(Here is a story about the town, one year later.)
This day was not about us – the bikers – but about the people of a town that was decimated just over one year ago by an F5 tornado. I walked the streets this afternoon, sobered by piles of rubble, homes with their roofs torn off, concrete slabs wiped clean and the gutted grocery store – its veins of metal still lying torn and twisted.
Losing not only your home and your livelihood, but also your entire town, is beyond comprehension to an outsider, even when witnessed firsthand. The team spent the day trying to help remedy that situation in some tiny way by working on two homes, one in town and one about 6 miles out on a farm.
This was our first build day, and I feel we gained as much as we gave, if not more. We are staying at the Mennonite Disaster Service house to help two of their contractors. Tony, Aaron, Dani, Doug and Ryan put siding on Sharon’s home. Nate, Josh, Chris and I helped prepare Paul’s farmhouse for concrete. Paul later joined us for dinner to tell of his experience going through the tornado.
Paul, his wife, daughter and grandson rode out the tornado in the basement of their house. It hit around 9:45 pm, not long after Paul had come in from a long day of work.
Paul said the hail was the size of cell phones, and he knew it meant the wind had to be very strong to carry such heavy hail. Around 9:30, a window broke on the west side of his house. The family went to investigate, not knowing what was going on. As they stood there, Paul felt a tremendous urge to go to the basement.
He said he didn’t exactly hear the voice of God, but it must have been God's voice going through him.
“When I told them to go the basement, none of them argued,” Paul said.
Everyone was very calm. On the way, the baby dropped his pacifier.
“I distinctly remember telling my daughter that there was no time to pick it up, even though I don’t know why I said that,” Paul recalled.
He estimates they had only been in the basement 15 seconds when the tornado hit. It was the first time since the 1950s, when Paul moved to the farm, that he had gone down there due to weather. And, he said, it was the only time they ever needed to.
They were only in the basement for about 15 minutes, and still did not know what had happened.
“We were probably out before the tornado even hit the center of town,” said Paul, because his cell phone still worked.
The family discussed how blessed they were as they climbed out of the basement into their decimated house. Paul said he later heard about people bargaining with God during the tornado, but it never occurred to him that he might not live through the storm.
Curiously, all eight churches in Greensburg were destroyed, but the liquor store still stood.
“God has a sense of humor,” Paul explained.
Whatever it was, some of the farm equipment belonging to Paul ended up in the high school parking lot over six miles away. It struck me, as we drove to the worksite in the morning, that the tornado must have rampaged over at least 15 miles. I couldn’t believe that we were driving to a destroyed home 12 minutes away when the center of town was so badly damaged. Sure enough, Paul’s place had been leveled.
(Of the four to five MGs Paul had on his property with the intention to renovate, I saw only one that still had any shape to it.)
Although Paul said there were people cleaning the streets by about 3 am the morning after the tornado and it’s 200 mph+ winds struck, much of the town still lies in ruin, and the previous population of 2,000 is a distant dream.
What will become of Greensburg (home of the largest hand-dug well) is uncertain. There are plans to use it as a model town for “green” building, but without industry there is little hope for re-growth beyond the previous population.
As an aside (and back to the cycling part of the trip), we will not be making tomorrow’s trip to Woodward, OK by bike. Our only route is a shoulderless, two-lane road that is heavy with speeding 18-wheeler traffic. Instead, we will all spend the morning pitching in on another local home before shuttling – with Paul’s help – the 80+ miles across the border. This is unfortunate, but the opportunity to build yet again will make it worth the hassle.
Thanks again to all who comment on our posts! - - Katherine
(I wrote more about this on the blog @ my website: XCountry Bike Stories.)
This day was not about us – the bikers – but about the people of a town that was decimated just over one year ago by an F5 tornado. I walked the streets this afternoon, sobered by piles of rubble, homes with their roofs torn off, concrete slabs wiped clean and the gutted grocery store – its veins of metal still lying torn and twisted.
Losing not only your home and your livelihood, but also your entire town, is beyond comprehension to an outsider, even when witnessed firsthand. The team spent the day trying to help remedy that situation in some tiny way by working on two homes, one in town and one about 6 miles out on a farm.
