NEWINGTON, CT, May 7, 2007 - A tornado with a magnitude of F5 swept through southwestern Kansas this past weekend, almost completely wiping out the town of Greensburg. The town, population 1500, lost its hospital, schools, churches and all of its business and infrastructure, according to Greensburg Town Administrator Steve Hewitt. Hewitt lost his home in the storm.
F5 is the highest level of an actual tornado on the Fujita Scale, a classification system used by the National Weather Service. An F5 tornado is labeled an "Incredible Tornado," having wind speeds from 261-318 MPH. In such a tornado, strong frame houses are lifted off foundations and carried considerable distances to disintegrate, automobile-sized missiles fly through the air in excess of 400 feet, trees are debarked and steel reinforced concrete structures are badly damaged.
The tornado's damage path at its widest point was about 1.7 miles (2.7 kilometers), and it tracked for 22 miles (35 kilometers).
A team of hams entered the area on Saturday morning and began setting up communications, according to District 6 Emergency Coordinator Godfrey Flax, KC0AUH. District 5 Emergency Coordinator Robert Hanke, WG0Q, activated ARES in Pratt, Stafford, Reno and Barton Counties over the weekend.
According to ARRL Kansas Section Manager Ron Cowan, KB0DTI, repeaters on the air but they are some distance from the affected area. He and other hams were monitoring 3920 early Saturday morning in case there was radio activity.
"Virtually the entire city has been destroyed," said Maj Gen Tod Bunting of the Kansas National Guard on Monday. "It's as bad as anything I've seen." He said in some ways the damage is worse than Hurricane Katrina, because the entire city of Greensburg lies in ruins.
Nine people were killed in the twister, eight from Greensburg. The town is located at the junction of Routes 54 and 183, about 45 miles east of Dodge City. It is the county seat for Kiowa County. A ninth person, a sheriff's deputy, was killed in Stafford County, northeast of Kiowa County.
The Red Cross said about 90 percent of Greensburg was destroyed or heavily damaged. The storm stripped trees of most of their branches and destroyed all the town's churches, the Associated Press reported. Gov Kathleen Sebelius told the AP on Sunday that Kansas' response to the disaster will likely be hindered because equipment such as tents, trucks and semitrailers is now in Iraq.
The entire town was evacuated Friday night. More than 400 people are in shelters in the town of Haviland, about 11 miles east of the devastated town, and Pratt, about 31 miles east. The Salvation Army dispatched canteen units from Dodge City and Hutchinson, about 87 miles east of Greensburg. A shelter was also opened in Mullinville at the high school gym, about 10 miles west of Greensburg. On Sunday night, the Red Cross requested operators to provide communications between the hospital in Pratt and the shelter in Haviland.
The Salvation Army will be conducting logistics nets on 75 meters several times each day. Kansas and Western Missouri SATERN Coordinator June Jeffers, KB0WEQ, says SATERN members will be utilized in Kiowa County to support Salvation Army canteens and the Service Center in Haviland.
Greensburg residents were expected to be allowed to return to what's remaining of their homes Monday morning, according to The Associated Press. Searchers spent the weekend sifting through the debris and are still hoping to account for residents who fled as the storm approached.
"Some of this rubble is 20, 30 feet deep and that's always a challenge, Bunting said Monday. "That's where we've spent all our efforts, and we'll do it again today."
Hewitt said it's "hard to tell" if anyone is trapped in the rubble, but "it's a possibility. The search and rescue continues and it will continue until ... we find everything and have everything organized. We need to make sure we've found everybody and everybody is safe and accounted for."
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is on site with two mini Emergency Operations Vehicles (EOV), and two mobile Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC) with satellite communications. They are currently considering staging areas for travel trailers and mobile homes. In anticipation of state requests, water, MREs, and tarps in are waiting in Pratt.
President Bush declared Kiowa County, Kansas, a major disaster area, making federal aid available to people and communities affected by the storm. "Our hearts are heavy for the loss of life in Greensburg, Kansas," Bush said Sunday. "I declared a major disaster for that community, and I hope that helps. It's going to take a long time for the community to recover."
