Topzle Topzle

Greensburg tornado

Updated: Wikipedia source

Greensburg tornado

In the evening hours of Friday, May 4, 2007, amid a tornado outbreak across the central United States, a devastating tornado moved through Kiowa County, Kansas, heavily damaging the town of Greensburg. The Greensburg tornado, tracked 28.8 miles (46.3 km) through the area, killing 12 people and injuring 63. The tornado was the first to be rated EF5 on the Enhanced Fujita scale after the retirement of the original Fujita scale in the United States on February 1, 2007. The tornado touched down south of Greensburg at around 9:03 p.m. CDT, moving to the north while continuing to widen. It eventually entered Kiowa County, crossing U.S. Route 183, before reaching a peak width of 1.7 miles (2.7 km) to the south of Greensburg, entering the city after making a northwest turn. The tornado heavily damaged Greensburg; 662 structures in the town sustained some form of damage. The tornado dissipated northwest of Greensburg after being on the ground for just over an hour. 95% of the town was damaged or destroyed and the tornado left monetary losses of $250 million (2007 USD) in its wake. Kiowa County, the county in which Greensburg is located, was declared a federal disaster area in the immediate aftermath. Rebuilding efforts were intensive, and several major federal government agencies collaborated with state agencies to help restore the town with the goal of making it a "green town" using a long-term community recovery (LTCR) plan. The plan included requiring all buildings in Greensburg to gain Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Platinum (LEED platinum) certification, the highest rating a building can achieve in the LEED program by utilizing sustainable design in energy, along with installing wind turbines in the city. The Kiowa County Memorial Hospital, which was destroyed by the tornado, was the first hospital in the United States to achieve carbon neutrality following its rebuilding in 2010. The tornado greatly affected the economy and population of Greensburg. The town has difficulty attracting residents due to the cost of homes in the area, although it has become a point of interest among eco-tourists visiting to see the "green town" built by the Federal Emergency Management Agency's LTCR plan.

Infobox

Formed
May 4, 2007, 9:03 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00)
Dissipated
May 4, 2007, 10:05 p.m. CDT (UTC−05:00)
Duration
1 hour, 2 minutes
Path length
28.8 miles (46.3 km)
Highest winds
205 mph (330 km/h)
Tornadoes
5
Maximum rating
EF1 tornado
Fatalities
12
Injuries
63
Damage
95% of Greensburg damaged or destroyed
Economic losses
$250 million (2007 USD)
Areas affected
Greensburg, Kansas, US

Tables

List of confirmed satellites of the Greensburg tornado - May 4, 2007[54] · Tornado summary › Satellite tornadoes
EF1
EF1
EF#
EF1
Time (CDT)
8:10 p.m.
Path length
~1.3 miles (2.1 kilometres)
Max width of path
~151 feet (46 metres)
EF0
EF0
EF#
EF0
Time (CDT)
8:18 p.m.
Path length
~0.19 miles (0.31 kilometres)
Max width of path
~74 feet (23 metres)
EF0
EF0
EF#
EF0
Time (CDT)
8:18 p.m.
Path length
~0.19 miles (0.31 kilometres)
Max width of path
~74 feet (23 metres)
EF0
EF0
EF#
EF0
Time (CDT)
8:25 p.m.
Path length
~0.31 miles (0.50 kilometres)
Max width of path
~118 feet (36 metres)
EF0
EF0
EF#
EF0
Time (CDT)
8:25 p.m.
Path length
~0.5 miles (0.80 kilometres)
Max width of path
~118 feet (36 metres)
EF#
Time (CDT)
Path length
Max width of path
EF1
8:10 p.m.
miles (2.1 kilometres)
~151 feet (46 metres)
EF0
8:18 p.m.
miles (0.31 kilometres)
~74 feet (23 metres)
EF0
8:18 p.m.
miles (0.31 kilometres)
~74 feet (23 metres)
EF0
8:25 p.m.
miles (0.50 kilometres)
~118 feet (36 metres)
EF0
8:25 p.m.
miles (0.80 kilometres)
~118 feet (36 metres)