This was our first build day, and I feel we gained as much as we gave, if not more. We are staying at the Mennonite Disaster Service house to help two of their contractors. Tony, Aaron, Dani, Doug and Ryan put siding on Sharon’s home. Nate, Josh, Chris and I helped prepare Paul’s farmhouse for concrete. Paul later joined us for dinner to tell of his experience going through the tornado.
Paul, his wife, daughter and grandson rode out the tornado in the basement of their house. It hit around 9:45 pm, not long after Paul had come in from a long day of work.
Paul said the hail was the size of cell phones, and he knew it meant the wind had to be very strong to carry such heavy hail. Around 9:30, a window broke on the west side of his house. The family went to investigate, not knowing what was going on. As they stood there, Paul felt a tremendous urge to go to the basement.
He said he didn’t exactly hear the voice of God, but it must have been God's voice going through him.
“When I told them to go the basement, none of them argued,” Paul said.
Everyone was very calm. On the way, the baby dropped his pacifier.
“I distinctly remember telling my daughter that there was no time to pick it up, even though I don’t know why I said that,” Paul recalled.
He estimates they had only been in the basement 15 seconds when the tornado hit. It was the first time since the 1950s, when Paul moved to the farm, that he had gone down there due to weather. And, he said, it was the only time they ever needed to.
They were only in the basement for about 15 minutes, and still did not know what had happened.
“We were probably out before the tornado even hit the center of town,” said Paul, because his cell phone still worked.
The family discussed how blessed they were as they climbed out of the basement into their decimated house. Paul said he later heard about people bargaining with God during the tornado, but it never occurred to him that he might not live through the storm.
Curiously, all eight churches in Greensburg were destroyed, but the liquor store still stood.
“God has a sense of humor,” Paul explained.
Whatever it was, some of the farm equipment belonging to Paul ended up in the high school parking lot over six miles away. It struck me, as we drove to the worksite in the morning, that the tornado must have rampaged over at least 15 miles. I couldn’t believe that we were driving to a destroyed home 12 minutes away when the center of town was so badly damaged. Sure enough, Paul’s place had been leveled.
(Of the four to five MGs Paul had on his property with the intention to renovate, I saw only one that still had any shape to it.)
Although Paul said there were people cleaning the streets by about 3 am the morning after the tornado and it’s 200 mph+ winds struck, much of the town still lies in ruin, and the previous population of 2,000 is a distant dream.
What will become of Greensburg (home of the largest hand-dug well) is uncertain. There are plans to use it as a model town for “green” building, but without industry there is little hope for re-growth beyond the previous population.
As an aside (and back to the cycling part of the trip), we will not be making tomorrow’s trip to Woodward, OK by bike. Our only route is a shoulderless, two-lane road that is heavy with speeding 18-wheeler traffic. Instead, we will all spend the morning pitching in on another local home before shuttling – with Paul’s help – the 80+ miles across the border. This is unfortunate, but the opportunity to build yet again will make it worth the hassle.
Thanks again to all who comment on our posts! - - Katherine
(I wrote more about this on the blog @ my website: XCountry Bike Stories.)
(Please see the previous post for the next available mail drop.)
Ryan, Dani and Doug at Sharon's house
Putting up siding
"Oyee!"
Someone said we work better as a team when we're working on houses
Aaron's view from the ladder
Josh and Katherine joining with the Mennonite Disaster Service
Paul's farmhouse
Chris putting foam blocks into place
Katherine (afraid of heights) up on scaffolding to insert rebar
Nate stabilizing a doorway with wood beams he sawed
Down on Main St.
Nothing but an empty slab. The town is either nothing or brand new.
A typical street in Greensburg
A typical house (other than the new ones)
The one thing a tornado cannot destroy: Hope
Posts
2 comments:
Wow....what an inspirational story. Just cannot wrap my brain around going thru something like the people of Gburg, Kansas have survived! Love the last pic and sentiment, Katherine! So true, sometimes all we are left with is hope. That, and a healthy dose of faith, and the support of good people such as you amazing riders can make all the difference! What an amazing gift you are giving!!
Rock on!
Auntie "M"
Dani~you go with your bad self handling that power tool like a pro! :D
What an experience! Katherine, your portrayal of the town really has allowed me to continue to put things and life into perspective. The 'material world' that Madonna sings of really is not so important when you are blessed to live through an F5 tornado.
Keep up the faith and hope as you continue to trek across the country. Raise your water glasses to the experiences you have had, the ones you currently have, and the multitude that will come!!
Sandy
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