Tornado Damage
On the way to Colorado, we saw where a tornado had spun its way through Stafford County along US50. This damage was from the two stormy nights in early May, either the 4th or the 5th. Tornadoes hit the area both evenings.
I’m surprised this house didn’t get ripped from its foundation. Dozens of trees were shredded.
And, as long as I’m doing tornado damage…
On our return trip from Colorado, we traveled US54. They wouldn’t let us in Greensburg, of course, there were like six Kansas Highway Patrol officers blocking the road, so we drove north to the next mile road and over. Small boards with nails in them littered the roadway. Pieces of corrugated metal were all over - destroyed grain bins. Fiberglass insulation bits.
In the nearby town of Mullinville, we picked up a Public Information Update sheet that came out that morning. You can learn what’s going on in Greensburg by reading these daily updates online.
Anyway, we were about a 1/4 mile from Greensburg, so we didn’t have a view - except we could see the poor trees in town and the elevator.
Only people “with a reason to be there” were allowed in town. And that’s understandable… It’s a dangerous area - with asbestos, chemical spills, etc. And if you’re not helping out, if you’re not a part of the solution, then you’re part of the problem, but wow, what an experience you gain from just driving by. We could feel the tragedy hanging in the air. Very sobering.
This was along the road that parallels the highway…
The rodeo arena was along this road. Apparently the storm dumped a lot of the debris there. But volunteers cleaned up the arena and held the annual Greensburg Rodeo this weekend. That’s the Kansas spirit. No tornado’s gonna keep us down for long.
We pulled into the rodeo grounds and talked with a police officer from Pittsburg, KS. He said he had been there for a week and was returning home the next day.
Also on this road was the cemetery - and in the cemetery every tree was intact.
It’s strange, how exact and defined a tornado’s path is. In one spot, 200 mph winds, and then maybe 20 yards over, no damage.
***
The first link on this page (Kansas Adjutant General’s website) shows satellite photos of Greensburg, before and after. The other links are aerial and ground photos.
***
When I got home, the Kansas Explorer newsletter was waiting for me. Marci Penner suggests that Kansas Explorers help out “The Big Well,” Greensburg’s tourist attraction.
Marci writes, “Churches are helping churches, Girl Scouts are helping Girl Scouts, small business advocates are helping the businesses. Our focus will be the Big Well and its staff. Why is it important for the Big Well to be restored? Greensburg has long been identified by the Big Well and to restore this icon will be one symbol of commitment to rebuilding this city. When Karen and the city are ready to take steps forward with the Big Well, then we will be there to support them.”
You can make contributions to the Big Well on the Kansas Sampler Foundation website.
Learn more about the situation and people involved with the Big Well at bigwellhelp.org.
If the Big Well isn’t your thing, there are other organizations that are taking donations for Greensburg relief.
Filed under: small towns, weather on May 28th, 2007
Your photos and those of the Adj. Gen’s office are both sobering and just rattle the brain at the damage a tornado can and does do. So selective is the wind, as you mentioned, that damage is sometimes separated by a matter of feet from undamaged.