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Water Drops and So Does Number of Rescues, Road Closures

'The information out of the EOC ... proved to be a great benefit during the incident.'

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(TNS) — First responders were called to a possible water rescue on Tuesday in the 2500 block of North Pennington Road and to people trapped on top of a pickup truck in flood waters the day before at 56th and Pennington roads.

Water levels of Cow Creek and the Arkansas River on Tuesday afternoon showed at least a 2.5-foot drop from the peaks last Thursday. First responders need the levels to drop even further before the damages can be assessed.

Reno County, Kan., Emergency Management listed 37 road closures on Thursday, but the dangerous situations that led to six water rescue calls last Thursday have diminished.

Hutchinson Fire Department chief Steve Beer didn't know the details of the call to 56th and Pennington, only that the initial call stated that people were trapped on the roof of the truck. The vehicle on the 2500 block of North Pennington Road ended up being abandoned.

Beer said the vehicle would likely stay until the water threat is gone for good.

"Priority is life safety, No. 1," Beer said. "We can always replace a vehicle."

On that front, Beer called the effort of first responders a success. He said the emergency operations center, used during all severe weather dangers, allowed first responders from all Reno County agencies to coordinate together in one room.

The partnership helped navigate first responders around flood waters and to victims.

"The information out of the EOC ... proved to be a great benefit during the incident," Beer said.

The EOC was dissolved on Saturday.

Beer estimated that HFD responded to a dozen water rescue calls. Roughly three of the calls, he said, ended up being an abandoned vehicle or did not require someone to be rescued.

The two rescue boats and personnel shifted to Fire Station No. 5 on Hendricks Street during the flooding are not back at their usual stations.

The highest level the National Weather Service reported for the Arkansas River in Hutchinson was 10.88 feet at 9:40 p.m. last Thursday. The NWS listed the river at 5.93 at noon on Tuesday.

Cow Creek reached a record-high 12.91 feet at 8:30 a.m. last Thursday. At 3 p.m. Tuesday, Cow Creek was measured at 10.24 feet.

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