Greensburg Kansas ,,,,,,, Gone

[CWR]

Early estimates were that as much as 60 percent of the town had been heavily damaged by the tornado, and there were reports that several homes south of town had been leveled.

Extensive damage was reported to buildings along Main Street, where City Hall, the post office and the public library are located. Block after block has been reduced to rubble. The trees have been stripped of their leaves. Smashed cars, their doors ajar, emit ghostly a glow.

School buses were lined up in town to take people to shelters the Red Cross set up in nearby Haviland.

Emergency medical crews, law enforcement personnel and search and rescue teams from throughout southwest Kansas raced toward Greensburg after the twister struck.

All communications around Greensburg were knocked out by the tornado, and the Kansas Department of Transportation sent its Communications on Wheels mobile unit from Wichita to restore 911 service.

Law enforcement officials were going door-to-door looking for anyone trapped or injured.

As of 3 a.m. about 50 people had been admitted to Pratt Regional Medical Center, the nearest hospital.

 

[cm]

Prayers go out to all those affected. Unfortunately the SPC has put this same area in a high risk for today. There were reports of this tornado that hit Greensburg, KS as being 1 to 1.5 miles wide!!!

 

[CWR]

It may take days for emergency crews to remove all the victims — dead and alive — from the rubble of homes and businesses, the city administrator said Saturday.

The dead included eight in Kiowa County, where Greensburg is located, and one in nearby Stafford County, said Sharon Watson, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Adjutant General's Department.

City Administrator Steve Hewitt said Saturday that there were fears that many people were trapped in cellars and rubble and cautioned that the death toll could rise.

"We continue to find folks and this will go on for a good couple days — the rescue itself," Hewitt said during a news conference. "I mean, the debris is just unbelievable. Even if you are in a basement, I mean your home is collapsed, and we've got to find a way to get to you."

Hewitt thanked the dozens of emergency and law enforcement crews from across the region that have converged on this town of 1,400 to help, "but we want everybody to know, and I plead to the American people as well as the people here in Kansas, this is a huge catastrophe that has happened to our small town.

"All my downtown is gone. My home is gone. My staff's homes are gone. And we've got to find a way to get this to work and come to work every day and get this thing back on its feet. It's going to be tough," he said.

The destruction included City Hall, the high school and the junior high school, Hewitt said earlier. A mandatory evacuation was ordered, he said.

Hewitt said at least 50 people had been taken to hospitals, 16 in critical condition, but said exact numbers were impossible to come by. Rescuers pulled about 30 people from the basement of a partially collapsed hospital early Saturday, but most of them had minor injuries.

The seventh person killed was a sheriff's deputy in nearby Stafford County who was driving to Greensburg to help out after the town was struck. There were no other details on his death.

The state fire marshal's office dispatched hazardous materials teams because railroad cars in Kiowa County had overturned. She said the National Guard was sending 40 troops to provide security.

Katie White said she was driving through town and pulled into the parking lot of a convenience store when she heard the warning. She said the store's owner pulled her and about 15 other people into the store's cooler. When they emerged, White said, the building around them had collapsed.

School buses lined up to take people to the nearby town of Haviland, where the Red Cross opened shelters at Haviland High School and Barclay College.

"We have more than 300 people in shelters in Haviland," Watson said. "We have another 300 en route to take advantage of those shelters, and we anticipate that number to grow."

At the high school, the Rev. Gene McIntosh described how he huddled with his family in the parsonage of Greensburg's United Methodist Church as the tornado roared overhead. McIntosh said sofa cushions protected his 11-year-old son and the boy's friend from falling debris.

"There was a lot of praying down there," McIntosh said.

 

[RDCat]

holy crap

the images are amazing in KS- in kiowa
county
total devastation

 

[daleduke17]

702pm, Tornado Warning for Kiowa County. Oh boy.

ETA: Looking at the Weather Channel, the rotation is past Greensburg. Good news for them.

 

[cm]

9:01 p.m cdt may 5, 2007

Tornado warning for northwestern kiowa county, NWS Dodge City says this tornado warning is doppler indicated. Sure hope it misses them!!!

 

[daleduke17]

0923pm, May 5. Ellinwood, KS is apparently staring down the sights of a large wedge AND a multiple-vortex tornado headed straight towards them.

I'm not even from Kansas and I am in awe of this (and watching KSN.com)

Also, the blond haired guy on KSNW is damn good at his job. So is the shorter dark haired guy.

 

[CWR]

The tornado that razed the Kansas town of Greensburg also snatched one of its most valuable treasures. The thousand-pound Brenham pallasite meteorite is gone.

Greensburg has drawn world-class meteorite hunters for decades to this remote Kansas hamlet. Trooper Ronald Knoefel says even the town's own extensive meteorite collection is gone.

And the town's other claim to fame -- the world's largest hand dug well -- is buried under a mountain of debris..........

 

[Pro92]

God Bless All Those Who"s Life Was Torn Apart By The Tornadoes!

It may take days for emergency crews to remove all the victims — dead and alive — from the rubble of homes and businesses, the city administrator said Saturday.

