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May 7,
2007
Update: Tornado Devastates
More than Greensburg
Warren Parker
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Just one of the homes destroyed
in Edwards County |
Everyone is hearing about
Greensburg, and Kiowa County,
Kansas . The national
media is there, it's on most
newscasts, the president
will visit on May 9 and has already declared a disaster.
All of that is proper. It
is a huge site of devastation,
and the people there are in
great need.
As
with many disasters, however,
there are others who suffer, but
without the attention of
national media, and without the
understanding by most of the
devastation that has dropped
from the sky on them.
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Our farm is
in Edwards County, just north of Greensburg.
We have our land rented to a great family
and they are some of the most progressive
and best farmers anywhere. They are
not in Greensburg, they are not in the
spotlight, but they and their neighbors are
devastated as well.
The death
toll you here from 'Greensburg' includes a
neighbor of ours that lived near the little
town of Hopewell. Alex Giles and his
wife were in their basement, hoping to be
safe. When their house blew away, the
force was so massive, the ground floor was
taken as well. They had nothing
protecting them, and the twister took a wall
from the home and slammed it into the
basement where they were. Alex was
killed, his wife was hospitalized. An 18-wheel semi
tractor and trailer was picked up and
slammed to the ground, smashing it like a
Tonka toy. Two pickups were treated
the same way. There's nothing left.
Other homes
were completely destroyed also, other
injuries were suffered. Dean and Carol
Welch lost their entire home. They
were in the basement, and were not
physically harmed, but they couldn't find
a huge grain cart, their washer, dryer, or
refrigerator. Four pickups were rolled
up like tootsie rolls and deposited in trees
and across fields. So many other homes
in the path of the storm and it's multiple
tornados were damaged or
destroyed in varying degrees. The area
is devastated, and several residents are
shell-shocked at what has happened to them.
This path moves on to Stafford County, and
further north into Barton, and other
counties as well.
We had
traveled to the area Saturday, following the
major Friday storm. After clean-up
work that day, a neighbor, in true rural
Kansas tradition, invited those in the
entire area over for a garage buffet dinner
of sandwiches, salads, and dessert.
There was no power in the area, several were
operating on generators. It was a
bonding time for everyone, and the stories
were plentiful. But not for long. As
if this community hadn't had enough, a
weather radio sounded, and a tornado warning
was issued with confirmation of a twister on
the ground about five miles southwest of our
garage gathering. People scattered to
their homes and basements, where we all
spent most of the night, and saw the next
day that more damage from the second night
of tornadoes had claimed more property,
caused more injuries, but thankfully, took
no more lives.
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Soon, the economics of the
storms will be evident.
Just in the nearby area of our
farm in Edwards County, there
are approximately 400+
irrigation systems destroyed.
In this part of the state,
irrigation is not a luxury, it
is required for crops such as
corn and soybeans where rain is more sparse,
but underground water
availability is good. The
systems are insured, but
virtually all for current
value, not replacement cost.
Further estimates are that the
general insured portion of all
the systems is about 50%, give
or take, depending on the age of
the system. |
Another home destroyed, wheel in
the background is from an
irrigation system |
In just this
area of one county, that leaves at least $10
million in out-of-pocket expense for farmers
to come up with. That's not counting
replanting of corn, where in some fields the
plant appeared to be sucked from the ground.
Fields are
full of debris, some of it with equipment
that would have been used to replant the crop.
In one field in the area we found a grill to
a late model Dodge truck. We never did find the
truck.
FEMA is
moving trailers to Greensburg to provide a
place for some people to live temporarily.
That's great, it's important, it's the thing
to do. But it should be remembered
that the homes destroyed in counties to the
north are just as gone, and the people just
as homeless.
I am proud to
say that Kansas Farm Bureau is
working diligently on this issue. Our
members are hurting, and we're doing all we
can to help. From the outset Farm Bureau
was
in contact with the governor and Kansas
Congressional Delegation to help define and
secure as much federal assistance as
possible for rural areas. I am happy
to say that
Edwards, Pratt, and Stafford counties have
been added to the federal disaster
declaration. Barton and some
others may follow, and a USDA declaration
has been set.
Kansas Farm
Bureau has set
up the KFB Farmer and Rancher Weather
Recovery Fund to help our members. Work is
underway with insurance affiliates to
streamline their part in providing economic
recovery. Even those who want to help
with debris cleanup can
call
the numbers listed on our web site, or the Farm
Bureau district
administrators in the area to find where the
greatest need is. Farmers and ranchers
needing help can
call those same numbers, contact FEMA or
their FSA office for more information
Kansas Farm
Bureau is taking this on because our members
don't all live in Greensburg. While
there is no way to diminish what happened
in the unbelievable tragedy there, it's important to know others, not in
the glare of TV cameras, are
hurting as well.
Please consider a contribution
to the Kansas Farm Bureau
Farmer and Rancher Weather
Recovery Fund.
Go to
www.kfb.org/tornado07.htm to
send in a contribution,
or you
may donate securely and conveniently online
at
www.kfb.org/kfbweatherfund.
Thank you.
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