River-based flooding continues to impact much of the KVOE listening area after heavy rainfall Tuesday.
Emporia Fire was called to a water rescue on Road C north of US Highway 50 on Wednesday morning. Firefighters were able to walk the driver of a vehicle to safety after using a drone to fly the person. EFD Training Officer Matt Luder says this was the first time the department had used the new drone equipment in the field and the operation went smoothly.
Later, Chase County officials and firefighters from several departments handled two water rescues south of downtown Strong City. Chase County Sheriff Jacob Welsh says rescue workers were checking on one resident when another from a block away requested a rescue. Both were taken to safety in separate boats.
The water rescues, along with another rescue south of Emporia on Tuesday, are one of several indicators of the scope of this round of flooding. Another? The closures of several highways:
*Kansas Highway 99 reopened north of Emporia on Wednesday morning, only to close south of town a few hours later as the Cottonwood River went above 25 feet. The Kansas Turnpike opened its floodgates at mile marker 122 shortly before K-99 closed south of Emporia. Detour information can be found below.
*Kansas Highway 177 closed between Cottonwood Falls and Strong City around noon Wednesday as the Cottonwood went above 12.2 feet.
*Near the KVOE listening area, Kansas Highway 68 between US Highway 75 and the Osage-Franklin county line with the Marais des Cygnes River going 11 feet above its 17-foot flood stage as of Wednesday morning.
Numerous river-based flood warnings remain in effect Wednesday evening. Click here for the list.
Speaking of water, the US Army Corps of Engineers has varying release volumes for the lakes it manages across the KVOE listening area. John Redmond Reservoir is now releasing almost 5,000 cubic feet per second, while Melvern Lake is releasing 20 cubic feet and Council Grove Reservoir and Fall River State Lake are releasing less than 10 cfs.
Access to at least two area towns is limited at best. Saffordville remains underwater, according to Welsh, while south access to Plymouth is blocked with Roads B-2 and B-5 closed because of flooding.
The latest road closures can be found below.
4 pm Wednesday: K-99 reopens north of Emporia but closes south of town
Regular access to significant parts of the KVOE listening area is on hold, thanks to extremely heavy rainfall and resulting flooding.
Kansas Highway 99 has reopened north of Emporia, but it is now closed south of town to Road 130 after anywhere from 2-7 inches of rain areawide. In a corresponding move that actually happened earlier in the day, the Kansas Turnpike Authority has opened its floodgates at mile marker 122 and near Lyon County Road 140. Drivers exiting the Turnpike are told to use Road 140 to Road F and then drive south to Road 110 before driving east to K-99. Highway 99 drivers, meanwhile, are told to go to Road 130, drive west to H, north to 140 and east to the Turnpike.
Kansas Turnpike Authority map.
Meanwhile, Saffordville remains underwater and flooding is starting to affect operations in Cottonwood Falls and Strong City. Chase County Sheriff Jacob Welsh says Kansas Highway 177 is now closed between Cottonwood Falls and Strong City with the Cottonwood River above 12.2 feet, while the northbound Kansas Highway 177 bypass west of Strong City is now closed so water can get pumped out of the west side of Strong City. Welsh says people need to have a plan in case floodwaters are an issue and be prepared to take action as needed. Welsh also urges residents not to call 9-1-1 as an information source on whether roads are opened or closed.
In addition, Emporia Fire is handling its second water rescue in as many days. Wednesday’s rescue began developing shortly after 9:45 am on Road C about 100 yards north of US Highway 50. One person was taken to safety after a rescue near Roads 140 and H on Tuesday afternoon.
Storms this week have also affected the local community calendar. The Jones Aquatic Center is closed until further notice after a lightning strike Tuesday damaged a pump. The replacement part has been ordered. Also, the Emporia Municipal Band has two location options for Thursday’s weekly concert — Peter Pan Park if it’s dry and Albert Taylor Hall if it’s raining.
*Click here for KVOE’s schedule adjustment page.
Find more information below.
Midnight-10 am Wednesday: K-99 remains closed north of Emporia, Soden’s Grove Park now listed as closed, Saffordville underwater
Many parts of the KVOE listening area are underwater after waves of heavy rain Tuesday.
The heavy rainfall was due to several reasons, according to National Weather Service meteorologist Kyle Poage.
There is additional rainfall returning to the forecast Thursday night and continuing off-and-on through Sunday night, but Poage says it shouldn’t be as heavy.
Chase County has confirmed Saffordville is underwater. Sheriff Jacob Welsh says people need to have a plan in case floodwaters are an issue and be prepared to take action as needed.
The road closure list for Lyon County is long:
Lyon County road closures
*Road 50 from Highway 99 to Road R
*Road 140 between Road J and Kansas Highway 99
*Road 145 between Road E and H; between Road V and V6.
*Road 150 between Roads D and F; between Road K and Kansas Highway 99; between Roads M and S; between Roads W and X
*Road 160 from Road N to Road R
*Road 170 from Road M7 to Road R1; from Road Y to Road Z
*Road 165 from Road M to Road N
*Road 180 from Road M and Road N
*Road 190 from Burlingame Road to Road L5
*Road 200 from Road R to Road S
*Road 225 from Road F to Road F5
*Road 240 from Road D to E5
*Road 250 from Road D to Road E’ from Road H-5 to Road J-7
*Road 260 from Road D to Road E; from Road G to Road H-5
*Road 265 from Road A to Road B
*Road 270 from Road D to Road F
*Road A from Highway 50 to Road 180
*Road B-2 from US Highway 50 to Road 175
*Road B-5 from US Highway 50 to Road 175
*Road C from US Highway 50 to Road 180; Road 147 to end
*Road D from Road 150 to 160; from Road 260 to 270
*Road E from 260 to 270; from Road 145 to 150
*Road F from 225 to 235
*Road G from Road 50 to Road 60; from Road 140 to 145.
