Tuesday’s strong to severe thunderstorms caused potentially fatal floods in and around eastern Wichita as they moved over Central Kansas.
After rainfall rates exceeded 1-3 inches per hour, the Wichita area’s National Weather Service office declared a Flash Flood Emergency, the highest degree of flood alert, for almost 200,000 persons.
Storm totals were predicted to be at least 6 inches in the Flash Flood Emergency area, overwhelming drainage systems and turning roads into rivers.
Several water rescues were reported throughout the day in the area east of Interstate 135 where the most intense rainfall fell.
“We have had quite a number of submerging calls since the rainfall really started building up on us here in the city of Wichita. So, right now, all of our crews are monitoring radios if they haven’t been dispatched, but we have our heavy rescue, water rescue team deployed out and numerous of our water rescue team members and other fire trucks deployed throughout the city also,” Wichita Fire Rescue Battalion Chief Jose Ocadiz stated.
Residents were advised by emergency officials to stay indoors, but if they had to leave, they should refrain from going on roads with unknown water depths.
“Every time it rains heavily, we respond to calls from people who thought they could make it. And sometimes, those stories don’t end well,” according to the Wichita Police Department.
Nearly 100 calls for assistance involving persons who needed to get to higher ground were handled by first responders.
A foot of floodwater can carry a car away, and just 6 inches of swift-moving water can knock an adult off their feet, according to NWS forecasters.
There were also reports of severe flooding in neighboring El Dorado, where several roads were impassable for cars.
The excessive rainfall prompted Governor Laura Kelly to declare a disaster emergency.
In order to keep an eye on the severe weather, the Kansas Division of Emergency Management also turned on the State Emergency Operations Center in Topeka.
A tornado warning was issued for areas near Arrowhead Stadium after reports of wind damage were made further northeast in the Kansas City metro area.
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Although at least one tractor trailer was overturned and tornado sirens were activated on Interestat 70, meteorologists have not yet determined if the damage was caused by twisters or straight-line winds.
The Flood in Flash Only in the most dire circumstances—when catastrophic, life-threatening flooding is occurring or is about to occur—is an emergency alert issued.
The seriousness of Tuesday’s crisis in the center of Kansas is underscored by the fact that typically just a few dozen such alerts are issued nationwide each year.
As the thunderstorms swept east across the state, more than 500,000 people were under various flood warnings.
Fortunately, local officials had not reported any missing persons linked to the wet weather event as of Tuesday evening, while the entire impact of the severe rains was still being evaluated.
