Snow inundates Bourbon County residents

Tribune photo/Michael Glover Emergency responders help rural Bourbon County resident Earl Severy out of his tractor Friday morning after it turned over while he was on his way to clear snow from the driveways of his neighboring relatives. Emergency medical personnel checked Severy for injuries and found that he was uninjured in the mishap.

Buried.

That's what Bourbon County residents found themselves when they opened their front doors and witnessed the wake of the biggest snow storm in decades.

Luckily, no injury accidents or fatalities were reported in the storm, which began around 3 p.m. Thursday and lasted until early Friday morning.

The storm left more of a headache for residents, especially for some who attempted to drive from their homes and became stuck in the white stuff.

Area resident Earl Severy experienced the after-effect of the megastorm that dumped around 13 inches of snow in Fort Scott and up to 16 inches in southwestern Bourbon County towns.

Severy was driving a tractor westward from his house on Noble Road. When he crossed a section of the road, the tractor slid off and overturned, landing deep in a ravine. Severy was not trapped in the cab, but he didn't climb out until emergency workers attached a cable to stabilize the machine.

"Thank you, thanks a lot, guys," Severy said to workers after they helped him out of the ravine. "It (tractor) got away from me."

He walked on his own to a waiting ambulance, where emergency personnel checked him out before being released.

"This is unreal. I can't believe it," said Kathy Rost of the snow and accident. She called 911 after noticing Severy's wrecked tractor. "I'm glad he's all right."

Bourbon County Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Laura Hyer said law enforcement officials Thursday night fought the constant downpour of snow, responding to motorists who got stuck in rural areas.

"This was a huge winter storm," Hyer said."We are very fortunate that we didn't have any reported injury accidents or fatalities."

The county hasn't experienced this much snow since the early 1980s, she said.

A Kansas Department of Transportation vehicle also succumbed to the storm when it slid off Kansas Highway 7 north of Devon and crashed into the ditch, according to radio communications.

Hyer said rural towns like Hiattville and Porterville received 16 inches of snow. However, Fort Scott received 13 inches.

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius declared a state of disaster emergency for South Central, Southeast and Northeast Kansas. The announcement ensured resources are available to counties severely affected by the storm.

The governor's declaration allows for additional state resources to be provided to counties responding to the storm. It also accelerates the restoration of electrical power by resolving issues related to additional hours of service needed by employees serving in response roles. However, no electrical outages have been reported in the area, Hyer said.

She said Bourbon County is not out of the woods yet. She advised people check on loved ones, friends and neighbors who might be affected to a greater degree because of the conditions. The threat of missing persons is still a possibility, she added.

Temperatures will dip into the teens starting on Friday and ending Sunday. The snow on the ground will keep the temperatures low, as well.

If anyone needs to shelter in Fort Scott, contact The Bourbon County Chapter Red Cross at (620) 223-0980. In the county, contact the local fire department.