References

  1. Unless noted otherwise, all times in the article are in Central Daylight Time.
  2. Unless noted otherwise, all damage totals in the article are in 2007-adjusted U.S. Dollars.
  3. Possibly a tornado family.
  4. CBS News
    https://www.cbsnews.com/pictures/greensburg-tornado/
  5. Fox 2013. "Roughly nine minutes later, the EF-5 tornado thereafter known as the Greensburg Tornado (2007), would enter i
  6. The Wichita Eagle
    https://www.kansas.com/news/article1091576.html
  7. IBM
    https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/leed-certification
  8. United States Department of Energy
    https://www.energy.gov/energysaver/leed-certified-homes
  9. The Weather Channel
    https://weather.com/safety/tornado/news/2024-04-25-average-tornadoes-by-state-per-year
  10. National Weather Service
    https://www.weather.gov/ict/toptenkstors
  11. WVEC
    https://www.13newsnow.com/article/weather/knowledge/how-many-tornadoes-does-the-us-see-each-year/291-db80e51e-9b29-459c-9f56-26944e904fed
  12. Fox Weather
    https://www.foxweather.com/learn/tornado-alley-7-things-to-know
  13. National Severe Storms Laboratory
    https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/education/svrwx101/thunderstorms/
  14. National Weather Service
    https://www.weather.gov/ict/kstorfacts
  15. WLKY
    https://www.wlky.com/article/10-year-anniversary-of-the-ef-5-greensburg-ks-tornado/9603902
  16. The Columbus Dispatch
    https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/technology/2008/12/30/stunning-intensity-2007-kansas-tornado/24018293007/
  17. Tanamachi 2011, p. 53. "Lemon & Umschied 2008 reported at least 22 separate tornadoes spawned from the Greensburg storm
  18. Smith 2008, p. 2. "Fifty years later, on May 4, 2007, a cluster of thunderstorms developed near and just north of the Ok
  19. Comprehensive Glossary of Weather
    http://www.geographic.org/climate/w.html
  20. Smith 2008, pp. 2–3. "At 8:30pm ... It was at this approximate time that storm spotters in the area began reporting rota
  21. Smith 2008, p. 3. "The first well-defined funnel clouds were reported around 8:45 with small tornadoes touching down bet
  22. National Weather Service
    https://forecast.weather.gov/glossary.php?letter=h
  23. Smith 2008, p. 5
  24. Smith 2008, p. 3. "The tornado that would later strike Greensburg is on the ground under the hook (mesocyclone) and was
  25. National Centers for Environmental Information
    https://web.archive.org/web/20171201210938/https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=35937
  26. Lemon & Umschied 2008, Section 2.4. "It was also during this period that these multiple updrafts, BWERs, and mesocyclone
  27. Lemon & Umschied 2008, Section 2.4. "The tornado gradually ... grew in size ... then becoming a broad truncated cone or
  28. Iowa State University
    https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/vtec/#2007-O-NEW-KDDC-TO-W-0025/USCOMP-N0R-200705050215
  29. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
    https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=35934
  30. Lemon & Umschied 2008, Section 2.4
  31. "Severe Weather Statement"
    https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/wx/afos/p.php?pil=SVSDDC&e=200705050241
  32. Marshall et al. 2008, Section 2.6
  33. "Building GREEN in Greensburg: City Hall Building"
    https://web.archive.org/web/20250223140554/https://www.energy.gov/eere/articles/building-green-greensburg-city-hall-building
  34. KAKE
    https://www.kake.com/archive/stories/greensburg-marks-15-years-since-deadly-ef-5-tornado/article_94f1c1a8-1504-5cc1-98c6-5f6609d4d4d1.html
  35. The Manhattan Mercury
  36. "'The tornado:' Lessons Learned in Greensburg"
    https://kcmh.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Greensburg.pdf
