2007 Greensburg tornado

"In May 2007, Greensburg changed forever. An EF-5 tornado tore through our city, taking 10 lives, injuring many more and destroying 95% of the community. Some thought Greensburg was gone forever. But many dug deep to find a pioneering spirit that has helped bring Greensburg back. Residents and countless new friends have come together through the years to build a newer and stronger community. Nothing can truly replace what we lost. What we have done though is forge ahead, look to the future and improve on what we had."

"At ten years old, I was old enough to understand what had happened to my family, but not quite old enough to fully grasp and handle the emotional aspect of it. The devastation we witnessed is hard to put into words. It looked like a bomb had gone off, and nothing in the town was recognizable. When you actually stand in the rubble of what used to be the house you grew up playing in as a child, you just cry. I would never wish something like that on anyone."

"May 4, 2007 will remain etched in the minds of many people, not just the citizens of Greensburg Kansas as folks from all over the world helped, in part, the rebuilding of the small western Kansas town."

"There is a lot of destruction. Fortunately, a lot of folks had basements here in this part of the world and lived to see another day. Unfortunately, too many died."