Roofs were blown off, trailers toppled and light poles twisted as strong straight-line winds caused widespread damage Sunday night in the Walton area.
Harvey County Sheriff T. Walton said a cow was killed but no one was hurt as the storm blew through the area bringing high winds and heavy rains.
Straight-line winds were reported in excess of 70 mph. Reports were of in excess of 3 and a half inches of rain in some areas, said Lon Buller, Harvey County director of emergency management.
Electric lines were down over the railroad tracks, and the railroad crossing arms continued to blink in Walton although they were broken and twisted.
About 249 Westar customers were without power today as of about 8:30 a.m., and as many as 300 customers were without power overnight in the county.
A tornado was not spotted in the area. However, Walton said the damage and the twisted metal in Walton were a testament to the volatility of the storm.
A sheriff’s patrol car that was parked at a farm near Walton had a window damaged in the storm.
No one had to be evacuated from their homes in Walton because of the storm, but Walton said the cleanup likely will take some time.
He advised area residents to steer clear of the area while cleanup efforts are under way.
Buller said damage was hit and miss throughout the county.
Outbuilding and roof damage was reported at several locations in the county.
Elsewhere in the county, a woman hydroplaned Sunday night on Interstate 135, and her car slid into a ditch and became submerged.
The woman was able to get out of her car on her own and was unhurt, Walton said.
A semi-trailer was blown over Sunday night at U.S. Highway 50 and Webb Road. The truck was not loaded, and the driver was unhurt, Walton said.
Lt. Craig Dunlavy of the Newton Police Department said city crews were out Sunday night and today clearing limbs from roadways. Signs were damaged and electric lines were down, but no one was injured in Newton during the storm.
Although areas of Butler County near El Dorado and Augusta are being evacuated because of localized flooding, Harvey County had yet reported major flooding.
However, Buller said the county was at risk because of the saturation from previous rains.
“It will not take a whole lot of rain to cause flooding. We will kind of have to see how that goes. Hopefully, with runoff, we will be able to handle it,” Buller said.
He said precautions still may need to be followed, including watching for high water and keeping a programmable weather radio handy.
“We will have to be extremely careful. At night, you never know where there may be water over the roadway. It can jump out at you,” he said.
