Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly issued a state of disaster emergency declaration on Friday for Doniphan County affected by flooding this week.

The declaration authorizes the use of state resources and personnel to assist with response and recovery operations in affected counties that meet certain criteria.

In a media release the Governor said,  “We urge residents to be aware of their safety. Flood waters can be deceptive; it only takes 18 inches of water to float a car. Although people often think of tornadoes as the big destructive force of nature in Kansas, floods can be just as damaging, if not more so. While tornadoes are generally limited in scope, floods affect many, many square miles, destroying or damaging roads, bridges, power lines and other vital infrastructure. I am signing this declaration to help these county governments quickly restore infrastructure and get things back to normal for their citizens.”

The Kansas Division of Emergency Management has activated the State Emergency Operations Center to a partial level and is working closely with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the National Weather Service to provide support to Doniphan County. KDEM has sent three regional coordinators to assist Doniphan county emergency management officials.

Other state agencies that have reported to the SEOC are State Fire Marshal’s Office, Kansas Highway Patrol and Department of Children and Families.

The Kansas State Animal Response Team has been requested to deploy to assist with sheltering of evacuated pets.

The state declaration may be amended to include any additional counties that may experience flooding.

For Kansas road information go online to www.KanDrive.org. The site displays information from KDOT’s traveler information technology, including highway cameras, dynamic message signs, traffic management centers and 511 phone, online and mobile (http://511mm.ksdot.org).