Month: February 2021

Disaster emergency declared in Kansas because of extreme cold weather

Residents asked to conserve energy

Gov. Laura Kelly issued a state of disaster emergency at 4:40 p.m. Sunday because of wind chill warnings and stress on utility and natural gas providers.

The state has experienced bitter winter temperatures and below zero wind chills for more than a week, putting stress on utility and natural gas providers across the state, according to the governor’s news release.

The declaration authorizes the use of state resources and personnel to assist with response and recovery operations in affected counties that meet certain criteria, according to the news release.

“As the extreme cold temperatures continue to affect the region, we are urging Kansans to conserve energy in order to help ensure a continued supply of natural gas and electricity and keep their own personal costs down,” Gov. Kelly said in the news release.

Two natural gas companies that operate in Wyandotte County, Kansas Gas Service and Atmos Energy, are encouraging customers to use less natural gas while temperatures are freezing, and have tips online on how to do so.

Kansas Gas Service stated on its internet page that it is seeing much higher natural gas use and a significant surge in natural gas prices. This will have an effect on customer’s bills, according to Kansas Gas Service.

Atmos stated on its web page that industrial customers that have been asked to curtail their natural gas usage were urged to comply, and everyone could help by taking small steps to support the community.

The Kansas Gas Service information on the severe cold and conserving natural gas is at https://www.kansasgasservice.com/customer-awareness/severe-cold. The Atmos Energy information is at https://www.atmosenergy.com/safety/weather-safety.

Because of the sub-zero temperatures that cause an increased energy demand and natural gas supply constraints, utilities are currently experiencing wholesale natural gas prices anywhere from 10 to 100 times higher than normal, according to Gov. Kelly’s news release. Those costs will eventually flow through to consumers, and increase monthly natural gas and electric bills.

Customers can keep these costs down by reducing their natural gas and electric usage at this critical time.

Here are some things each household can do to help in the conservation effort and slow down the increases in energy bills due to high usage, according to the governor’s news release:

• Keep warm, not hot. When possible wear additional layers of clothing, consider turning down your thermostat and check your programmable settings.

• Seal leaks around doors and windows. Apply weather stripping or caulk to seal gaps and cracks around windows and doors to stop air leaks and prevent energy loss. If that is not an option, you can also cover windows with towels, sheets or plastic to help keep the warm air in your house.

• Reduce the temperature on your water heater. Set the temperature on your water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit or put it on the “warm” setting. If your home will be vacant for two days or more, set the dial to the pilot position for even more savings.

• Close blinds and curtains. This helps keep warm air inside, especially if the sun is not shining.

• Change or clean filters. A clean filter on your furnace can lower your energy consumption by 5 to 15 percent. Dirty filters cost more to use and overwork the equipment.

• Hold off on doing chores. Doing laundry and washing dishes can both use natural gas to heat the water and your dryer. If you can, wait until the extreme cold weather passes to complete these activities. If you cannot wait, use the cold setting where possible.

• Install foam gaskets on electrical switches and outlets. Electrical switches and outlets can account for up to 10 percent of your home’s energy loss.

Blue Devils can’t overcome early Fort Scott rally, 3-1

Sophomore Michelle Dvorak delivered one of her 13 kills as teammates, from left, Adriana Velez, Madi Hajek and Cassidy Crist looked on in KCKCC’s 3-1 loss to Fort Scott Saturday. (KCKCC photo by Alan Hoskins)
All eyes were on Cassidy Crist in this kill in KCKCC’s 3-1 loss to Fort Scott Saturday. Looking on were Michelle Dvorak (5), Adriana Velez (7) and Madi Hajek. Crist is the NJCAA Division II leader in kills; Velez in assists. (KCKCC photo by Alan Hoskins)

by Alan Hoskins, KCKCC sports information

Kansas City Kansas Community College suffered a backbreaking opening set loss and could never quite recover in a 3-1 loss to Fort Scott Saturday.