  37. Marshall et al. 2008, Section 2.4. "However, the vast majority of vehicles had been breached by flying debris ... of whi
  38. KCMH
    https://kcmh.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Greensburg.pdf
  39. Jenkins 2015, p. 32. "Electrical service to the city was knocked out ..."
  40. Scientific American
    https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/greensburg-green-revolution/
  41. The Kansas City Star
  42. KSN-TV
    https://www.ksn.com/news/local/greensburg-victims-relive-the-warning-that-saved-their-lives/
  43. Marshall et al. 2008, Section 2.4. "We found debarked trees adjacent to homes at all EF-scale levels ... the greatest nu
  44. Marshall et al. 2008, Section 2.4. See Table 1
  45. Marshall et al. 2008, Section 2.4. "We encountered 53 homes that slid off their brick foundations."
  46. Marshall et al. 2008, Section 2.4. "EF-0 damage occurred to 194 homes. These homes were located on the periphery of the
  47. Marshall et al. 2008, Section 2.4. "As expected, the degree of damage to homes was more severe on the east side of the t
  48. National Weather Service
    https://www.weather.gov/ict/toptenkstors
  49. Lemon & Umschied 2008, Section 2.4. "First, the tornado movement had changed markedly to northwest as it moved through G
  50. Fox Weather
    https://www.foxweather.com/extreme-weather/greensburg-kansas-tornado
  51. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
    https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/stormevents/eventdetails.jsp?id=35937
  52. National Weather Service
    https://www.weather.gov/ict/toptenkstors
  53. National Weather Service
    https://www.weather.gov/oun/efscale#:~:text=The%20Enhanced%20Fujita%20Scale%20or,wind%20speeds%20and%20related%20damage.
  54. National Weather Service
    https://www.weather.gov/oun/efscale
  55. Bluestein 2009, p. 899. "likely the most intense since the tornado that struck Oklahoma City and Moore, Oklahoma, on 3 M
  56. Bluestein 2009, p. 899. "Other tornadoes, some also significant, tracked across portions of southern Kansas, but fortuna
  57. Tanamachi 2011, Section 3.1. See table 2
  58. Tanamachi 2011, Section 2.4. "Tornado 5 had at least five satellite tornadoes, two of which were anticyclonic, as well a
  59. "The Online Tornado FAQ - How are tornadoes in the northern hemisphere different from tornadoes in the southern hemisphere?"
    https://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/#anticyclonic1
  60. Lemon & Umschied 2008, Section 2.4. "This satellite vortex surface contact was probably over the same damage path create
  61. Lemon & Umschied 2008, Section 2.4. "The anticyclonic tornado, the largest of the two satellite tornadoes visually, was
  62. KSN-TV
    https://www.ksn.com/weather/weather-stories/may-4-2007-tornado-devastates-greensburg/
  63. The Hutchinson News
    https://www.hutchnews.com/story/news/local/kansas-agland/2017/04/29/learning-from-greensburg-national-weather/20731493007/
  64. NBC News
    https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna18529275
  65. KAKE
    https://www.kake.com/about-us/meet-the-team/jay-prater-cbm/article_9e1b0ab8-b55b-11ee-bb03-93cf3815d22c.html
  66. National Weather Association
    https://nwas.org/annual-meeting-events/nwa-annual-awards-program/
  67. KSN-TV
    https://www.ksn.com/news/local/ksn-says-goodbye-to-meteorologist-dave-freeman-after-24-years/
  68. U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit
    https://toolkit.climate.gov/case-study/following-devastating-tornado-town-and-hospital-rebuild-harness-wind-energy
  69. WIBW-TV
    https://www.wibw.com/2021/05/04/tuesday-marks-14th-anniversary-of-greensburg-tornado/
  70. Hutton 2008, p. 1. "Considering that around 800,000 cubic yards of debris had to be removed after the devastation and ut