Some information from www.cnn.com and the FEMA NationalResponse Coordination Center (NRCC).
F5 is the highest level of an actual tornado on the Fujita Scale, a classification system used by the National Weather Service. An F5 tornado is labeled an "Incredible Tornado," having wind speeds from 261-318 MPH. In such a tornado, strong frame houses are lifted off foundations and carried considerable distances to disintegrate, automobile-sized missiles fly through the air in excess of 400 feet, trees are debarked and steel reinforced concrete structures are badly damaged.
The tornado's damage path at its widest point was about 1.7 miles (2.7 kilometers), and it tracked for 22 miles (35 kilometers).
A team of hams entered the area on Saturday morning and began setting up communications, according to District 6 Emergency Coordinator Godfrey Flax, KC0AUH. District 5 Emergency Coordinator Robert Hanke, WG0Q, activated ARES in Pratt, Stafford, Reno and Barton Counties over the weekend.
According to ARRL Kansas Section Manager Ron Cowan, KB0DTI, repeaters on the air but they are some distance from the affected area. He and other hams were monitoring 3920 early Saturday morning in case there was radio activity.
"Virtually the entire city has been destroyed," said Maj Gen Tod Bunting of the Kansas National Guard on Monday. "It's as bad as anything I've seen." He said in some ways the damage is worse than Hurricane Katrina, because the entire city of Greensburg lies in ruins.
Nine people were killed in the twister, eight from Greensburg. The town is located at the junction of Routes 54 and 183, about 45 miles east of Dodge City. It is the county seat for Kiowa County. A ninth person, a sheriff's deputy, was killed in Stafford County, northeast of Kiowa County.
The Red Cross said about 90 percent of Greensburg was destroyed or heavily damaged. The storm stripped trees of most of their branches and destroyed all the town's churches, the Associated Press reported. Gov Kathleen Sebelius told the AP on Sunday that Kansas' response to the disaster will likely be hindered because equipment such as tents, trucks and semitrailers is now in Iraq.
The entire town was evacuated Friday night. More than 400 people are in shelters in the town of Haviland, about 11 miles east of the devastated town, and Pratt, about 31 miles east. The Salvation Army dispatched canteen units from Dodge City and Hutchinson, about 87 miles east of Greensburg. A shelter was also opened in Mullinville at the high school gym, about 10 miles west of Greensburg. On Sunday night, the Red Cross requested operators to provide communications between the hospital in Pratt and the shelter in Haviland.
The Salvation Army will be conducting logistics nets on 75 meters several times each day. Kansas and Western Missouri SATERN Coordinator June Jeffers, KB0WEQ, says SATERN members will be utilized in Kiowa County to support Salvation Army canteens and the Service Center in Haviland.
Greensburg residents were expected to be allowed to return to what's remaining of their homes Monday morning, according to The Associated Press. Searchers spent the weekend sifting through the debris and are still hoping to account for residents who fled as the storm approached.
"Some of this rubble is 20, 30 feet deep and that's always a challenge, Bunting said Monday. "That's where we've spent all our efforts, and we'll do it again today."
Hewitt said it's "hard to tell" if anyone is trapped in the rubble, but "it's a possibility. The search and rescue continues and it will continue until ... we find everything and have everything organized. We need to make sure we've found everybody and everybody is safe and accounted for."
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is on site with two mini Emergency Operations Vehicles (EOV), and two mobile Disaster Recovery Centers (DRC) with satellite communications. They are currently considering staging areas for travel trailers and mobile homes. In anticipation of state requests, water, MREs, and tarps in are waiting in Pratt.
President Bush declared Kiowa County, Kansas, a major disaster area, making federal aid available to people and communities affected by the storm. "Our hearts are heavy for the loss of life in Greensburg, Kansas," Bush said Sunday. "I declared a major disaster for that community, and I hope that helps. It's going to take a long time for the community to recover."
Some information from www.cnn.com and the FEMA NationalResponse Coordination Center (NRCC).
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