The dead included eight in Kiowa County, where Greensburg is located, and one in nearby Stafford County, said Sharon Watson, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Adjutant General's Department.

City Administrator Steve Hewitt said Saturday that there were fears that many people were trapped in cellars and rubble and cautioned that the death toll could rise.

"We continue to find folks and this will go on for a good couple days — the rescue itself," Hewitt said during a news conference. "I mean, the debris is just unbelievable. Even if you are in a basement, I mean your home is collapsed, and we've got to find a way to get to you."

Hewitt thanked the dozens of emergency and law enforcement crews from across the region that have converged on this town of 1,400 to help, "but we want everybody to know, and I plead to the American people as well as the people here in Kansas, this is a huge catastrophe that has happened to our small town.

"All my downtown is gone. My home is gone. My staff's homes are gone. And we've got to find a way to get this to work and come to work every day and get this thing back on its feet. It's going to be tough," he said.

The destruction included City Hall, the high school and the junior high school, Hewitt said earlier. A mandatory evacuation was ordered, he said.

Hewitt said at least 50 people had been taken to hospitals, 16 in critical condition, but said exact numbers were impossible to come by. Rescuers pulled about 30 people from the basement of a partially collapsed hospital early Saturday, but most of them had minor injuries.

The seventh person killed was a sheriff's deputy in nearby Stafford County who was driving to Greensburg to help out after the town was struck. There were no other details on his death.

The state fire marshal's office dispatched hazardous materials teams because railroad cars in Kiowa County had overturned. She said the National Guard was sending 40 troops to provide security.

Katie White said she was driving through town and pulled into the parking lot of a convenience store when she heard the warning. She said the store's owner pulled her and about 15 other people into the store's cooler. When they emerged, White said, the building around them had collapsed.

School buses lined up to take people to the nearby town of Haviland, where the Red Cross opened shelters at Haviland High School and Barclay College.

"We have more than 300 people in shelters in Haviland," Watson said. "We have another 300 en route to take advantage of those shelters, and we anticipate that number to grow."

At the high school, the Rev. Gene McIntosh described how he huddled with his family in the parsonage of Greensburg's United Methodist Church as the tornado roared overhead. McIntosh said sofa cushions protected his 11-year-old son and the boy's friend from falling debris.

"There was a lot of praying down there," McIntosh said.

God bless those who's town was torn apart by the the Tornadoes that flatten your community. Our prayer goes out to all of you in Greensburg , KS.
Rob & Family!

 

[KAA951]

Was in the Greensburg area and heard lots of use of the 800 mutual aid channels. Sounded like they were set up as Call In- Incident Commanders, TAC 1- Fire, TAC 2- Police. They must have some sort of mobile repeater system setup (FEMA?) as the range was pretty good and the only agency I have heard on the 800 band down there before was KHP.

I also heard some military comms in the VHF High band but forgot to write down the freqs. In addition the KHP Edwards County Tower was hopping with traffic between Garden City and "500"- who seemed to be the KHP commander.

Has anyone heard - is the President flying into Wichita tomorrow and then going by helo to Greensburg or is there an airport further southwest they can put a 747 into?

 

[daleduke17]

There's a Regional Airport looking at a couple different websites in Dodge City. Isn't that somewhere near Greensburg?

 

[n0lqt]

Was in the Greensburg area and heard lots of use of the 800 mutual aid channels. Sounded like they were set up as Call In- Incident Commanders, TAC 1- Fire, TAC 2- Police. They must have some sort of mobile repeater system setup (FEMA?) as the range was pretty good and the only agency I have heard on the 800 band down there before was KHP.

I also heard some military comms in the VHF High band but forgot to write down the freqs. In addition the KHP Edwards County Tower was hopping with traffic between Garden City and "500"- who seemed to be the KHP commander.

Has anyone heard - is the President flying into Wichita tomorrow and then going by helo to Greensburg or is there an airport further southwest they can put a 747 into?

The system is supplied by the KBI/KDOT as part of their COW (Communications On Wheels) Vans. I believe they have VHF-hi, UHF, and 800 Repeaters onboard and they can be set up and running in about 30 minutes after arrival at a disaster site. I believe it even has a CDMA Cellular repeater.

Air Force One should be arriving in Wichita at McConnell AFB sometime this morning (05/09). Try 295.6, 127.25, 275.8, 385.55, 325.8, 269.1, 260.3, 281.5, 134.8, 118.2, 120.6, 126.7, 327.1, and 360.8. I've heard approach/departure on almost all of those out of McConnell and Mid-Continent in the past. Control Tower is 295.7, 236.6, and 127.5. All AM of course.

Try this link for Secret Service, although I would guess they will be DES.
http://wiki.radioreference.com/index.php/United_States_Secret_Service

 

[n0lqt]

Well, somehow this reply duplicated, so I have edited the extra one out....n0lqt

 

[datainmotion]

Aerial photos

I have driven Through Greensburg on a number of occasions from Wichita back to Denver. I don't even recognize the town at all...

http://www.kansas.com/static/slides/050507tornadoaerials/