Second wave of tornadoes rakes Plains
POSTED: 11:46 p.m. EDT, May 5, 2007
Tornadoes tore across the nation's midsection for a second night Saturday, 24 hours after a storm leveled Greensburg, Kansas.
A tornado struck Sweetwater, Oklahoma, about 8:15 p.m. Saturday, causing major damage to a high school and other buildings.
"The tornado came through and just dead-center punched Sweetwater," Roger Mills County Sheriff Joe Hay told KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City. He said there was extensive damage but just one minor injury in the tiny town.
The storm continued to grind north through northwestern Oklahoma toward Kansas for more than 45 minutes.
KOCO's Matt Leinbauer reported seeing damage from another confirmed tornado just east of Arnett, Oklahoma.
A massive tornado killed at least nine people in southwestern Kansas on Friday night and destroyed nearly everything in its path.
Emergency crews called off the search for more victims Saturday evening as the new storms pressed in, The Associated Press reported.
Tornado warnings continued throughout the night in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota and Iowa. Flood warnings and watches were in place for South Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska.
"This is a particularly dangerous situation," the National Weather Service said.
The weather service's Storm Prediction Center said more than 60 tornado touchdowns had been reported on Saturday -- 40 of them between 6 and 9 p.m. Central Time.
Eleven people were injured in Osborne, Kansas, when a tornado struck a Pizza Hut and a nearby hotel, said Juanita Arnold, emergency management director for Osborne County, in the northern part of the state.
"My town is gone," Greensburg City Administrator Steve Hewitt said after surveying the wreckage earlier Saturday.
Kansas Emergency Management Agency spokeswoman Sharon Watson said eight of the deaths were in Kiowa County, where Greensburg is located, and one was in Stafford County, to the northeast.
"I believe 95 percent of the homes are gone," Hewitt said of Greensburg. "Downtown buildings are gone, my home is gone, and we've got to find a way to make this work and get this town back on its feet." (Watch homes turned into piles of bricks and splintered wood Video)
The Red Cross said about 90 percent of the town, population about 1,500, was destroyed or heavily damaged. The central business district, City Hall and high school were destroyed, but the courthouse and the town's only bar remained standing, witnesses said.
Hundreds of residents were taken to shelters in schools and other facilities in nearby towns, the Red Cross said.
"We will not reopen the town until we know it's safe for the residents to come back," Hewitt said.
Storm chaser Darin Brunin told CNN he saw people in the streets walking "in shock, not even knowing what was going on." Many homes were leveled, limping dogs wandered aimlessly, and injured cattle were scattered across a highway, he said. (Watch an aerial view of the devastation Video)
"It wasn't a pleasant sight to see at all, very horrible," Brunin said.
Another storm chaser, Marty Logan, estimated the twister was at least a half-mile wide. Two smaller tornadoes followed the larger twister, sweeping northward into Greensburg, he said. (Watch a tornado bear down on an Oklahoma storm chaser Video)
The weather service reported a tornado in Greensburg about 9:30 p.m. Friday. CNN meteorologist Reynolds Wolf said warning sirens alerted most residents to take shelter.
Katie White told The Associated Press she was driving through Greensburg when she heard the tornado warning. She and several others took shelter in the store's walk-in freezer, the AP said.
When they came out, White said, the store was gone.
No repeat of Katrina, congressman vows
"We're not going to let a disaster happen here like what happened with [Hurricane] Katrina," Rep. Todd Tiahrt, R-Kansas, told reporters Saturday afternoon. "We're going to take care of people first and then help this city rebuild."
U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts, R-Kansas, said state legislators have asked President Bush to quickly designate that part of Kansas a disaster area to make the area eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance.
Roberts said the White House sent condolences to the Kansans affected.
Gov. Kathleen Sebelius has already declared Kiowa County a disaster area, Watson said.
Red Cross spokeswoman Andrea Anglin said Greensburg had no electricity, gas or running water.
At least 400 residents had been moved by bus to shelters -- in Haviland to the east and Mullinville and Bucklin to the south, Anglin said.
Greensburg looks like images of the aftermath of atomic bombs in Japan during World War II, Roberts said.
"It just looks like ground zero," he said.
A curfew is in place overnight starting at 8 p.m. (9 p.m. ET). About 40 National Guard troops will provide security, Watson said.
Rescue crews have pulled some people alive from the rubble, and more are expected to be found in upcoming days, Hewitt said. He did not give an exact number of those found Saturday. (Watch tornado survivors climb out of damaged building Video)
Rescue efforts were hampered by debris, some of which has caused flat tires. Knoefel said many of the first responders "are in shock" and are dealing with the mental toll of having lost homes themselves.
Communication lines were down and cell phone service was intermittent, Sebelius said.
Greensburg is best known for having the world's largest hand-dug well and being home to a 1,000-pound pallasite meteorite. After the storm, the structure around the well was gone, and there were reports the meteorite was missing.
Treating the injured
"We still unfortunately don't know how many people are actually going to be confirmed as fatalities," Sebelius said. "We know in addition to the nine that there are a number of people very critically injured, but we're still searching for residents."
The storm collapsed one of the wings of Greensburg's Kiowa County Memorial Hospital, trapping 30 people who were later rescued with minor injuries, said Sharon Watson of the Kansas Emergency Management Agency .
More than 60 people were taken to hospitals in neighboring towns. Four were listed in intensive care at two Wichita hospitals.
Second wave of tornadoes rakes Plains
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