  71. Paul et al. 2007, p. 3. "Access was controlled given concerns about looting and complete disruption of water and electri
  72. White House Archives
    https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2007/05/20070506.html
  73. Environmental Protection Agency
    https://response.epa.gov/site/site_profile.aspx?site_id=2948
  74. Environmental Protection Agency
    https://response.epa.gov/site/polrep_profile.aspx?site_id=2948
  75. KCUR
    https://www.kcur.org/news/2017-05-08/10-years-after-devastating-tornado-greensburg-kansas-struggles-to-move-forward
  76. Jenkins 2015, p. 32. "24 businesses were critically damaged, and 110 businesses were damaged beyond repair."
  77. United States Department of Energy
    https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2013/11/f5/53539.pdf
  78. Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
    https://www.aopa.org/news-and-media/all-news/2020/september/08/greensburg-kansas
  79. University of Kansas
    https://designbuild.ku.edu/547-arts-center
  80. Designbuild X Change
    https://dbxchange.eu/project/547-arts-center
  81. Marshall et al. 2008, Section 2.4. "Just as with the High School, the east and west walls were broadsided by the stronge
  82. Marshall et al. 2008, Section 2.4. "Still, the degree of damage to the Elementary School yielded an EF-4 rating."
  83. Marshall et al. 2008, Section 2.4. "The High School was located about one block east of the convergence line and experie
  84. Marshall et al. 2008, Section 2.4. "Walls in the top story of the main building and south wing were broadsided by the st
  85. Marshall et al. 2008, p. 5. "Still, the degree of damage to the High School yielded an EF-4 rating."
  86. NBC News
    https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna18529275
  87. National Public Radio
    https://www.npr.org/2010/08/18/129276353/tornado-hit-kansas-school-opens-greener-than-ever
  88. United States Department of Energy
    https://www.energy.gov/eere/geothermal/geothermal-heat-pump-case-study-greensburg-kansas-city-hall
  89. Yale Climate Connections
    https://yaleclimateconnections.org/2024/06/portrait-of-a-kansas-town-that-went-all-in-on-clean-energy-after-a-devastating-tornado/
  90. Wisconsin Geothermal Association
    https://wisgeo.org/what-is-geothermal/open-loop-systems/
  91. National Renewable Energy Laboratory
    https://research-hub.nrel.gov/en/publications/rebuilding-it-better-greensburg-kansas-kiowa-county-courthouse-br
  92. United States Department of Energy
    https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2013/11/f5/53539.pdf
  93. Marshall et al. 2008, Section 2.4.
  94. Healthcare Design Magazine
    https://healthcaredesignmagazine.com/architecture/greening-critical-access-hospital/
  95. KCMH
    https://kcmh.net/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/Greensburg.pdf
  96. National Park Service
    https://www.nps.gov/articles/robinett-building-ks.htm
  97. United States Department of Energy
    https://www.energy.gov/sites/prod/files/2013/11/f5/53539.pdf
  98. Sheldon et al. 2007, Section 2.4. "No "tornado shelters" designed to resist the wind and debris associated with a tornad
  99. NBC News
    https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna18529275
  100. Sheldon et al. 2007, p. 4.1. "Consideration should be given to adding two additional building types to the EF Scale. One
  101. Tanamachi et al. 2012, p. 2106. " Data from the UMass X-Pol have been incorporated in studies of severe storms and torna
  102. Tanamachi et al. 2012, p. 2104. "The purpose of this study is to document the University of Massachusetts X-band, mobile
  103. National Weather Service
    https://training.weather.gov/wdtd/courses/woc/severe/storm-structures-hazards/storm-modes/understanding-sm/story_html5.html
