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Local restoration company project affected by twister
A four-man crew with a local restoration company was within two days of completing one of their routine projects when the unexpected happened.
A massive EF-5 tornado struck the town of Greensburg in Kiowa County at about 9:45 p.m. May 4, destroying about 961 homes and killing 11 people. The group of Mid-Continental Restoration Company workers had been making repairs to the Masonic Lodge building in Greensburg when the devastating twister leveled the small town, which had a population of nearly 1,900 people.
The funnel was the first EF-5 under the new Enhanced Fujita scale, and the first F-5 tornado under the previous severity scale since a tornado hit Moore, Okla. in May 1999, a National Weather Service report said. The twister damaged about 1,700 homes, 105 of which sustained major damage, and 67 of which sustained minor damage.
Several businesses in the area also felt the effects of the storm; 110 had major damage, while 24 had minor damage. Internet reports of the disaster said that parts of U.S. Highway 54 are still closed to traffic.
Mid-Continental crews typically work on projects Monday through Thursday, and then return home on Fridays, much as this particular crew did after nearing completion on the Greensburg project, company officials said. The mile-and-a-half wide tornado, with wind speeds reaching 205 miles per hour, destroyed nearly everything in its path that fateful night.
"Now, it's pretty much gone," Mid-Continental Restoration Company President Frank Halsey said.
The crew that was working at the site plan to return there this weekend to retrieve the company truck -- which was tipped over on its side by strong winds -- and other remaining construction equipment that was left at the site. The intense strength of the winds blew pieces of wood through the side of one of the crew's fiberglass ladders, which the crews brought home with them, Halsey said.
They weren't so lucky with several other major pieces of equipment that could not be found in the destruction.
"I'm talking about 40-foot ladders and scaffolding -- they're just gone," Halsey said.
Halsey said when foreman Johnny Perez and his crew returned from Greensburg, Perez was nearly speechless.
"He told me 'It's not something I want to talk about," Halsey said. "It's just devastation.'"
Halsey also said he did not want the local story to overshadow the loss of life that occurred in Greensburg, but that many local residents are interested and sympathetic toward the situation that Greensburg residents are now going through.
"We feel somehow tied to that community," he said.
The American Red Cross is present in Greensburg with a distribution center where many needed supplies are available. The ARC is also operating two shelters there, and has provided housing for 947 people and helped 411 families with financial support. The Red Cross has also served almost 21,000 meals and nearly 30,000 snacks, according to the ARC Internet site.
Volunteers have distributed more than 5,000 supplies, such as gloves, trash bags, paper towels, and clean-up kits, to help people in Kiowa and Stafford counties. Clean-up of the destruction is expected to take weeks rather than days.
The Kansas National Guard, the Kansas Department of Transportation, and several contractors have hauled nearly 6,100 dump truck loads of debris to the Kiowa County landfill, according to Internet reports of the disaster.
Financial donations, which are being handled by the United Way, can be made to the Green for Greensburg Fund, United Way of the Plains, 245 N. Water, Wichita, KS 67202.
The KNG, with about 400 members present in Greensburg, also has a mobile hospital set up to provide medical services to Kiowa County residents.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has declared four Kansas counties as disaster areas; Kiowa, Pratt, Edwards and Stafford. Federal officials are preparing to ship about 50 mobile homes to Greensburg. FEMA has about 8,000 trailers in Hope, Ark. ready to ship to disaster sites, reports said.
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius and other legislative leaders are expected to return to the Statehouse on May 22 to discuss the tornado destruction. Lawmakers are expected to talk about allowing the State Finance Council to exceed it's $10 million disaster relief limit for the Greensburg recovery effort.
President Bush visited Greensburg on May 9, touring the devastated town and visiting with victims. Bush said his mission is to bring hope to the people of Greensburg.
Those people interested in helping with continued clean-up efforts may call (888) 413-4327 to coordinate with the United Way. Call the Red Cross at (800) 257-7575 to make financial donations.