Kansas City declares state of emergency

As of 9 a.m. today, a state of emergency is declared in Kansas City.

Mayoral spokesman Danny Rotert said the state of emergency declaration was signed this morning, which allows the city to bend some city employment rules, keep crucial employees on duty as needed and bring in other employees or contractors as needed.

The last time a state of emergency declaration was issued was during the February 2011 blizzard.