When two Sedgwick County firefighters were told they would travel to North Carolina to help with Hurricane Helene relief, they didn’t hesitate. Luke Wiebe, captain for Sedgwick County Fire District 1, and Lt. Tyler Brenneman got the call Sept. 24 that they were being sent to help those impacted by Hurricane Helene. What they assumed would be two weeks full of rescues turned into connecting with the community. “[We] checked on people, door to door, see what they were needing, see if they’re OK, see if they wanted to be evacuated, and then also assess damage on properties, vehicles, pretty much anything that was misplaced,” Brenneman said. Wiebe and Brenneman said the damage they saw in North Carolina was extensive. “There’s whole trees knocked over, tree limbs down everywhere, water in multiple houses. Almost every house we went in had, you know, feet of water inside of it,” Brenneman said. Brenneman and Wiebe said considering the situation, they were surprised to see how positive the people impacted were. “They were actually in very good spirits,” Wiebe said. “Most people, when we checked on them, would actually ask us if we needed anything as well.” When asked if he had been to a scene similar to this one, Brenneman said that the Andover tornado in 2022 was the only one he could think of.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle

The deaths of more homeless residents are being counted this year after local officials implemented a formal process to identify them — the latest symptom of the intensifying conversation around homelessness in Wichita. As of September, 46 homeless people had been confirmed dead by Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center investigators. That’s more than the 42 that were counted all of last year through anecdotal numbers compiled via a collaboration between the Wichita Police Department, service providers and homeless advocates. The shift is the latest move to address homelessness in Wichita, following the opening of a new emergency winter shelter in a former elementary school, which city officials aspire to make a multi-agency campus, and amid talk of a “more aggressive” ordinance to remove homeless encampments. Homeless advocates have been requesting a more formal record of deaths for years, and the forensic science center decided this year to classify homeless people among its deceased following media reporting that highlighted the uncertainty surrounding past counts. When first presented with the data, registered nurse and homeless advocate Kathy Bowles leaned back in shock. “Oh my god,” she said.
Source: Local News | Wichita Eagle