KDEM News

By Staff Sgt. Dakota HelvieKansas Army National Guard Public Affairs Severe storms. Tornadoes. Floods. Blizzards. Wildfires. Kansas has faced its share of these over the years.  By working through these disasters, state agencies have forged and refined the partnerships that have allowed them to face a situation affecting not just a city or a county, but the entire state, the …

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Championship basketball coach Bobby Knight once said “I don’t believe in luck, I believe in preparation.” Sound advice for anyone – and everyone when it comes to being prepared for tornadoes, floods, wildland fires, blizzards or any of the other natural or man-made disasters Kansans face each year. To remind Kansans to be prepared, Gov. Laura Kelly has signed a …

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The Kansas Division of Emergency Management has reached an agreement with Atchison Hospital and Clinics in Atchison, Kansas, for the temporary use of hospital equipment without cost that may be distributed to other medical facilities in need during the COVID-19 emergency. The equipment comes from the former Horton Community Hospital and includes hospital beds, IV pump, defibrillators, stretchers, a blood …

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When a disaster or emergency strikes, members of the Kansas National Guard stand ready to help when and where they’re needed. “As Guardsmen, we live and work in our communities in both our civilian and military jobs,” Maj. Gen. David Weishaar, the adjutant general of Kansas and director of the Kansas Division of Emergency Management said. “If you see uniformed …

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As we head into the spring months, the risk of severe thunderstorms increases across Kansas, including the risk for tornadoes. Unfortunately, with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, people who rely on public sheltering from tornadoes could be faced with the difficult choice of sheltering from the tornado in a community shelter or refraining from going to the shelter in order to …

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President Donald Trump has signed a federal disaster declaration for the state of Kansas to support emergency measures within the state related to the COVID-19 virus. The declaration authorizes federal funds for emergency protective measures not authorized under other federal statutes, including direct federal assistance, under the Public Assistance program for local, state, and Indian tribal governments, and certain private …

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Governor Laura Kelly has issued a disaster declaration for wildland fires burning approximately 20-25 miles southwest of Medicine Lodge in Barber County. The declaration authorizes the use of state resources and personnel to assist with response and recovery operations in affected counties that meet certain criteria. The Kansas Division of Emergency Management activated the State Emergency Operations Center in Topeka …

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Even though the COVID-19 virus dominates the news, Kansans are reminded there are other dangers currently facing the state, particularly the risk of wildland fires. “I know the coronavirus is on everyone’s mind right now, but we still must remain vigilant to other hazards, such as wildfires,” Governor Laura Kelly said. “Our emergency responders have so much to deal with …

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Gov. Laura Kelly has issued a state of disaster emergency declaration this morning due to the potential risk of wildland fires through March 7. “In recent years, we have seen the devastation wildland fires can cause across the state,” Governor Kelly said. “They destroy crops and grazing land, and may threaten homes and lives. This declaration will allow the state …

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“Everybody complains about the weather, but nobody does anything about it.” That remark by American essayist Charles D. Warner is often attributed to his friend Mark Twain. But no matter who said it first, it is a true statement: We can’t do anything about the weather. But with good preparation, we can greatly mitigate the effects weather throws at us …

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