Thousands still without power in Wyandotte County after Wednesday's early morning storms

WYANDOTTE COUNTY, Kan. — KSHB 41 reporter Elyse Schoenig covers Johnson County. She also focuses on issues surrounding the cost of health care, saving for retirement and personal debt. Share your story idea with Elyse.

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Thousands of residents in Wyandotte County remained without power Thursday after strong storms hit the area early Wednesday morning, and officials said the road to recovery will take time.

Kansas City, Kansas, Mayor Christal Watson said around 9,600 outages remained in the county as of just before 10 a.m. Thursday. The BPU said all available crews are working on the multi-day power restoration efforts.

"We ask for your patience. Some areas will experience an outage for more than two days," Watson said.

Watson said the recovery for displaced families and damaged areas will take time, and she is urging neighbors to check on one another.

"Sometimes the most important response begins with knocking on the door next door and asking, 'Are you okay, what do you need?'" Watson said.

KCK resident Rebeca Molina described the moment the storms hit her home.

"All of a sudden, we just heard this boom and the house shook," Molina said.

A large tree came down in the backyard of her KCK home and caught fire.

"We came outside to see the extent of the damage, and we saw this giant tree. It barely missed our deck," Molina said.

Her power was restored Thursday afternoon, but Molina said the storm raised serious concerns about vulnerable residents still waiting for electricity.

"How many people have medications in their fridge? How many people need to keep vital things in their fridge to to be able to stay alive? How many people are connected to life support devices, to oxygen, things that need to be charged and are being affected by this," Molina asked.

Despite the damage, Molina said she feels grateful it was not worse.

"It's just a reminder that you have to be prepared because the worst can happen in the blink of an eye, just like this," Molina said.

Officials are asking residents to call 311 to report storm damage. The county is also in the process of determining what federal assistance it could qualify for, if any.

A Red Cross shelter is open at the Earl Watson Community Center at 1120 Central Ave.

Residents can stay overnight or stop by for resources and meals. No ID is required to enter.

You can watch the full press conference from Wyandotte County officials Thursday morning in the video player below.

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