The Cass County Commissioners met briefly Feb. 28 to approve two State of Emergency declarations that Presiding Commissioner Jeff Cox made during the two late February snowstorms that county residents endured.</p><p>The first storm, which barreled through Cass County Feb. 21, and the second system, which came through the area on Feb. 25, dumped more than 20 inches of snow throughout the county.</p><p>In the proclamations, Cox said that Cass County&#x2019;s Office of Emergency Management reported to him that both storms posed unusual weather conditions consisting of extreme high winds, sleet and snow, causing the threat of a disaster by creating dangerous road conditions, power outages, interruptions in telephone service, the risk of falling trees and branches, fires, down electrical lines, loss of water supply or damage to public facilities.</p><p>Approval of the declarations enables the county to request federal assistance from the appropriate sources and agencies if they become available, Cox said.</p><p>During the meeting, the Commissioners also received a brief pitch for supplemental health insurance options for county employees from Tyler Alt with Benefits Direct in Kansas City.</p><p>&#x201C;A lot of employees are looking to their employer for insurance solutions,&#x201D; Alt said.</p><p>Benefits Direct serves as a brokerage for voluntary employee benefits, such as dental, vision, life and cancer insurance coverage.