Tornado kills 9, wipes out Kansas town

[D-Day]

(CNN) -- A massive tornado killed at least nine people in southwestern Kansas on Friday night and destroyed nearly everything in its path.

"My town is gone," Greensburg, Kansas, City Administrator Steve Hewitt said after surveying the wreckage.

"I believe 95 percent of the homes are gone," Hewitt said. "Downtown buildings are gone, my home is gone, and we've got to find a way to make this work and get this town back on its feet."

By Saturday morning, the town was empty and structural engineers and the National Weather Service were assessing damage. Hundreds of residents were taken to shelters in schools and other facilities in nearby towns, the Red Cross said.

"We will not reopen the town until we know it's safe for the residents to come back," Hewitt said.

Storm chaser Darin Brunin told CNN he saw people in the streets walking "in shock, not even knowing what was going on." Many homes were leveled, limping dogs wandered aimlessly, and injured cattle were scattered across a highway, he said. (Watch an aerial view of the devastation )

"It wasn't a pleasant sight to see at all, very horrible," Brunin said.

Another storm chaser, Marty Logan, estimated the twister was at least a half-mile wide. Two smaller tornadoes followed the larger twister, and they swept northward into Greensburg, he said.

The Red Cross said about 90 percent of the town, which has a population of less than 2,000, was destroyed or heavily damaged. The central business district, City Hall and high school were destroyed, but the courthouse remained standing, witnesses said. (Watch homes turned into piles of bricks and splintered wood )

The weather service reported a tornado in Greensburg about 9:30 p.m. Friday. CNN meteorologist Reynolds Wolf said warning sirens alerted most residents to take shelter.

Katie White told The Associated Press she was driving through Greensburg when she heard the tornado warning. She drove into a convenience store parking lot, and the store owner pulled her and a dozen other people into a large walk-in freezer for safety, the AP said.

When they came out, White said, the store was gone.

On Saturday afternoon, meteorologists were still trying to determine the path of Friday night's storms, Wolf said. He said the storm system moved into parts of neighboring Nebraska and the Dakotas. (Watch a tornado bear down on an Oklahoma storm chaser )

Weather forecasters said central Kansas may face another severe weather outbreak Saturday afternoon and overnight.

Red Cross spokeswoman Andrea Anglin said Greensburg had no electricity, gas or running water, and at least 400 residents were in shelters -- in Haviland to the east and Mullinville and Bucklin to the south.

The organization was able to use school and charter buses to transport residents.

Rescue, recovery efforts
State emergency management officials said the Kansas National Guard dispatched 40 members to Greensburg to help with security, and a hazardous-materials team planned to examine several overturned railcars.

Kansas Highway Patrol Sgt. Ron Knoefel said the National Guard conducted house-to-house searches for people trapped under rubble.

Search-and-rescue teams have made two initial sweeps of the city and might do more later, Kansas Emergency Management Incident Commander Terry David said.

Rescue crews have pulled some people alive from the rubble, and more are expected to be found in upcoming days, Hewitt said. He did not give an exact number of those found Saturday. (Watch tornado survivors climb out of damaged building )

Rescue efforts were hampered by debris, some of which has caused flat tires. Knoefel said many of the first responders "are in shock" and are dealing with the mental toll of having lost homes themselves.

Communication lines were down and cell phone service was intermittent, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius said.

About 100 Red Cross officials rushed to the town, and some of the volunteers planned to work with the Federal Emergency Management Agency "to assess how many families were affected and to what extent," Anglin said.

"This was an unbelievable event that occurred last night. You have to see it in person to really understand it, but it's devastating," Hewitt said.

Despite the major setbacks the storm has caused for the city, Hewitt said the town would prevail and be rebuilt.

How? "We're going to have to pull ourselves up by our boots and do it ourselves," he said.

Greensburg is best known for having the world's largest hand-dug well and being home to a 1,000-pound pallasite meteorite.

Treating the injured
The Greensburg storm collapsed one of the wings of the Kiowa County Memorial Hospital, trapping 30 people who were later rescued with minor injuries, said Sharon Watson of the Kansas Emergency Management Agency .

At least 55 injured people initially were evacuated about 30 miles east to Pratt Regional Medical Center for treatment, according to hospital spokeswoman Kim Stivers. The injuries ranged from cuts and scrapes to more severe injuries, she said.

Some of the 55 were then transferred to other hospitals.

Western Plains Medical Complex in Dodge City treated and released eight injured patients, CEO John Walker said. Two remained hospitalized Saturday morning due to more "more serious conditions."

Five patients were taken to Wesley Medical Center in Wichita, spokeswoman Helen Thomas said. Two were in intensive care, and three were listed in serious condition.

Four people were hospitalized for multiple injuries at Via Christi Saint Francis Hospital in Wichita. Spokeswoman Joy Mock told CNN two were in fair condition and two were in critical condition in the intensive care unit after facing "pretty significant" traumas.

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WEATHER/05/0...her/index.html

My friends Darin and **** (or Richard, since this will censor) were on this storm when it was hitting the town...said they'd never seen anything like it. This is pretty damn tragic.

[Tod]

Wow! What a tragic loss.

I pray they get the help they need to get some resemblance of their lives back soon.

[Blooze]

I would like for everyone to please say a prayer for all the victims of the tornado in Greensburg, KS. I grew up and spent most of my 37 years just 20 miles west of Greensburg and know people there. I can't imagine having my WHOLE town wiped out.

...Shane

[D-Day]

http://www.kansas.com/static/slides/...ornadoaerials/

Photos of aftermath...

[BikerBeagle]

I don't know what's sadder ...the fact that this happened, or the fact that I live in Kansas and had no idea this happened until I read this thread. I rarely read the newspaper and rarely watch local network TV (and, when I do it's usually recorded on DVR, not at the time of showing, so I can FF through the commercials).

Sad news for sure. Many a community in Kansas has been destroyed by tornado.

[CTRider]

Originally Posted by BikerBeagle

I don't know what's sadder ...the fact that this happened, or the fact that I live in Kansas and had no idea this happened until I read this thread. I rarely read the newspaper and rarely watch local network TV (and, when I do it's usually recorded on DVR, not at the time of showing, so I can FF through the commercials).

Sad news for sure. Many a community in Kansas has been destroyed by tornado.

OK, while this is a sad event, I have to say it:

If you lived in a trailer park, you'd have heard about the tornado...it would have sought you out.

[BikerBeagle]

Originally Posted by CTRider

OK, while this is a sad event, I have to say it:

If you lived in a trailer park, you'd have heard about the tornado...it would have sought you out.

Um, I DO live in a trailer park.

[Blooze]

Originally Posted by BikerBeagle

Um, I DO live in a trailer park.

Biker Beagle,

I lived in Wichita right after high school for several years when the tornado hit Hesston. Lots of tornados over several years if I remember--Andover, Haysville, Rose Hill. Friend of mine lived in Haysville.

My wife and daughter rode out the one in Hoisington back in 2001. It was nervewracking because I was unable to contact them for nearly three days. My daughter was 3 at the time and the trauma caused her to stutter severely for nearly a year.

[CTRider]

Originally Posted by BikerBeagle

Um, I DO live in a trailer park.

LOL - then I guess someone was watching out for you. Judging from the wreckage I saw from regular houses, I can't imagine what would happen to something that is only strapped down. I'm glad to hear you weren't affected.

And, of course, I'm kidding about the tornados seeking out trailers. It just seems like they do since they get most of the damage - and yield the best disaster pictures. That's the real reason it always seems like they get hit.