March 15, 2017
NASHVILLE, Tenn (RFD-TV) Wildfire relief efforts are underway across impacted states, with one Kansas County Commissioner predicting the recovery at five years or more.
Senator Pat Roberts (R) recently spoke to fellow lawmakers about the historic wildfires that burned across four states last week.
“On Friday, I drove south through Dodge City, KS through range and ranchland I didn’t even recognize. What used to be a gently rolling prairie dotted with herds of cattle and criss-crossed by fencing is now reduced to blackened dust,” he described to the Senate.
In Clark County, KS, the hardest hit, it’s estimated producers lost between 3,000 and 9,000 head of cattle, including John and Carol Swayze’s herd.
“John said to me with tears in his eyes, ‘Pat it took me 43 years to build up this operation and it took about an hour to take it all down’,” Senator Roberts explained.
“Looking at this picture now it’s not hard to wonder how this land will come back to provide for so many as it has for generations of Kansas farm and ranch families, whose sweat and blood have produced for Kansas, our nation, and yes, the world as well.”
But the Kansas senator says he knows his state will rebuild, and that perseverance can be seen through the numerous recovery efforts across the country.
Find out how you can help those in affected areas here.