Despite the loss, the Blue Devils (5-3) stayed a half game ahead of Fort Scott (5-4) for fourth place in the Jayhawk Conference heading into a home match Thursday with second place and No. 9 ranked Highland (6-1) at 6:30 p.m. The match will be streamed on the KCKCC Blue Devil website.

The Blue Devils took a 21-18 lead in the opening set against Fort Scott only to have the Greyhounds take seven of the final eight points for a 25-22 win. KCKCC did rally for a 25-22 win jump-started by three straight Cassidy Crist kills midway through the match but Fort Scott pulled away with back-to-back 25-17 wins to close out the match.

“We did not control our side well and allowed too many runs late in sets,” KCKCC coach Mary Bruno-Ballou said. “And we couldn’t control Julian Squire, a first team All-American last year who had 24 kills. No conference match is easy; the toughest conference in DII volleyball.”

Crist, the national Division II leader in kills, had 20 kills and Michelle Dvorak 13 while Adriana Velez stayed atop the national lead in assists with 44. Kelcey Hund led in digs with 14.

“We earned points well but had too many hitting errors,” Bruno-Ballou said. “We also need to improve on blocking and defense in the coming weeks. But all of those things can be fixed.”

Wind chill warning in effect until noon Tuesday as dangerous cold continues

The low tonight will be minus 9, with a wind chill between minus 18 and minus 24, according to the National Weather Service forecast. Monday’s high will be near 0. (National Weather Service graphic)
Wyandotte County could get around 2 inches of snow between Sunday evening and Monday evening, according to the National Weather Service. (National Weather Service graphic)

Dangerously cold temperatures registered at minus 1 at 6 p.m. Sunday, with a wind chill of minus 19, according to the National Weather Service.

The weather service said wind chills could range from about minus 20 to minus 30.

According to the weather service, there could be slippery road conditions, affecting the Monday morning or evening commute. Cold wind chills can cause frostbite on exposed skin in as little as 20 minutes, the weather service said.

The weather service advised residents to avoid outside activities if possible. When outside, make sure you wear appropriate clothing, a hat and gloves.

Also, motorists should slow down and use caution while traveling, according to the weather service.

For a list of warming centers, visit https://wyandotteonline.com/additional-warming-centers-open-in-kck/.

Snow is likely Sunday evening and overnight, the weather service said.

A steadier but light snow is expected during the day Monday, according to the weather service.

An additional 2 to 3 inches of snow is possible through Monday evening, mainly along and south of the Missouri River, with lesser amounts further north, the weather service said.

For the coming week, Monday’s high will be near 0, Tuesday’s high near 12, Wednesday’s high near 22, Thursday’s high near 21, Friday’s high near 33 and Saturday’s high near 40.

Tonight, there is a 60 percent chance of snow, mainly before 8 p.m., according to the weather service. The low will be minus 9, with a wind chill between minus 18 and minus 24. A north wind of 9 to 13 mph is forecast. Total nighttime snow accumulation is expected to be less than one inch.

Monday, Presidents Day, there will be a 60 percent chance of snow, mainly before 11 a.m., the weather service said. It will be mostly cloudy and cold, with a high near 0. The wind chill will be between minus 17 and minus 25. There will be a north wind of 9 to 11 mph. New snow accumulation of 1 to 2 inches is possible, the weather service said.

Monday night, there is a 20 percent chance of snow before midnight, then gradually becoming mostly clear, with a low of minus 12, according to the weather service. The wind chill will be between minus 15 and minus 20. A north wind of 5 to 9 mph will become light after midnight.

Tuesday, it will be mostly sunny and cold, with a high near 12, the weather service said. The wind chill will be between minus 1 and minus 11. A calm wind will become east southeast around 5 mph in the afternoon.

Tuesday night, there is a 40 percent chance of snow, mainly after midnight, with a low around 6, according to the weather service. An east wind will be around 6 mph.

Wednesday, it will be cloudy, with a high near 22, the weather service said.

For more weather information, visit www.weather.gov.