Greensburg, Kansas

While traveling to Albuquerque and then returning to Omaha, we went through Greensburg, Kansas. It looked like there had been a war there, with few buildings left standing. On the way back we looked more carefully, and even saw a hospital that was made from canvas and looked like a quonset hut. There appeared to be three or four of these huts. Pieces of lumber and other debris were collected into piles and gradually were being taken to a land fill. You could see a cellar opening but no house or other structure. The trees were starting to grow back, but few went above the first fork of the trunk by more that a few feet. There were no branches left. Downtown there was only one building left standing. It truly looked like a war zone, and indeed, it must have been the result of a very strong tornado. Here in the Heartland, tornados frequently devastate an area, but this was the first place I had ever been to witness the devastation. I am convinced that tornados are nothing to fool with, and should one be reported to be close by, it is very important to take shelter. People seem to be resilient, and Greensburg was slowly moving back into a rebuilding mode, once cleanup is complete. Our hearts go out to the members of this small city and applaud their courage to rebuild.