President Donald Trump has signed a request from Kansas Governor Laura Kelly for a major presidential disaster declaration following nearly a week’s worth of severe weather in different forms two months ago, but no area county is included.
Governor Kelly sent her request to the Federal Emergency Management Agency shortly after fires, severe storms, high straight-line winds, flooding and winter weather hit the state between March 14-19, including significant grass fire activity areawide March 14. President Trump’s declaration involves 28 counties, of which the closest to the KVOE listening area is Woodson.
Lyon and Greenwood counties had notable fire activity March 14. Lyon County had a roughly-five-mile-long burn scar from a grass fire that developed near Roads 160 and V-5 and ended near Roads 200 and X, charring hundreds of acres, destroying several structures, killing farm animals and narrowly missing the Lyon County Rural Water District 4 standpipe. Greenwood County also had a notable grass fire near Madison that day.
