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Marion: Powerless for 30 hour years ago

Staff reporter

"We don't know when we'll have electricity."

That was the blunt assessment Marion city administrator David Mayfield made at 9:30 a.m. Wednesday — 20 hours after power to most of the community failed.

By noon, Marion officials were saying the Westar Energy personnel had informed them the town would have electricity by 6 p.m.

But 6 p.m. came and went.

"Westar is now talking electricity will come on after dark," Mayfield said. "Maybe 9 if we're lucky. No definite answer from them."

Power finally did come back on around 8 p.m. even as temperatures were dipping ever closer to zero.

It all began Tuesday morning when rain turned to ice, causing tree limbs to snap like twigs.

When the limbs broke and fell, electrical service lines were snapped from homes, and power lines ripped from poles.

City crews worked Tuesday afternoon and all night Wednesday to remove limbs and repair lines.

Three primary electrical lines serve the city.

By 10 p.m., two of the three lines were providing electricity, Mayfield said. By 11 p.m., the crews had the third primary line restored and had repaired the main power line.

"All that was left was getting lines hooked up to houses," Mayfield said.

Then, at 1:15 a.m. Wednesday, Westar Energy personnel contacted the city and said that power was being disconnected in an effort to repair and restore electrical service to 54,000 customers in the Wichita area, Mayfield said.

"I was told by a Westar official that all crews had gone home and were due out at 6 a.m. (Wednesday)," Mayfield said. "They said they would get Marion on as soon as possible."

Gina Penzig, a spokeswoman for Westar Energy, said efforts were being made to restore power.

"It is my understanding the outage is due to the weather and crews are working in the Marion area," Penzig said.

But she said customers were being told it could be 7 to 10 days before power was restored to all customers.

Mayfield said city public utilities superintendent Harvey Sanders attempted to connect a power line with service from Florence.

Unfortunately, power poles had been knocked down, eliminating that option.

"I hope Hillsboro gets on soon," Mayfield said. "We might be able to back-feed from Hillsboro."

At about 1 p.m., electrical power had been restored in Hillsboro. Mayfield and Sanders were in communications with Westar to determine whether power could be obtained in that manner. At press time, it had not been determined whether thist was a viable option.

"The crew went way above and beyond," Sanders said.

Mayfield echoed Sanders' remark.

Employees have been working non-stop since the disaster occurred, Mayfield said.

"No one has gone home since 8 a.m. Tuesday," Sanders said.

Water conservation

The city had another concern — water.

"Water conservation is imperative," Mayfield said. "At 6 a.m. today (Wednesday), the water tower had 28 feet of (treated) water," he said. "By 8:30 a.m., the amount of water dropped to 26 feet."

When the water level is 20 feet, the tower stops pumping water to Marion County Park & Lake customers.

Mayfield wasn't certain what water level was necessary to maintain a supply for Marion water customers but he didn't want it to reach that point.

In an effort to refill and maintain a safe water level for fire protection, the city obtained a generator to process water at the plant.

However, conservation continues to be important until weather conditions improve.

Serving residents

For St. Luke Hospital & Living Center, a backup generator is proving to be worth its weight in gold.

Chief executive officer Thom Smith said the hospital was maintaining operations even though it was functioning with limited power.

"We're equipped to take care of any emergency," Smith said.

Quality care for living center residents and hospital patients also was maintained, Smith said.

Additional fuel for the generator was delivered late Wednesday morning to assure continued operation of the hospital and long-term care center.

Bed space was limited, however, with near capacity in the hospital.

The hospital's kitchen provided hot coffee and pastries to county and city crews.

Marion Manor residents maintained their comfort with a generator supplied by the county.

Residents of Marion Assisted Living opted to go to a motel in Wichita for the duration.

Always on duty

Marion police department also assisted during the blackout.

"In an effort to protect citizens and businesses, there were officers patrolling all night (Wednesday)," said Lt. Dean Keyes.

Called a saturation patrol, Keyes said officers patrolled the community to discourage theft and looting.

"The city is vulnerable without electricity," Keyes said, "especially at night."

The officers also assisted city crews with locating down power lines and provided the usual first response to fire calls.

Fire calls

The volunteer fire department seemed to go from one fire to the next, responding to numerous calls.

Most calls were made when power lines snapped from poles or service lines ripped from houses causing sparks and sometimes shooting flames.

No significant fire damage to homes or property was reported.

Shelters

Residents without electricity may seek shelter at three locations in Marion.

Preparations were being made at press time to provide shelter at Marion City Office and Marion County Courthouse.

The fire station, equipped with a generator and connected to the police department, also was available to the public.

Even with the possibility of Marion residents having a warm house in which to sleep Wednesday night, shelters will be available.

"We're not taking any chances," Mayfield said.

Clean up

The city's tree dump will remain open until clean up is complete.

The "honor system" will be used for residents to only discard tree limbs at the site, per Kansas Department of Health & Environment regulations.

Residents may pile limbs and branches along curbs for city crews to pick up at a later date.

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