KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas and Cass County in Missouri. He also covers agricultural topics. Ryan has extensively covered stories in Miami County over the past two years. The Sheriff's Department took him on a tour of the damage in Hillsdale on Tuesday. If you want to share your story and what the path forward looks like, reach out. Share your story idea with Ryan.
—
Miami County leaders are preparing to sign a state of emergency on Wednesday as Hillsdale residents clean up from Monday night's tornado before the next batch of storms arrive.
The Miami County government will officially sign the declaration to secure outside resources and aid for a rebuild.
The county of 44,000 people does not budget for disasters of this scale.
Presiding Commissioner George Pretz told KSHB 41 News Miami County Reporter Ryan Gamboa that he (Pretz) entered into a verbal agreement on Monday night, but the county will officially declare a disaster declaration at its Wednesday meeting.
"It’s get with it, and get through it, and take care of the people as quick as you can," Pretz said.
The move follows action taken by Kansas Governor Laura Kelly, who issued her own declaration of disaster on Monday night for areas impacted by major storms.
“Due to the severe weather that impacted the state overnight, I've declared a disaster emergency to ensure state assistance was readily available if needed," Gov. Kelly said in a news release. "I encourage all Kansans to have an emergency kit and a family plan in preparation for a tornado. Stay updated on local weather conditions by listening to a NOAA weather radio or local TV and radio stations. Once a warning is activated, it is important to take cover.”
The Kansas Division of Management has activated the State Emergency Operations Center and is monitoring the situation, according to a news release.
Miami County Undersheriff Matt Kelly said the declaration is necessary to facilitate a remedy to the disaster.
"More resources, funding, things like that to get the community back to where it was prior to the storm," Kelly said. "There was verbal declarations done early last night when the storms came through, and because of that, we were able to get the resources that we did. We were seeing state resources coming in as far away as Pottawatomie County and south as far as Wichita to help us."
Those declarations go farther at the county level according to Pretz.
It opens of the county to more resources and the county can even apply for additional federal aid.
78-year-old Ron Warhurst spent Tuesday afternoon operating a chainsaw to help his friend, Carol, clean up her property. The tornado passed about 100 yards from Carol's home, damaging trees and her car. Warhurst also worked to save a sapling trapped under a fallen tree.
"Over there is where the tornado came through," Warhurst said to Gamboa.
Neighbors in unincorporated Hillsdale are leaving brush piles along the road for collection on Wednesday.
"The county is supposed to come by tomorrow," Warhurst said.
Miami County Undersheriff Kelly told Gamboa that Tuesday's efforts were to ensure the roads, structures, and community were safe to move around in.
A larger effort to clear debris and get rid of trash will begin on Wednesday, weather permitting.
"Tomorrow, we will start the cleanup phase," Kelly said. "Without taking care of that, we can’t do the clean-up phase. That’s where we are at because we’re looking at more weather today... We couldn’t have been able to do that without these declarations, and that’s why they’re so important and crucial to make these successful recoveries."
For now, the ultimate goal for the community is to get back to regular life.
Pretz estimates a large bulk of the clean-up, if the storms hold off, should be much better by Friday. He said the goal is to get all power restored by late Wednesday.
"This is truly local government here, all hands on deck, making a difference," Pretz added. "Miami County government has got to do everything we can to get them [Hillsdale] up and going."
Undersheriff Kelly released the latest details on the impacted structures in the Hillsdale area on Tuesday afternoon.
- Nearly 300 structures were searched
- 113 structures affected
- 41 structures significantly damaged or destroyed
- All residents have been accounted for
- Only one minor injury has been reported
Volunteers are needed to assist in the clean-up effort on Wednesday morning. Those who want to help are asked to sign up at Hillsdale Presbyterian Church, 22875 W 255th Street.
The cleanup is expected to begin at 8:30 a.m.
"We're already seeing people step up in this community," Kelly said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
—
