© Riley County Police DepartmentNearly 9 inches of rain pounded Manhattan, Kan., Sunday night and into Monday, causing a flash flood called “a 500-year event.”
Nearly 9 inches of rain that pounded Manhattan, Kan., overnight and into the day Monday caused major flash flooding, forcing more than 300 people to evacuate their homes. Some 750 homes still lack power, the city of Manhattan reports.
"We're saying it is a 500-year event, perhaps a 700-, 800-year event," said
Manhattan's Municipal Government Manager Mark Fehr at a 2 p.m. press conference Monday.
Aerial photographs posted by the Riley County Police show buildings flooded nearly to their roofs. Two emergency shelters have been established, one at Cico Park and a second at Bramlage Coliseum.
'"It is estimated that about 300 individuals have been impacted as of now," Fehr said. The Army Corp. of Engineers, he said, reported 8.9 inches of rain had fallen in the area, causing Wildcat Creek to overflow its banks. Three bridges were overcome, two on Kansas 18 and the bridge on Scenic Drive.
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