KS National Guard on standby for grassland fires
Governor Kelly declared a state of disaster emergency because of the threat of wildfires this week.
The highest danger is expected to be Tuesday and Wednesday, as a storm system brings higher winds across the state. Warmer temperatures and low humidity mean there is a lot of dry fuel, and any small fires could spread quickly.
“It is because wildfires can spring up so suddenly under these conditions that I have put this disaster declaration in place,” Kelly said. “Placing resources such as these helicopters and other resources on standby help the state respond more quickly if a fire begins to spread.”
Severe Weather Awareness Week 2021: March 1st through March 5th
Deanna Bonn
Times-Gazette
Despite the recent historic cold snap, spring will eventually arrive and with it will come our next severe weather season. In preparation for that, the National Weather Service (NWS) has declared the week of March 1st through March 5th as Severe Weather Awareness Week in Kansas.
“As a show of support for this public outreach campaign, the Butler County Board of Commissioners has also proclaimed that as ‘Severe Weather Awareness Week’ in the county,” said Keri Korthals, Director of Butler County Emergency Management.
As part of Severe Weather Awareness Week, a Statewide Tornado Drill will be conducted at 10 a.m. March 2. On the morning of March 2nd , many jurisdictions will sound their storm sirens, and the NWS will trigger a test of the NOAA Weather Alert Radios.
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Salina Regional Health Center to receive $3.6 Million in FEMA assistance
Funds to go toward staff increases during pandemic
U.S. Sen. Roger Marshall, R-Kansas, announced Wednesday that Salina Regional Health Center will receive more than $3.3 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency funds to help the hospital increase staff available for emergency rooms and intensive care facilities dealing with COVID-19 cases.
the Kansas Division of Emergency Management (KDEM) will receive $1.6 million in federal cost sharing to support immediate staffing and supplies.
“Our hospitals and healthcare professionals remain on the front line of this pandemic,” Marshall said in a news release. “It is important that we continue to provide them the resources necessary to serve their communities, effectively treat patients, and keep staff safe.”
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A Southeast Kansas physician shared her view of the COVID-19 pandemic from a town strained by 200 new cases in the last two weeks.
Dr. Jennifer McKenney of Fredonia, the health officer for the Wilson County Health Department, spoke Friday morning during a conference call on the pandemic with Gov. Laura Kelly and local and state officials. The Kansas Department of Health and Environment reported Friday that case counts in the state surpassed 200,000 with 2,341 deaths since the pandemic began. Since Wednesday, 88 more people died of COVID-19 and the virus has sickened one of every 15 Kansans.
McKenney works at Fredonia Regional Hospital, a 25-bed critical access hospital, and has a private practice with her father, Dr. Oswaldo Bacani. And she and her husband, Bob, who is mayor of Fredonia, have deep roots in the community.