LJWorld.com / Many in state still without power

Archive for Friday, January 7, 2005

One death reported from storm; two others missing

By Matt Sedensky - Associated Press Writer

January 7, 2005

Kansas City, Mo. — The wide swath of Missouri and Kansas battered by an icy storm struggled to return to normal Thursday although tens of thousands were still without power, many schools remained shuttered and drivers edged cautiously on roads that remained slick in frosty temperatures.

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius said damage in the state alone could total $10 million or more. She hoped a Federal Emergency Management Agency team would visit early next week and that a presidential disaster declaration would follow.

Temperatures remained in the teens Thursday. As ice-coated tree limbs snapped under pressure, new power outages were reported even as hundreds of crews grappled with existing blackouts.

Among the worst hit areas was Wichita, part of a 56-county area in eastern Kansas already declared a state disaster emergency. Some 48,500 Wichita customers of Westar Energy Inc., Kansas' largest electric utility, remained without power Thursday afternoon.

Wichita resident Doug Clarke lost power twice during the course of the storm, but was enjoying electricity on Thursday. Still, his neighborhood was littered with downed trees and branches that made leaving home a challenge.

"It's almost impassable," he said.

At least one death was linked to the storm. A 63-year-old woman died Thursday in her home southeast of Wichita, apparently of carbon monoxide poisoning after using a portable generator to power her blacked-out home. The death was reported by radio station KFDI; calls to Sedgwick County officials were unreturned Thursday.

Via Christi Regional Medical Center-St. Francis in Wichita reported another five carbon monoxide cases Wednesday and Thursday; Wichita's Wesley Medical Center had two more.

Officials at those hospitals cautioned residents without power to ensure they have proper ventilation if using a generator.

Units of the Kansas National Guard supplied power generators Thursday to a nursing home in Moline and two water plants in Norwich and Towanda.

The effects of the storm weren't expected to fade quickly. Full restoration of power to all Westar customers was not anticipated until Wednesday or Thursday of next week., company spokeswoman Karla Olsen said.

In all, about 67,000 Westar customers remained without power Thursday afternoon.