Damage tally continues to grow
By MIKE CORN
As Tuesday wore on, the extent of the damage caused by Monday night's storm became more apparent and sharply more significant.
The roof at the visitor's center at Historic Fort Hays was blown off in two places, jeopardizing a complete makeover inside, while the roof at Wiest Hall on the Fort Hays State University campus also was damaged, allowing water to pour into the residence hall.
Repairs on the Wiest roof are expected to start today, FHSU spokesman Kent Steward said, and crews were busy inside the building Tuesday afternoon cleaning up after the leaks.
Furnishings were brought out into the hallways in several locations so the cleaning process could take place.
About 15 cars in the parking area around Wiest were damaged when the roofing material blew off, Steward said.
Power remained off at Sheridan Hall late Tuesday.
The power was restored by the time university employees arrived at work this morning.
The rain was so heavy, it caused some minor flooding at the football field at Lewis Field Stadium when the water couldn't drain off the football field fast enough.
A representative of the turf company headed to Hays on Tuesday to inspect the field to confirm it would be playable by Saturday's first FHSU football game. School officials expected no further problems.
Meanwhile, city crews were out in force removing downed limbs. Municipal and Frontier parks, however, remained blocked throughout the day, as limbs were scattered throughout both locations.
At Historic Fort Hays, site administrator Bob Wilhelm was busy picking up pieces of insulation that were scattered about when the wind, gusting at unconfirmed speeds of up to 85 mph, picked up two sections of the roof.
"It's a pretty old roof," Wilhelm said, "but it peeled it right off."
He and board members of the Friends of Historic Fort Hays were in the midst of a meeting when the storm blew through, and they soon heard the rushing wind outside.
When they looked outside, they saw the remains of part of the copper gutters that surrounded the building.
A short time later, the board meeting was interrupted once again when a worker from Paul-Wertenberger Construction, out to check on the project, stuck his head in and asked if they knew the roof had been blown off.
Soon after that, Wilhelm started mopping up water in what had been a laundry area of the visitor's center building.
"I was mopping, and the more I mopped, the more that was coming in," he said.
He soon realized a vent on the roof had been knocked loose, allowing the heavy downpour to run unabated into the building.
Despite the damage, he was heartened Tuesday to see little damage to the newly remodeled interior, part of a complete makeover the fort has been undergoing.
Soon after saying that, however, he checked a spot that had been leaking water, and it was apparent the ceiling had water damage.
"This morning, all I could see was a drip coming out," he said. "This is obviously worse than that."
The roof damage, and if there's any damage inside, could delay the grand opening of the fort's upgrade.
It tentatively had been set for Sept. 25. Roofing crews had given assurances they could start in short order. The work has been authorized as an emergency repair.
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Pushed along by rainfall amounts in excess of 5 inches, the Smoky Hill River crested at 10.52 feet, less than half a foot shy of flood stage.
At its peak, more than 68 million gallons of water was flowing past the river gauge about 2 miles downstream of Schoenchen.
The river hit 12.42 feet -- more than 2 feet above flood stage -- on June 1, 2007.
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Hays city crews will be picking up tree limbs from all streets, alleys and sidewalks for public safety purposes. Efforts began Tuesday, following a Monday night storm, and will continue all week.
Homeowners have until 7 a.m. Friday to remove tree limbs that have fallen onto private property and place them along the curb, but not in the street or on sidewalks. Limbs not placed for pickup Friday will become the property owner's responsibility.
If there are questions, call the parks department at (785) 628-7375.