LAWRENCE, Kan. — Hundreds of crews from across Kansas were in Douglas County again Thursday, working to completely restore power after a devastating tornadoTuesday night.
At the heart of the storm, 14,000 customers were without power in Douglas and Leavenworth counties. On Thursday morning, that number was down to 1,200, a Westar Energy spokesperson said.
Westar hoped to have power restored to those remaining customers by midnight.
LISTEN: Kansas City shows resiliency after devastating tornadoes
There were still more than 300 power lines down throughout Douglas, Leavenworth and Wyandotte counties, which suffered the brunt of the storm.
With @WestarEnergy right now. At the heart guy of the storm 14,000 were without power. Now, they have 1,200. Hoping to have the rest up by midnight right. 300+ poles down in the area (Douglas, Leavenworth, and Wyandotte Counties) @41actionnews pic.twitter.com/C9ehkWM9gH
— Jade DeGood (@JadeDeGood) May 30, 2019
More than 500 workers from across the state, including Hutchinson and Emporia, were working in those areas on Thursday. Westar called the work a "rebuild" effort, rather than a restore effort, due to the severe damage the lines sustained.
The Douglas County Sheriff’s Office was securing areas where crews were working. Westar said that crews were delayed Wednesday because of onlookers surveying the damage.