Major storms hitting Kansas - major damage in Greensburg, Kan.

Bad as it was, it looks like an F4 because there are some walls and trees still standing. If it were an F5, there'd be nothing left but concrete slabs. I saw pictures from Jarrell and know what an F5 can do. (The pavement from I-35 was actually sucked off the ground.)

 

People already rallying around........Cousins house got destroyed in Greensburg.............they moved into it last weekend.

They have nothing but the clothes on their backs........

 

Chef, how are YOU doing? I hope ok given what you have been through the last few days.

 

I am fine......I'm a good hour and a half drive from all of this.......

I will freely admit I am a storm geek.....and for my radio station, any severe weather in our listening area, I am either at the station reporting it, or if it is right near us, I will go out and report it from the scene.

 

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/products/outlook/day1otlk.html

Round 3.

 

Good to hear Chef, just BE CAREFUL!

 

My .02.
Yesterday I went to a small town 20 miles southwest of here, one Oz described as Jackie Stiles' hometown. Traffic on the state east-west road was stopped, for obvious reasons. So, I went south through Cheyenne Bottoms to see if it had any water in it (that's just the duck hunter coming out in me ;D). It did. Of course, I already knew it had water in it. I just needed an excuse to go through it. ;D. So, driving north to Claflin, the town Oz describes as Jackie Stiles' hometown and one just 20 miles southwest of here, I started to see destruction from the previous night's tornado. Trees fully defoliated. Bark stripped off the things. Interesting. Seen it before, but it never ceases to amaze me. Arrived at Claflin, and saw two big-ass, honkin' corrugated metal grain bins on the lumber yard and extending to the south, blocking Highway 4. Photos. Two cranes were doing their best to rid the highway of them. Driving through town a bit later, saw a huge pine tree snapped off about six-feet off the ground. Incredible. Remember, this town did not take a direct hit. This was all just collateral damage. Same storm as the one that hit Greensburg, but not as intense, nor apparently on the ground. Still, the damage was pretty incredible.
So, I get through there, and hear on the radio that a spinner is on the ground and headed for a location I can get to relatively easily. No prob. I have camera, all is good. I go. I make my way around it, stop at an intersection at a county road and blacktop, and wait. All is laying out before me. Trouble is, the thing petered out. In the meantime, all these storm chasers with Colorado and Oklahoma plates, their vehicles looking like porcupines with all the damned antennaes they have sticking out the top of them, go streaming to the north by me. Three of them even had the rotating little dishes on them. Amateurs. ;D So, I go back to my hometown 20 miles northeast of Jackie Stiles' hometown, and then the damned fire department pager goes off wanting us to go storm spotting. Okie Dokie. Spent five hours doing that, completing said job at 11:30 p.m. During this time, NWS Doppler radar indicated rotation at my hometown 20 miles northeast of Jackie Stiles' hometown, and sirens are touched off. Rotation is aloft, thank God, and things go on as normal. Later this aloft rotation hits ground about 11 miles northeast of town, totally fucks up a house under construction, uproots trees, cuts a swath through a creek, defoliates trees and debarks their asses. Unbelievable. There, but for the grace of God and 20 minutes, go we (same storm goes into Ottawa County, screws up a bunch of stuff, injures several and kills one). As I said, we stand down at 11:30 p.m. last night. Then, 7:45 a.m this morning the fire department pager goes off, asking us to fill sandbags for folks living along the river (hey, we're the fire department. We even rescue cats out of trees ) So, we go and do that. River rises. Keeps coming up. Other duties are performed, including sandbagging, helping people move stuff, etc. River crests, then starts to fall. Yippee! All the while, I remove my fire department hat and put on my journalist hat and photographically document the situation.
I'm going home. My ass is dragging. I'm tired. And my references to Oz's description of Jackie Stiles' hometown are in no way a dig toward him. Just want to let you all know, if you care to look on a map, where my little corner of BFE is (although IJAG already knows )
Later.
Platy.

 

I talked to someone in Columbia, Mo. earlier. A storm came through pretty quickly but was harsh and dropped lots of rain. His whole house was surrounded by water. It looks like they're about to get more.

 

http://www.weather.com/newscenter/slideshow/kansastornado.html?from=wxcenter_news

 

Damn. I wish there was something I could do besides putting a couple bucks in the bucket at Kwik Shop.

Got home from a long journey with my daughters today. Pulled in my driveway and thanked my lucky stars to still have a home and to live in a city that's still standing. There are hundreds of people in Greensburg who can't say the same.

 

Figured as much, just had to bring up Claflin its due, it's not every day I can mention it on SportsJournalists.com.

Just glad to hear that you're safe.

 

Scratch what I said about Greensburg being an F4. NOAA calls it an F5.