike in two spots.
A voluntary — but strongly-encouraged — evacuation is now underway. People needing to leave can take US Highway 50 to get to St. Anthony Church in Strong City or to Chase County Elementary School if the parish hall is full. So far, no injuries have been reported.
Heavy rainfall, both this week and last, has set the table for significant flooding in Chase County. Kansas Highway 177 remains closed between Cottonwood Falls and the Strong City railroad tracks, and Dorneker says numerous county roads are closed — especially along the Cottonwood River and near US Highway 50.
The situation may not improve until this upcoming weekend. The Cottonwood may crest at 13.6 feet at Cottonwood Falls and almost 36 feet at Plymouth. Both would be among the top three crests in recorded history for those gauges.
