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Pratt County declares local disaster emergency after multiple tornadoes
Summary
Pratt County commissioners adopted a seven-day local disaster emergency after tornadoes caused damage across rural areas, directing staff to coordinate assessments with the National Weather Service and American Red Cross.
The Pratt County Board of Commissioners voted May 2025 to declare a local state of disaster emergency after multiple tornadoes struck parts of the county overnight, damaging homes, outbuildings and oilfield equipment.
The declaration, adopted as Resolution 2025-01, covers the entire county and takes effect immediately for seven days unless renewed by the board. Dean, speaking in the meeting as the county's emergency coordinator, told commissioners the storms produced a path of destruction “about a mile and a quarter” wide in places and that crews found scattered damage to homes, grain bins, sheds and oil tank batteries.
The resolution gives the board authority to use powers under the Kansas Emergency Preparedness Act; the docket language cited KSA 1-0-76 supplemental 48-932. Dean said the county had notified state emergency management (KDEM) and logged the event with the state EOC, and that National Weather Service and American Red Cross teams were performing damage assessments.
Commissioners and staff described specific impacts: several farm structures and equipment were destroyed or thrown into fields, a combine was found on its side and a number of oilfield tank batteries were scattered across a field. Dean said some residents credited watching the county’s live updates for prompting them to take shelter; in one case, he recounted, a resident told him, “If they wouldn't have been watching that live, they wouldn't be here.”
The board discussed whether the county might meet the federal threshold for a Presidential disaster declaration. Dean said the customary figure discussed was about $1,500,000 for public assistance but noted uncertainty: “I can look it up to double check,” he said, and added that insurance coverage for farms and oil companies would likely reduce the county’s countable damage.
The board approved the proclamation by motion and voice vote; the meeting record shows the motion and a second and that commissioners answered “aye” during the roll call. Commissioners asked staff to compile addresses and damage details to support state and federal assessments and to share those with partners performing evaluations.
Officials said county response actions during the event included activating the EOC, coordinating siren activations for several towns, conducting aerial surveys and arranging for cleanup of limited oil spills where barriers were in place. Dean told the board he had people in the EOC from midafternoon through the early morning following the storms and that communications were hampered at times when the county's Slack link to the National Weather Service failed.
The board’s declaration is intended to ensure the county can access state support and position itself for further assistance if aggregated damage and other eligibility thresholds are met. Staff said they would forward the signed resolution to KDEM once final signatures were collected and would provide additional information to the Red Cross and NWS teams conducting assessments.
