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Welcome to Techsurvivors => Community => Topic started by: RHPConsult on May 15, 2007, 04:03:04 PM

Title: My first "Community" post
Post by: RHPConsult on May 15, 2007, 04:03:04 PM

macdoug:

Is this anywhere near you?

Before and after

Title: My first "Community" post
Post by: jwboyd on May 15, 2007, 04:17:50 PM

Here are some closeups. Some of them are by Geoff Robinson, whose grandfather was my first cousin. Some of his were shown on CNN. He mentions the town of Haviland, which is ten miles to the east of Greensburg. That's where I met my wife when we were both students at tiny Barclay College there.

http://www.kansas.com/static/slides/051407readerphotos/

Title: My first "Community" post
Post by: RHPConsult on May 15, 2007, 05:12:52 PM

Joe:

Humbling photos.

What time of night (?) was the "attack" by this huge tornado?

Did everyone in town have a "cyclone cellar", as they called them when I was a boy in rural Illinois?

The puzzle is "How did anyone survive such devastation?"

Title: My first "Community" post
Post by: jwboyd on May 15, 2007, 07:44:40 PM

Dick

The tornado struck about 9:45 p.m. Residents had about 20-30 minutes warning, which kept the death toll so low.

Not everyone has "storm cellars." But nearly everyone in Kansas knows the rules. "Go to a small room in the interior of your house. (This will usually be a bathroom or closet.) Put as many walls as possible between you and the outside. Stay away from windows. Hunker down. If you can't get under furniture, cover up with heavy bedding, even a mattress if possible."

This tornado's path was unusually wide, about 1.7 miles. I believe it stayed on the ground for about 20 miles. Reports I get from friends and acquaintances indicate that the cleanup is going very well. The town will be rebuilt, though of course it will never be the same. The infrastructure is still there -- streets, water and sewer systems, etc. There has been a generous outpouring of assistance from the likes of FEMA, Red Cross, Salvation Army, Samaritans Purse, etc. I heard one person say early on, "Unfortunately, these groups don't seem to work together very well." But I'm sure that was due to the confusion and the difficulty of getting everything coordinated. Many of the victims are still being housed and fed in Haviland.

One interesting sidelight: Several citizens of the town of Greensburg, Indiana have organized a work group which will make the 900-mile trip to assist in the cleanup.

Thanks for your inquiries and your obvious concern.

Joe

Title: My first "Community" post
Post by: Gregg on May 16, 2007, 07:57:27 AM

Such photos are always amazing

Title: My first "Community" post
Post by: gunug on May 18, 2007, 01:21:53 AM

Just like photos from a warzone!  I hear they lost a police officer who had been thrown around in his patrol car!