*Road J between Roads 140 and 160; between Roads 190 and 215; between Roads 240 and 250
*Road K between Roads 130 and 150
*Road M between Roads 115 and 120; from Road 130 to 160; from Road 190 to Road 197
*Road N from Road 160 to Road 170
*Road P from Road 40 to Road 60; from Road 150 to Road 170
*Road P2 from Road 175 to Road 180
*Road R from Road 150 to Road 170
*Road S from Road 130 to Road 140
*Road T from Road 130 to Road 150
Lyon County road openings:
*Road 130 from Road R to Road S
*Road G from Road 50 to Road 60
*Road K-5 from Road 70 to Road 80
*Road M from Road 110 to Road 115
*Road U from Road 70 to Road 75
**Click here for the Lyon County road closure map.
Area road closures:
Chase County
*Lake Rd between Cottonwood Falls and Elmdale
*Road B in Cedar Point north and south of Hwy 50
*N Rd south of Lake Rd
*Camp Wood Rd in Elmdale
*170th and B Rd north of Hwy 50 in Cedar Point
*88th Rd in Cedar Point
*G Rd south of Hwy 50 in Clements
*PR Rd Cottonwood Falls
*YY Rd north and south of Hwy 50
*XX Rd north and south of Hwy 50
*Norton Creek Rd Bazaar
*Sharps Creed Rd Bazaar
*U Rd and Old Hwy 50 Strong City
Coffey County
**Click here to see the Coffey County road closure map.
Greenwood County
*Kansas Highway 58 east of Madison
*State Street bridge and Seventh Street bridge in Eureka
*375th and X, between BB and CC
Morris County
*S 400 and S 500 near Lake Kahola
*100 block of South Rockhill in Council Grove barricaded
Osage County
*325th and Shawnee Heights
*Fairlawn north of Scranton
*Oak between High and Roberts in Melvern
*Burlingame Road north of Burlingame
Meanwhile, flood warnings affect several area river gauges. Click here for the latest information.
Rainfall totals were heavy areawide:
*KVOE studios: 4.40 inches
*Emporia Municipal Airport: 2.48 inches (gauge became inoperable shortly before noon)
*300 block Arundel: 5 inches
*300 block South Cottonwood: 5.40 inches
*1100 block Constitution: 4.50 inches
*Sixth and East: 4 inches
*Ninth and Burns: 4 inches
*Ninth and Lawrence: 4.60 inches
*10th and Weaver: 3.70 inches
*South and Sylvan: 4.50 inches
*West 22nd near Emporia High: 4 inches
*Coronado Avenue: 4 inches
*Country Club Heights: 4.35 inches
*Deerbrook Addition: 4.30 inches
*Willow Lane: 4.20 inches
*3 miles east of Emporia: 4.70 inches
*3.5 miles west of Emporia Golf Course: 6.80 inches
*7 miles northeast of Admire: 3.50 inches
*Allen: 3.60 inches
*Americus: 4.50 inches
*5 miles northeast of Americus: 3.01 inches
*Burlington: 5.05 inches
*Bushong: 2.60 inches
*2 miles east of Coffey County Airport: 5.50 inches
*Council Grove City Lake: 1.80 inches
*Council Grove Reservoir: 1.74 inches
*6 miles north of Gridley: 5.10 inches
*Hartford: 6.50 inches. Eagle Creek flooded.
*11 miles south of Hartford: 5.70 inches
*Lake Kahola: 3.50 inches
*Lebo: 5.20 inches
*1.25 miles east of Lebo: 5 inches
*2 miles north of Lebo: 4 inches
*1.5 miles southwest of Lyon County State Lake: 4.50 inches
*Madison: 7.15 inches
*Melvern: 4.18 inches
*Neosho Rapids: 6.80 inches
*Olpe Jones Park: 6.50 inches
*8 miles east-southeast of Olpe: 6.04 inches
*2 miles southwest of Olpe: 4.70 inches
*1.5 miles north of Plymouth: 3.45 inches
*Roads 30 and U: 6.93 inches
*Roads 140 and P: 5.30 inches
*1 mile north of Saffordville: 6 inches
*Thorndale: 5 inches
*Thorndale Lake west shore: 5.65 inches
*1.5 miles east of Thorndale: 5 inches
Lyon County reported one water rescue near Roads 145 and H. One person was taken to safety as part of that incident.
There were also several rain-related crashes, including one on the Kansas Turnpike near the Flint Hills cattle pens that sent a Wichita woman to Newman Regional Health for treatment. The Kansas Highway Patrol says 44-year-old Julia Hart of Wichita was northbound around 7:30 am when her SUV hydroplaned, hit the center barrier wall and was hit by semi driven by 42-year-old Tara Smith of Goddard. Hart suffered possible injuries, while Smith was unhurt.
Meanwhile, details are pending after a possible crash and resulting vehicle fire at Turnpike mile marker 116, 11 miles southwest of Emporia, around 10:40 am.
The rain from Tuesday also comes after five-plus inches of rain areawide last week and heavy rain the week before that.
If you have rain totals from Tuesday, message the KVOE Bluestem Farm and Ranch text line at 620-342-5863.
