IBCrazier2
05-05-2007, 03:31 PM
GREENSBURG, Kan. (May 5) -- Most of this southwest Kansas town was destroyed by a tornado , part of a violent storm system blamed for at least nine deaths, officials said Saturday amid warnings of more severe weather.
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.
The tornado that struck Greensburg late Friday damaged about 95 percent of the town about 110 miles west of Wichita, City Administrator Steve Hewitt said Saturday.
He said 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."
The National Weather Service warned that another wave of potentially severe weather was possible in the area Saturday afternoon.
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.
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius declared a disaster emergency for Kiowa County, said her spokeswoman Nicole Corcoran.
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, Watson said.
Watson said 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. Watson but did not have any other details on his death.
Larry Ruthi, a weather service meteorologist in Dodge City, said the storm system spawned at least three significant tornadoes, including the one that hit Greensburg. He said there were likely other smaller twisters.
The weather service described the tornado that struck Greensburg as a "wedge," an especially broad and tall formation. Frederick Kruse of the weather service's Dodge City office said there were initial reports that the tornado was at least three-quarters of a mile wide on the ground.
Watson said 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.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.
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.
The tornado that struck Greensburg late Friday damaged about 95 percent of the town about 110 miles west of Wichita, City Administrator Steve Hewitt said Saturday.
He said 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."
The National Weather Service warned that another wave of potentially severe weather was possible in the area Saturday afternoon.
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.
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius declared a disaster emergency for Kiowa County, said her spokeswoman Nicole Corcoran.
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, Watson said.
Watson said 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. Watson but did not have any other details on his death.
Larry Ruthi, a weather service meteorologist in Dodge City, said the storm system spawned at least three significant tornadoes, including the one that hit Greensburg. He said there were likely other smaller twisters.
The weather service described the tornado that struck Greensburg as a "wedge," an especially broad and tall formation. Frederick Kruse of the weather service's Dodge City office said there were initial reports that the tornado was at least three-quarters of a mile wide on the ground.
Watson said 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.
Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. The information contained in the AP news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed without the prior written authority of The Associated Press. All active hyperlinks have been inserted by AOL.