KSHB 41 reporter Ryan Gamboa covers Miami County in Kansas. He's offered coverage of this month's string of severe storms to impact the area. He also covers agricultural topics. Share your story idea with Ryan.
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Residents in Miami County, Kansas, once again found themselves in the path of a tornado-warned storm Sunday night.
The Miami County Sheriff’s office says the storm moved through around 4:30 p.m. Sunday, leaving 10 structures damaged in an area near W. 247th Street and Pleasant Valley Road.
Deputies also closed down several roads in the area, including Pressonville Road between 239th and 255th Street.
“As the storm moved through the county, staff immediately started damage assessments and identified significant impacts, including damage to structures, power poles and trees,” the sheriff’s office said Sunday night. “Due to the extent of structural damage, the Tornado Strike Team was requested, bringing in additional fire and EMS resources to assist with search and rescue operations.
No injuries have been reported.
“I’ve never really had to worry about storms because we’ve never really had them,” Miami County resident Tammy Quick said. “But I have a great respect when they say take cover, and I’m going to listen and pray for the best.”
On April 13, the same area was the target of another storm system that brought an EF2 tornado to neighborhoods around Hillsdale Lake.
Sunday night’s damage took place only miles apart.
“I live five miles straight west of Hillsdale Lake, but Hillsdale the town is further east, and we are in that line again, and we know what happened to Hillsdale the little town here recently,” Quick said.
Miami County Undersheriff Matt Kelly spoke with KSHB 41 Miami County Reporter Ryan Gamboa on Sunday evening, and expressed the fatigue the community is experiencing after being targeted by storms multiple times in the last two weeks.
"I think everybody right now is one edge. You have a storm come through everyone is on edge. We are trying to do everything we can to make sure people are notified," Kelly said. "That was the thing that came to our mind was not Hillsdale. They need to rest. They need to be able to have some peace right now, we just want them to be able to do that."
Emergency crews have raced to help in both storms, and with more storms possible Sunday night and Monday morning, crews remained alert.
“We have no control over Mother Nature,” Quick said. “You know, it could be nice and beautiful, and it could bring storms.”
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