Burden, Kansas is in clean up mode on Tuesday following high winds that caused thousands of dollars worth of damage and debris. In fact, some of the damage was so severe that a local high school took it upon themselves to send out some of their students to help the community. “The wind, I’ve never heard wind like that in my life,” said Rey Kehr, Burden resident. Kehr is dealing with the aftermath of Monday’s severe weather. His lawn is now littered with tree limbs. County officials estimate winds reached 80 miles per hour during the storm; and the damage is clear throughout town. Driving down Main Street you see an abandoned building now mostly bricks. That isn’t the worst of it. The most damage in Burden took place at storage facilities at Cowley County’s public works district three building. At least two structures were almost totally destroyed by wind. “Sadly the building behind me was one of the originals for this. It dates back to the 30s and 40s,” said County Administrator Lucas Goff. The damage at the public works property could be upwards of $750,000 to fix. This serves as a reminder that tornadoes aren’t the only kind of severe weather you should be watching out for. In fact, high winds can often be just as damaging. It’s not all bad news though. The community came together in a big way. High school students from USD 426 decided to volunteer their time and load up 5 trailers full of branches and debris from yards in need.
Source: KAKE – News
