WICHITA, Kan. (AP) Crews are working in several Kansas communities to restore power, remove broken trees and repair minor damage from hail and high winds that smacked the state.
The most serious damage from Wednesday night’s weather was reported near the town of Silver Lake, northwest of Topeka. Shawnee County’s emergency management director said straight-line winds destroyed a Baptist church under construction.
In Wichita, the city-owned Sim Park Golf Course was closed Thursday while crews replaced hundreds of divots created by hailstones.
About 15,000 customers of Westar Energy in scattered communities lost power during the storms. Most had electricity restored by midday Thursday.
But one fixture that kept working overnight was a tornado siren in southern Wichita, even though no tornado warnings were posted. The malfunctioning siren blared repeatedly for more than five hours.
