Storm activity Saturday night into early Sunday may well have a significant impact on school operations leading into the start of the upcoming school year at Madison Junior-Senior High School.
USD 386 Superintendent Tammy Baird says high winds peeled about half the school’s main gymnasium roof upward, separating it from a previously-built roof and the rest of the building “like opening a sardine can.” The initial overnight concern, however, was actually a gas leak in the gym created by the storm activity. School staffers called Kansas Gas to shut the gas service off. A secondary evaluation is expected Monday.
Besides the actual roof damage, which Baird says is significant, insulation was pulled from the roof and several tree limbs were downed.
Baird does not expect the roof will be fixed by the time new teachers report Thursday or when classes begin Aug. 16. Much of the path forward will be laid out once the district connects with its insurance adjustor, but the hope is to reestablish air conditioning service and to use the secondary gym while work takes place on the main gym’s roof. The other main goal is to start classes on schedule.
Confirmed or estimated wind speeds for Madison have not been announced. Wind gusts were anywhere from 60-72 mph and immediately around Eureka and above 60 mph at Matfield Green early Sunday.
Click here for a YouTube Short video from Madison High.
Noon Sunday: Notable damage to Madison High roof after Saturday night storms
A repair timetable is pending after Madison High School had notable roof damage during storms Saturday night into early Sunday.
Photos sent to KVOE News indicate the west side of the roof separated from the rest of the building, with a lot of insulation thrown into the parking lot nearby. Additional information will be released by the school district.
Meanwhile, the storms that damaged Madison High also caused around 3,000 outages for Evergy customers just in Greenwood County. Spokesperson Courtney Lewis says crews dealt with several kinds of damage.
As of 12:30 pm Sunday, Evergy has less than 60 customers offline in Coffey and Greenwood counties, with most of those outages essentially along Kansas Highway 58 from Madison east to Gridley. The rest are scattered near Eureka, Hamilton and Virgil. Lewis anticipates all remaining outages should be restored by Sunday night.
Other severe weather reports from Saturday night:
*Eureka: 60-72 mph wind gusts
*Matfield Green: 63 mph wind gusts
*New Strawn: Tree branches up to 8 inches in diameter downed
Rain totals have generally been between 0.40 inches to an inch areawide:
*KVOE studios: 0.40 inches
*Emporia Municipal Airport: 0.57 inches
*10th and Weaver: 0.55 inches
*1100 block Constitution: 0.55 inches
*Willow Lane: 0.40 inches
*Eureka Millikin Airport: 0.04 inches
*Neosho Rapids: 0.60 inches
*1 mile north of Saffordville: 0.90 inches
After two weeks of oppressive heat and humidity, more pleasant conditions are in the forecast through Thursday with highs in the mid- to upper 80s. Storms are possible Tuesday night into Wednesday night and again Friday night into the upcoming weekend.
If you have rain totals, storm reports or storm-related photos from the activity this weekend, message the Bluestem Farm and Ranch text line at 620-342-5863.
