At Wednesday's Sedgwick County Commission meeting, Commissioners received a report outlining the county's response during and after the April 29th tornado.
Julie Stimson, Emergency Management Director, said the response began even as the EF-3 tornado was still slicing through eastern Sedgwick County and into Butler County and the city of Andover. Within 2.5 hours, law enforcement, fire department, and search-and-rescue personnel had completed their initial search. Three injuries were reported in the storm, but remarkably no deaths.
The report highlighted areas where improvements could be made. Early on, the two county EOC's did not communicate or coordinate together. The day after the tornado, the two counties combined their resources at the Andover Fire department.
The report also says there was significant duplication of effort as search teams frequently found law enforcement had checked in on a location but had not relayed that information back to the command center.
The full report can be found here.
The agencies also had to navigate through a small COVID outbreak, and transition to a hybrid response for a time.
60 people participated in the review, intended to provide lessons learned in both strengths and areas for improvement, without placing blame.
96 structures were affected in Sedgwick County, with 22 damaged or destroyed. The county says the damage estimate currently stands at $4.5 million, which is still a preliminary figure as insurance companies continue to process claims.
