By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
Sometimes the worst in life brings out the best in people. Several Barton County officials thanked county, city of Great Bend, and Wheatland Electric crews for teamwork following the wind and hail storm that roared through Great Bend Sunday. Emergency Risk Manager Amy Miller told the Barton County Commission Tuesday morning that an emergency declaration had been issued for the area.
"You want to get a disaster declaration in place just in case things are worse than what you immediately perceive it to be," Miller said. "It's also a good thing for power companies. It allows them to work longer hours if there is a disaster declaration in place."
Barton County Communications Director Dena Popp thanked the Road and Bridge Department for clearing limbs to give 911 dispatchers access to their building. She also thanked the Great Bend Street Department and Wheatland Electric for working to keep streets open and getting power back to the city. Miller acknowledged work from Great Bend City Administrator Brandon Anderson and the Barton County Health Department.
On Monday, the National Weather Service out of Wichita concluded its survey of storm damage and determined damage was caused by wind-driven hail up to softball size, and winds up to 80 miles per hour. Meteorologist Dan Holiday said with the extra heat and humidity, summer storms can pack a punch.
"You could see where, at one point, it was just ready to produce a tornado at any moment," he said. "Nobody actually reported a tornado on the ground, but there were phases of that storm where it was ready to produce. Sometimes, in these summertime patterns, it then transitions into a big damage wind threat."
With a power outage throughout much of Great Bend Monday, county officials waited until Tuesday to sign the disaster declaration. Miller said state emergency management is often fine with a verbal declaration until paperwork can be signed.