While the aftermath of Sunday’s severe storm moves from restoration phase to cleanup phase, there are still hazards to be aware of, noted Barton County Sheriff Brian Bellendir.

“We’ve moved power lines out of the roadways, but there are still power lines that are down,” he said. “There is a lot of heavy equipment that is moving around.

“And, people need to be extremely careful with chainsaws,” he said. “This is a time when people could get severely hurt.”

Cleanup from the storm is expected to continue as Great Bend residents clear away tree limbs and other debris from the storm that brought high winds and large hail to the community. The National Weather Service Survey noted late Monday that straight line winds, not a tornado, caused the damage that left thousands without power. Wheatland Electric noted at about 4:45 p.m. Monday that about 1,500 residents were still without electricity in the area. The City Compost Site, meanwhile closed at 6 p.m. Monday but opens at 8 a.m. Tuesday morning to accept brush and trees.

The coming storm 

The Great Bend supercell was part of a complex of severe storms that moved from north to south through central Kansas Sunday. Golf-ball sized hail was reported northeast of Great bend at 5:59 p.m.

At 6:15 p.m. NWS in Wichita issued a tornado warning for Barton County and the City of Great Bend. Hail nearing tennis-ball size was reported and softball-sized hail was reported near the Great Bend Airport. A report of approximately a mile of power poles were snapped off on Northeast 20 Road north of Great Bend.

By 6:30 p.m. the NWS had canceled the tornado warning for Barton County as the areas of circulation had moved south into Stafford County.

Damages

Azria Health and Brookdale senior living centers sustained damage as hail smashed windows.

High winds, meanwhile, associated with the storm snapped power poles near Hoisington, Larned and Stafford County. The winds uprooted trees within the Great Bend City limits and large hail caused extensive damage, especially on the west side of Great Bend. Two large trees were uprooted at Trinity Lutheran Church near 24th and Adams and roof portions of the First Southern Baptist Church were ripped away by the wind. Several churches in the community also reported severe damage to siding as a result of the hail.

Great Bend firefighters responded to two reports of residents trapped by falling tree limbs during the storm. Firefighters were called to the 4300 block of 18th St. at approximately 6:20 p.m. Sunday to assist family members trapped inside a residence. Firefighters were again called to the 1700 block of Heizer Street to free residents who had been trapped inside their cellar at approximately 6:32 p.m.

Repairs

Much of the community was beset with tree damage ranging from whole uprootings to large limbs.

Wheatland Electric began immediately working to restore power to approximately 9,018 (100%) of its customers that included the entire community of Great Bend. Local crews, including a crew dispatched from Garden City, worked through the night and into Monday morning restoring power to the city from west to east. As of 4 p.m., approximately 20 percent of customers were still without power.