Thousands in KC area lose power in storms

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (AP) -- Strong winds and heavy rains in the Kansas City area flood highways and leave thousands without power.

More than 13,000 homes and businesses were still without electricity at 8:30 a.m. Thursday in the aftermath of thunderstorms on both sides of the Missouri-Kansas line the night before.

Kansas City Power and Light Co. reported on its Web site that 9,600 customers were still powerless. At one point nearly 32,000 KCP&L customers were in the dark, most of them in eastern Jackson County.

Aquila's Web site cited nearly 3,300 outages, mostly in eastern suburbs.

Rescuers saved a woman and her baby in Kansas City, Kan., Wednesday night after their car nearly submerged on a flooded street. One-inch hail and 60 mile per hour wind gusts were common in much of northeast Kansas and northwest Missouri.

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Information from The Kansas City Star: http://www.kansascity.com

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On the Net:

Kansas City Power & Light Co.: http://www.kcpl.com

Aquila: http://www.aquila.com