Massive Tornado Has Hit Multiple Towns In Kansas

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/climo/reports/today.html ^ | May 5, 2007

[silentknight]

Damage being reported for over 100 miles. Reports of dozens of injuries and missing people. Damage to numerous towns from one large tornado or a series of large tornadoes. Tornado tracked from south of Greensburg, Kansas and is still going as of 2 a.m. this morning near Claffin, Kansas.

Reports of dozens of homes destroyed. Many people still trapped.

Red Cross is opening a number of shelters.

Ambulances being called in from over 100 miles away.

Reports of fatalities.

NWS reports the tornado was over one mile wide. Numerous reports of damage swaths of 1/2 mile to one mile wide.

[listenhillary]

Re: Tornado storm report map. All data are considered preliminary.

[bd476]

KSN TV Live Weather Lab metereologists were continuosly tracking the tornadoes via radar and then they aired on ground sightings of tornado touchdowns reported via live audio by storm spotters.

The report of EMS emergency personnel being sent to Ottawa State Lake was reported first by EMS and then the EMS bulletin was read as a breaking bulletin by one of KSN's metereologists.

[bannie]

I think North Pole and South Pole are the most likely to not be hit, head-on. You’ll just have to duck whenever they go whizzing by!!

(I have no idea what I’m talking about!!!)

:-p

[madison10]

How long before Libs blame this on Global Warming?

Been waiting for that. Don't tell them, but warming might mean summer is coming. I know they'll never believe the sun causes warmth, but we have to try 'n convince them. Maybe we could do a movie, or something.

Prayers for those in Kansas and OK.

[janetjanet998]

Tornado was been rated an EF-5 the highest rating

[mysterio]

Prayers up for those affected.

[Palladin]

Adding my prayers, too.

[Paul_Bettes]

I’m from Greensburg, Ks. and it WAS a town of approx 1500. My father was living there, but since 95% of the town was destroyed, he’s probably not going to return. The national weather service has rated it as 1.4 miles wide, and the first ever EF-5. Greensburg had been formerly known as the home of the largest hand dug well, and I wish it had stayed that way instead of this. My dad says there are about 12-15 structures remaining including Grain elevator (probably would withstand a small nuke), bar H tavern (only bar in town), Kansan Inn (or whatever the name is now), and a few homes on the far East side of town. The high school had been a 3 story building, but the top floor is completly gone and 2nd floor has extensive damage. The school superintendant has announced that the rest of the school year is cancelled. Graduation will not take place either.

I lived in this small town from 1970 untill 1996, and it took watching a video clip a dozen or so times before I recognized the remains of my neighbors house, and the rubble that was my fathers house. I could regognize the remains of my church (First baptist), but not much else.

The fact that only 9 people died there (as of last report) is absolutely amazing. Greensburg was incorporated in 1886, and has had very few tornado strikes previously. Last one I’m aware of was around 1982 or so, two much weaker ones did some light damage. That’s not a bad record for a town in the middle of tornado ally. It has been declared a state disaster area, and probably a federal one also by now.

Looting, theft, rape, murder. Any of those happen here afterwords? Nope, people evacuated peacefully. KEMA responded that night. Where’s FEMA? No idea, no response from them yet (supposedly on the way, but not here yet).The Governer, and state reps have been there already. Mr Bush said a few words, but did he come look at the disaster area? No, of course not.

[Non-Sequitur]

Sorry for your loss. Are all your people OK?

[Eye of Unk]

My wife just spent a couple of hours with our daughter exchanging e-mails on the internet who lives in Ottawa, they have flooding but were spared any tornado activity, I bey she is wishing to return to Alaska even more so now! Thanks to all posting info and the radar image links.

[Palladin]

Thank God your Dad is O.K. What a shock it must be to see the town you grew up in nearly obliterated. I looked at the slides on Wichita Eagle—it’s incredible!

I know the Prez is busy with the Queen today and tomorrow. Hopefully he will visit Greensburg on Tuesday. It is definitely a Federal Disaster Area. I hope he will have a BIG check handy for the hardworking folks of Greensburg.

[No Blue States]

This must be very hard for you, to see your hometown swept away in one evening, and with such violent brutality.
Im so sorry for your loss.
Is your family and friends ok?

1.4 miles wide, that is just so hard to grasp.
The pictures are terrifying.

That grain elevator is the place I would want to be in hindsight, if I was there.
I agree, the death toll is very low (so far)considering the circumstances.

Try to remember your childhood stomping grounds the way they were.

:(

[No Blue States]

PS: Welcome to Free Republic, my FRiend.

[bd476]

Hi Paul. Welcome to Free Republic. I’m very sorry for this devastating loss.

People who are from Kansas and who currently live there are survivors. Last night on this thread, a Poster who lives in Wichita offered prayers for others outside of Kansas. Her kids were tucked safely in the basement, the red and green ominous zone of approaching tornadic activity looked far too close for comfort yet she took time out to offer prayers for others.

The citizens of Greensburg, Kansas will recover.

Yesterday I was monitoring KSN TV Weather Lab online live webstream all day. The priority was and is to keep people informed that the storm is not over. There were many reports that Macksville, Kansas had several tornado touchdowns. Right now Greensburg has another tornado watch.

FEMA is probably already there, but the news media is still reporting the devastation which occurred Friday night as if it happened today.

