City and area crews respond to multiple emergencies during flash flooding
Emergency responders across the city of Independence and Montgomery County spent a sleepless night answering multiple calls for assistance as a powerful, lingering storm system pummeled the area with high winds, drenching rain and deadly flash flooding. Two drowning fatalities were reported in the county as a result of rushing floodwaters, and multiple water rescues were conducted from homes and vehicles within the city limits.
David Cowan, Independence’s director of Safety and Code Enforcement, reported the storms dumped 8.3 inches of rain on the city in roughly a five-hour period, causing fast-rising creeks and surface water that led to evacuations in several neighborhoods, including the Whiskey Creek area on the city’s north side. According to City personnel, the depth of the Verdigris River measured at the city’s east side staging station at U.S. Highway 160 measured 1.59 feet before the storm at 5 p.m. Tuesday. By 5 a.m. today, the depth was measured at 31.46 feet.
“That’s an incredible amount of water to deal with in a short timeframe,” Cowan said, “and the water was moving probably as swiftly as I’ve ever seen it.”
(Read more: Independence, KS – News Flash)