The need to be prepared for different weather hazards was evident in Lyon County last month because of two rounds of damaging floods. It’s evident now as devastating floods continue in the Texas Hill Country.
Over 100 people have already died after unprecedented flooding hit central Texas starting early July 4 and continuing into this week. Lyon County Emergency Management Director Jarrod Fell calls the Texas flooding “terrible” and says most places couldn’t handle the volume of water from 20 inches of rain or more.
Fell also says there is a set procedure for a local presence at a natural disaster site in another state. To Fell’s knowledge, Kansas hasn’t been recruited to help yet.
For local residents wishing to provide assistance to those affected by the flooding in Texas, Emporia’s Salvation Army is accepting monetary donations according to Cpt. Mylie Hadden. For those wishing to provide financial assistance, they must designate their donations for Texas Flooding relief and deliver those to the Salvation Army Office at 327 Constitution in Emporia during normal business hours.
Donations can also be made online at donate.salarmymokan.org. Again, residents are asked to designate their donations for Texas flooding relief.
At this time, the Salvation Army does have boots on the ground in Texas providing for essential needs including meals, vouchers for clothing and spiritual and emotional care. Hadden tells KVOE News the Emporia chapter has not yet been called on to help provide assistance, however, she says it is possible they could get the call if the relief efforts persist for a significant period of time.
She explains that the Salvation Army’s relief work operates in a “circumference approach” starting with chapters in the immediate area and expanding outward every two weeks if necessary.
Hadden says it is unlikely that Emporia, which is in the central region of the Salvation Army network, would be called on to lend physical assistance to the flooding relief. That said, if the need did arise, Kansas City has an emergency disaster warehouse that will be well stocked and equipped to provide said support.
Donations are also being accepted through the Kerr County Flood Relief Fund available at the Community Foundation of the Texas Hill Country website CFTexashillcountry.fcsuite.com. Providing physical assistance, but not accepting monetary donations at this time, is the American Red Cross which, according to Red Cross Greater Kansas Executive Director Jane Blocher, is providing staffing for emergency shelters and reunification efforts.
For weather impacts closer to home, the Lyon County Emergency Management Department is planning to hand out 400 weather radios through Midland Radio Corporation free of charge after the Lyon County Commission approved a better than $10,000 grant for that purchase. If everything processes as expected, Fell says the goal is to hand them out during the Lyon County Fair.
The weather radios are available through a federal hazard mitigation grant. The federal government is covering over $7,000 of the total cost, with Lyon County covering the remainder. Fell wants to apply again in the future if the federal money is available.
