Kansas City hit with flash flood emergency Friday night
Heavy rains and flash flooding in Kansas City prompted more than 10 water rescues before 11 p.m. due to the flash flooding.
Heavy rains and flash flooding in Kansas City prompted more than 10 water rescues before 11 p.m. due to the flash flooding.
Heavy rain has swamped several areas of Kansas City, prompting high-water rescues and a temporary stoppage of the city's downtown streetcar service.
KMBC-TV reported that Friday night's storms caused Brush Creek, which runs through the south side of the city, to rise 10 feet in an hour.
The National Weather Service issued a Flash Flood Emergency until 1:45 a.m. Saturday. The service has never issued one of these warnings in Kansas City.聽聽A Flash Flood Emergency indicates an imminent severe flooding situation in densely populated areas, similar to the procedure for declaring a聽tornado emergency.
The Department of Homeland Security advises that when there's a flood warning, residents should:
- Move immediately to higher ground or stay on high ground.
- Evacuate if directed.
- Avoid walking or driving through flood waters. Turn Around, Don鈥檛 Drown! Just 6 inches of moving water can knock you down and 2 feet of water can sweep your vehicle away.
The Kansas City Star reports that the Johnson County Emergency Management office said there were more than 10 water rescues before 11 p.m. due to the flash flooding.
The streetcar service was suspended for an hour downtown due to flooding, and highways around downtown took on water, too.
The National Weather Service in Kansas City tweeted Saturday that 4.56 inches of rain fell in a 24-hour period.
The Kansas Cit Star reported that storms over the Kansas City area Friday night were part of a system of severe weather that brought the threat of tornadoes earlier in the day.