Life is returning to normal one week after the July 14 storm blasted Iola and much of Allen County.
Power was restored Wednesday to the remaining individual homes that sustained damage to their electric lines from falling tree limbs, wind or other debris, City Clerk Roxanne Hutton said, although electric crews still have plenty of recovery work ahead of them.
Now, employees will return for permanent fixes, typically for homes whose lines had been pulled from their meter boxes, Hutton said.
In addition, crews are canvassing town to replace broken power lines, and then will repair the half-dozen or so broken streetlights, Hutton said.
ELSEWHERE, the Southwind Rail Trail, the hiking and biking trail that connects Iola and Humboldt, was reopened Friday morning.
Volunteers had been working on the trail daily since last Friday’s storm, removing fallen trees and limbs that had blocked the trail, often completely.
The volunteers received a boost from a team of Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks employees Wednesday, using a mini excavator to greatly speed up the clean-up.
Volunteers David Fontaine and Jay Kretzmeier will continue working on the trail to get rid of limbs that have been cleared away from the passageway, but the trail is safe for both bicyclists and hikers/runners alike.
