Flooding has impacted most of the area three separate times in May, and Soden’s Grove still hasn’t totally wrung out from the latest round.
At the David Traylor Zoo, Director Lisa Keith says this was a muddy flood.
The Sertoma Club is performing an initial damage assessment Friday, and a brief inspection by KVOE News on Friday indicates a lot of damage to the track ballast. The club has already had to postpone its grand re-opening of the train facility once this spring because of flooding in the middle of May.
Damage at the All Veterans Memorial is currently limited to grass, which will need to be reseeded, along with minor clean-up, according to local veteran Frank Lowery. However, Lowery says the flooding has slowed down the land-clearing process with Tablets of Honor entering its latest pre-construction phase — and Lowery also says discussions about layout will continue because of the flooding the past few weeks.
The Cottonwood Trail, which has its trailhead at Soden’s Grove, is now closed all the way to its end point near Riverside School until further notice.
In related news, state lawmakers have taken a step that bolsters the chances of Kansas receiving federal reimbursement to help offset flood repair costs.
Lawmakers have extended Governor Laura Kelly’s disaster declaration so it is now effective through the end of the year. The governor can issue a 15-day declaration and it can be extended in 30-day time periods by the State Finance Council.
The state’s disaster declaration now covers 60 counties, including all the counties in the KVOE listening area. A federal declaration this week involves 18 counties, including Coffey, Greenwood and Osage, and may be expanded later.
Strong thunderstorms, including hail, high wind and heavy rain, are possible now for Saturday afternoon and evening. With the combination of potential severe weather and flooding along with large-scale events in the area like the Dirty Kanza and Flint Hills Rodeo, be sure to stay with KVOE and KVOE.com for updates through this weekend. Link to KVOE on Twitter@kvoeam1400 or Facebook@kvoenews for instant news, weather, travel and schedule adjustment information if you haven’t already done so. Also, download the free KVOE mobile app so you have our severe weather coverage wherever you may be. If you have schedule adjustments to report, call KVOE at 342-1400 or email kvoe@kvoe.com.
Photos by Chuck Samples/KVOE News
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