HILLSDALE, Kan. – On Monday, crews continued to pick up debris from an EF-2 tornado with peak winds of 115 mph, struck Hillsdale last week. While much of the debris has now been cleared, residents say insurance challenges are becoming the next major obstacle.
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Aaron Bien, owner of Shady Acres RV Park, says getting coverage has been difficult.
“I mean, they’ve been overwhelmed, I’m sure, but they haven’t made any negotiations on getting out here,” Bien said.
Miami County Undersheriff Matthew Kelly says he’s heard similar concerns from residents across the community, especially after a hailstorm hit just days after the tornado.
“It’s a really common theme that we’ve heard, and I think insurance companies are just overwhelmed in our community right now,” Kelly said.
Bien says eleven out of 38 RVs were impacted by the storm. Insurance said they would come out on Tuesday, April 20. Bien said tacking on storage facilities might be the only way to get them to work faster.
In all of this, Kelly says he’s encouraged by the progress made during the first week of recovery.
“I mean I’m pleasantly surprised on how everything has really come out,” Kelly said. “I anticipated we’d be here for a long time cleaning up.”
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Crews from the County Road and Bridge Department and the Kansas Department of Transportation spent the week clearing debris from along roadways, particularly along 255th Street. Most homes in town were addressed last week, with crews shifting focus to rural areas and remaining piles along the roadside on Monday.
Starting at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday April 20, volunteers are being asked to assist with those final efforts by bringing chainsaws, tractors, and manpower to help move heavy debris to the edge of the roadway where crews can collect it– That will be at Hillsdale Learning Center.
Kelly says overall, the community is in a good position.
“We’re in a really good spot, I’d say,” he said.
In addition to general insurance delays, many residents are facing multiple deductibles for storm damage.
“I have people say ‘yeah, my insurance is great but now I have a deductible on my house. I have a deductible on my two cars that I have at home, and I can’t afford all these deductibles’,” Kelly said. “They tell me they need help trying to afford those deductibles,” Kelly said, describing concerns shared by residents.
Officials are now conducting needs assessments through the Kansas Department of Emergency Management and the local health department to better understand what assistance residents may require moving forward.
Another challenge during cleanup involved debris removal on private property since county and state crews cannot operate on private land. That’s why volunteers helped move debris to the roadside.
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Looking ahead, both Bien and Kelly say they plan to review the response and improve future planning, particularly for RV parks and private property cleanup.
“We’re all going to sit down afterwards and do a after actions brief,” Bien said.
“You know, anytime we have any critical incident. We will debrief it,” Kelly added.