Last night NOAA’s National Weather Service had 91 confirmed tornado sightings listed and that was a huge jump from 90 minutes earlier.

I am very sorry for your hometown’s loss.

[HollyB]

I’m so sorry that you, your family, and friends had to witness so much destruction to your hometown. The prayers of the nation are with you.

I don’t understand why FEMA is not there yet. That is a shame. But, I am sure or at least I hope that President Bush will be out there as soon as the forecast is safe. Be careful and know our prayers are with you.

[bd476]

Tornado Watch
TORNADO WATCH OUTLINE UPDATE FOR WT 246
NWS STORM PREDICTION CENTER NORMAN OK
200 PM CDT SUN MAY 6 2007

TORNADO WATCH 246 IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 1000 PM CDT FOR THE
FOLLOWING LOCATIONS

KSC001-007-011-015-019-021-025-033-035-037-047-049-057-073-077-
079-083-095-097-099-119-125-133-145-151-155-173-185-191-205-207-
070300-
/O.NEW.KWNS.TO.A.0246.070506T1900Z-070507T0300Z/

KS
. KANSAS COUNTIES INCLUDED ARE

ALLEN BARBER BOURBON
BUTLER CHAUTAUQUA CHEROKEE
CLARK COMANCHE COWLEY
CRAWFORD EDWARDS ELK
FORD GREENWOOD HARPER
HARVEY HODGEMAN KINGMAN
KIOWA LABETTE MEADE
MONTGOMERY NEOSHO PAWNEE
PRATT RENO SEDGWICK
STAFFORD SUMNER WILSON
WOODSON
$$

[ridesthemiles]

Try to remember your childhood stomping grounds the way they were.”

Some years ago, a small town in SW Wisconsin was destroyed at night be tornado. No warning. Only the water tower was standing. Today, to the best of my knowledge, it is completely rebuilt.

[bd476]

Live Weather from the KSN WeatherLab live webstream (Update - my transcription)

Tornado warning SW part of Reno County

West Southwest of Hutchinson in Reno County - developing situation over Plevma and Arlington.

Over Plevma, possible rain wrapped tornado which is difficult to see and very dangerous.

Huntsville - People should be in shelter, location of tornado on radar - to Rice County line, will affect areas in Rice County

Hutchinson - tornado sirens now going off

Tornado in Reno County - Arlington and Plevma

Move to shelter in Reno County threat is moving North to North East about 30-35 MPH

Plevma tornado significant concern

Breaking: Significant lightning strike at KSN Studios

Pratt County North Eastern part - Tornado Warning cancelled.

Kingman County- no rotation noted on radar

Still of concern North of Turon, weak circulation better circulation to N. to N/E of Sylvia

Huntsville weak circulations spotted
Weaknesses in areas where rotations showing up in storm

Rotating updraft with hail

Southwestern part of Reno County - looking at circulations on radar

Weak hints of rotation - but not anything really pronounced in SW Reno County

Remain under tornado warning South and West of Hutchison
No immediate reports from NWS/NOAA

Advising people to maintain guard in SW Reno County because situation can change in minutes.

Active Thunderstorm Warning far NW part of Kingman up to Reno County.

Muddy situation, not one single monster thunderstorm where you can see where the threat is, however there are many different circulations

[bd476]

From KSN Weatherlab :

Abbeyville North now under imminent threat of tornado - Doppler radar shows tornado activity - possible rain wrapped tornado which is nearly impossible to see until it’s upon you.

[MARTIAL MONK]

I was in the area somewhat before your time. I can remember one time near Coldwater when we could look around and there were probably half a dozen tornados forming or on the ground at the same time. Once in Protection (if I remember right) there were three in our immediate vicinity. I spent a long night in Liberal when we could hear, but not see, several as they passed around us. We would occasionally come across the trail of one that no one had reported. I think it was Mule Creek where one crossed the valley, uprooted the Cottonwoods, and laid them neatly in a row at the top of the hill. Big trees, four or five feet in diameter. My point, I guess, is that while they are a frequent occurance the area is so big and sparsely populated that most do little or no damage.

Greensberg, a pleasant little town, will never recover. The economics aren't there. The elevator, if it is undamaged, may reopen but there is no reason to rebuild the residential and commercial districts. Most people will move to nearby towns. There are a lot of those little towns, Iuka, Coats, Sawyer, that are little more than elevator, support staff and a few retirees.

It is more than unfortunate, this passing of a era and a way of life. There is real history here, unexciting for the most part but showing the grit and undying faith of a people. Greensberg was there for two world wars, the dustbowl, the depression, and then came the building of the interstates which cut the rest of the world off from this little gem.

Greensberg was founded the same year as Geronimo's final surrender on ground that had seen untold years of Buffalo and fighting and the great cattle drives to Dodge. Coronado's scouts undoubtably viewed the area looking for his seven cities. Steady, a little detatched from the excitments of the nation, the town was a little piece of what America is supposed to be. Here, in the land of endless horizons, a greater drama played out, the human drama. Generations were born, played in the streets, went to school, went off to wars, loved, worked and faded away, yielding to a new generation. Somehow the flat, sparse landscape made it all seem bigger, more important, more powerful.

Now it is gone, swept away in the randomness of a single storm, a storm that everyone knew would someday come. I am happy that I was a little part of that drama. I hope that Greensberg was made a tiny bit better as I passed through. I know I was.