County damage estimates are $1.5 million and climbing
Drizzle began to fall Monday morning, making traveling treacherous and raising concerns from citizens about maintaining basic necessities of life.
A winter storm advisory for ice was issued Monday night. Tuesday morning residents awoke to a frozen fog covering the county.
The forecast called for freezing drizzle Tuesday, freezing rain Tuesday night, and rain on Wednesday. A chance of snow is anticipated for Wednesday night.
A forecast of frigid temperatures Thursday night through Saturday also is anticipated with lows in the single digits and highs in the teens.
However, the advisory did not anticipate additional problems with utility lines.
By Monday morning, electricity had been restored to communities within the county but some rural residents were still without power.
On Jan. 4, Marion County Commission declared the county in a state of local disaster emergency. Michelle Abbott-Becker, county emergency management director, said the proclamation was necessary to receive mutual aid from other cities and utility companies.
"For restoration of critical infrastructure, the county had to have the declaration in place," Abbott-Becker said.
One day later, on Jan. 5, Governor Kathleen Sebelius declared 56 counties, including Marion, disaster areas.
Abbott-Becker said damage estimates for Marion County will be significant. Current estimates are:
Marion County, road and bridge department, debris cleanup, $305,303; City of Hillsboro, $63,000; City of Marion, $73,400; City of Peabody, $250,000; City of Burns, $50,000; USD 408, $4,000; USD 411, $10,000; Flint Hills Rural Electric Cooperative Association, $750,000.
Abbott-Becker said she had not received estimates from other cities.
Grant funds from Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) may be available for public entities like the county, cities, school districts, and utility companies, Abbott-Becker said, but stressed the funds were only for public entities, not individuals.
The county and cities received more than $700,000 of FEMA grant funds for expenses as a result of flood damages this past summer.
The storm officially began the evening of Jan. 2, Abbott-Becker said. Total weather-related calls that went through county dispatch center were 30 vehicular accidents. One accident resulted in the fatality of a Hutchinson woman Sunday evening on U.S.-56 near the Marion-Harvey county line, and two accidents with injuries.
There were 41 requests for fire departments throughout the county.
There have been no reports of deaths of county residents as a result of not having heat, Abbott-Becker said.
Kansas Emergency Management estimates damages from the ice storm will exceed $15 million for electric utilities, other infrastructure, and debris removal.
Kansas Department of Transportation planned to assist with debris cleanup in Marion, Harper, and Kingman counties, if state crews weren't treating and clearing highways.
Through the city's mutual aid agreement, electrical crews from Hillsboro and Herington assisted local crews with repair and restoration of power.
