http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/18529275/

Residents of ravaged Kan. town to return home
Rescuers seek survivors after 10 deaths in state blamed on severe storms

Updated: 46 minutes ago
GREENSBURG, Kan. - Paramedic Annette Gasten and her German shepherd,
Greta, had a grim weekend searching amid the piles of wreckage left by
one of the strongest tornadoes to rake across the Plains.

Every business on Greensburg’s main street was demolished and officials
estimate as much as 95 percent of the town was destroyed. Tree trunks
stood bare, stripped of most of their branches. All the churches were
destroyed.

At least eight people in this community of 1,500 were dead, putting the
state’s total death toll at 10. No one was found Sunday in the debris.

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“Even though I have been to other disasters, this one was a lot worse —
the amount of damage,” Gasten said. “It is such a large area that was
destroyed that it made it difficult” to search.

Residents were to be allowed back to their homes Monday, giving rescuers
a better idea of whether any missing residents might be buried under
rubble.

Few indications of survivors
Since the tornado hit Friday night, emergency responders have had little
indication of how many people in this south-central Kansas town of 1,500
may be safely staying with friends or relatives, rather than in
shelters.

Only residents will be allowed back into town. Law enforcement officials
will be checking identification and compiling a list of people whose
whereabouts still haven’t been determined. Residents must leave by 6
p.m.

Fresh search and rescue dogs will be brought in Monday from Missouri as
the hunt for possible survivors and bodies continues across a landscape
dotted with mounds of debris, some as deep as 30 feet.

Devastating power
The National Weather Service classified the Friday night tornado as an
F-5, the highest category on its scale. The weather service said it had
wind estimated at 205 mph, and carved a track 1.7 miles wide and 22
miles long.

The twister is the first classified as an F-5 since May 3, 1999, when a
tornado killed 36 people in Oklahoma City on May 3, 1999. It is the
first F-5 since the weather service revised its scale this year, in an
effort to more comprehensively gauge tornadoes’ damage potential, with
less emphasis on wind speed.


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The Greensburg twister late Friday was part of a storm front that also
spawned tornadoes in parts of Illinois, Oklahoma, South Dakota and
Nebraska, though most damage elsewhere was minimal, officials said.

In western Oklahoma, at least eight homes were destroyed, several more
were damaged and one person was injured. A woman was trapped when her
mobile home was blown off its foundation in Seminole in Seminole County
but she was rescued and was shaken but not hurt, said sheriff’s
dispatcher Terry Thomason.

Kansas Gov. Kathleen Sebelius said Sunday evening that the state’s
response will likely be hampered because much of the equipment usually
positioned around the state to respond to emergencies — including tents,
trucks and semitrailers — is now in Iraq.



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“Not having the National Guard equipment, which used to be positioned in
various parts of the state, to bring in immediately is really going to
handicap this effort to rebuild,” said Sebelius.

Sharon Watson, a spokeswoman for the adjutant general’s office, which
manages state resources during emergencies, acknowledged the strain.

“We are never at 100 percent because we are allocated a certain amount
from the National Guard Bureau. With the war, we are much shorter than
we would be. We have about 40 percent of what is allocated,” Watson
said.

She said the state has a shortage of heavy equipment transport trailers,
pallet-sized loading systems, Humvees, dump trucks and other large
equipment that would be help move massive amount of debris.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency was bringing in travel trailers
to house some of the town’s residents. There was no indication when
people would be able to move into the trailers because the area was
choked with debris and the town had no clean water.

Bush ‘confident this community will be rebuilt’
President Bush declared parts of Kansas a disaster area, freeing up
federal money to aid in recovery. “There’s a certain spirit in the
Midwest of our country, a pioneer spirit that still exists, and I’m
confident this community will be rebuilt,” Bush said.

School superintendent Darin Headrick said classes will be canceled for
the rest of the academic year in Greensburg, with graduation being held
elsewhere.

City Administrator Steve Hewitt said his job Monday would be to get city
government working again. He said he needed to find employees, get
purchase orders out, pay employees and bills — in short, create commerce
again in Greensburg.

“Get government going — that is our No. 1 priority,” Hewitt said



Lisa

hard to remember the last time a whole town vanished..tragic.

still no word from verbatimeb. (eileen) who is a member here. I continue
to pray for not only her but her family.

Ohhhhhhh Verb,,, I pray for her and Her Family,,,

I send my prayers

ok!! I read you guy's words so i went on a mission.

Verb is south east of wichita maybe 7miles still in the circle of the
city (so that's a good sign)

greenburg is about 100miles due west heading to Dodge city


I looked on her friends list asked kojak & Kevin

Kevin has a reg. Email address he sent her a note..

((((((( Catch )))))))))))))))

Thank you Sweetie,, Feel Alittle better now,,,

Continued Prayers

She could be out helping or their power could be down..