Thursday marks the 10 year anniversary of the beginning of three days of one of the largest severe weather outbreaks in the state’s history. May 4th through May 6th 2007, severe weather pounded a large part of the area.
The most notable event was the Greensburg tornado on May 4th, 2007. The tornado killed 12 people in the southern Kansas community, and leveled nearly the entire town. Emergency officials think the death toll could have been much higher if a rare “tornado emergency” had not been issued 26 minutes before Greensburg was hit.
On May 5th a tornado hit the Cabin Row area of the Ottawa State Fishing Lake and killed one person.
The Ottawa County tornado touched down late on May 5th. It killed a woman, injured five other people, and damaged about 30 homes. A 54-year-old woman died at Salina Regional Health Center after the twister struck her family’s camper. The tornado also blew a trailer across a pasture and destroyed a home before damaging numerous other houses and cabins.
The Ottawa County tornado actually developed in northern Saline County. It did not touch the ground until it entered Ottawa County. Strong wind from the storm caused damage in Saline and Clay Counties.
According to the National Weather Service, there were 36 tornadoes in Kansas on May 5th, 2007.
The storm system also dumped heavy rain on the area, and by May 7th and May 8th there was record flooding.
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Geensburg Photo Essay by Todd Pittenger
(click photos to enlarge)
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- Then Greensburg Mayor Lonnie McCollum’s house, or what was left of it. He, his wife, and the dogs rode the tornado out in the basement. He got them in a corner and pulled a mattress over them. When the tornado had passed he dug his family out and made sure they were not seriously hurt. He then began to rally help, and started rescuing people trapped in homes
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- Three of the four cars in this garage were totally destroyed.
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- As volunteers arrived to help with the cleanup, most were initiailly overwhelmed by the total destruction.
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- A group of United States Marines marched by in the street. Their leader saw me struggling to haul things out of a house, and asked if we needed any help. I told him yes. They went right to work, and were a huge help both inside and outside.
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- The Marines pitched in and helped wherever needed.
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- This officer’s keys blew away as he sought shelter, so they had to pry the trunk open to get to the gear.
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- The Greensburg Fire Department was destroyed, and could not immediatley help.
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- I was awestruck by the power of the wind. Scenes like this were common.
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- This home blew off its foundation as the family huddled in the basement. By the grace of God, they survived.
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- This was where an active National Guard soldier lived. He lost his home, but not his pride.
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- The World’s Largest Hand Dug Well. It was probably the safest palce to be.
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- Many people lost everything. But they did not lose their sense of humor.
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