  104. Tanamachi et al. 2012, p. 2104. "... is one of only a handful to document both an EF-5 tornado and the mode-1 to mode-2
  105. Lawrence Journal-World
    https://www2.ljworld.com/news/2007/sep/07/fema_repairing_its_reputation_greensburg/
  106. ABC News
    https://abcnews.go.com/WN/story?id=3194446
  107. Lawrence Journal-World
    https://www2.ljworld.com/news/2007/sep/07/fema_repairing_its_reputation_greensburg/
  108. Paul et al. 2007, p. 16. "Designating public buildings, such as school buildings and hospitals as public shelter, emerge
  109. The Kansas City Star
  110. Lawrence Journal-World
    https://www2.ljworld.com/news/2007/sep/07/fema_repairing_its_reputation_greensburg/
  111. Lawrence Journal-World
    https://www2.ljworld.com/news/2007/sep/07/fema_repairing_its_reputation_greensburg/
  112. National Weather Service
    https://www.weather.gov/media/ddc/Greensburg_1year_later.pdf
  113. National Weather Service
    https://www.weather.gov/media/ddc/Greensburg_1year_later.pdf
  114. National Weather Service
    https://www.weather.gov/media/ddc/Greensburg_1year_later.pdf
  115. White House Archives
    https://georgewbush-whitehouse.archives.gov/news/releases/2007/05/20070509-4.html
  116. NBC News
    https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna18573872
  117. United States Air Force
    https://www.af.mil/News/Article-Display/Article/126895/national-guard-cleaning-up-devastated-kansas-town/
  118. Moran, Jerry
    https://www.congress.gov/bill/111th-congress/house-bill/2052
  119. Environmental Protection Agency
    https://archive.epa.gov/region07/cleanup/greensburg/web/html/
  120. FEMA 2007, p. 9. "The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) activated the Long-Term Community Recovery (LTCR) progr
  121. ICMA
    https://icma.org/documents/greensburg-kansas-recovery-plan
  122. United States Department of Energy
    https://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/corporate/ns/greensburgsign_windfarm.pdf
  123. FEMA 2007, p. 33. "One of the greatest needs identified by Greensburg and Kiowa County residents was finding a way to re
  124. FEMA 2007, p. 33. "The state and other disaster recovery partners have made rebuilding housing one of the highest priori
  125. FEMA 2007, p. 49. "Prepare an Economic Development Strategy"
  126. FEMA 2007, p. 49. "A strong economy and positive business climate will encourage people to stay in Greensburg and Kiowa
  127. United States Department of Energy
    https://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/corporate/ns/greensburgsign_hospital.pdf
  128. HFM Magazine
    https://www.hfmmagazine.com/articles/1899-rebuilt-hospital-serves-as-model-of-sustainability
  129. Architect Magazine
    https://www.architectmagazine.com/technology/case-study-tornado-resistant-silo-home-debuts-in-greensburg-kan_o
  130. Salina Journal
    https://www.salina.com/story/news/state/2020/06/26/big-well-reopens/112019144/
  131. KAKE
    https://www.kake.com/archive/stories/greensburg-marks-15-years-since-deadly-ef-5-tornado/article_94f1c1a8-1504-5cc1-98c6-5f6609d4d4d1.html
  132. KMUW
    https://www.kmuw.org/tourism/2021-01-08/how-greensburg-rebuilt-its-tourist-attraction-and-itself-after-a-devastating-tornado
  133. KMUW
    https://www.kmuw.org/tourism/2021-01-08/how-greensburg-rebuilt-its-tourist-attraction-and-itself-after-a-devastating-tornado
  134. Tnemec
    https://www.tankoftheyear.com/documents/1431/PP_Greensburg_Water_Tower_Profile.pdf
  135. Tnemec
    https://www.tankoftheyear.com/documents/1431/PP_Greensburg_Water_Tower_Profile.pdf
  136. The Wichita Eagle
    https://www.kansas.com/news/business/health-care/article1027551.html
  137. The Oklahoman
    https://www.oklahoman.com/story/news/nation-world/2010/01/24/nearly-3-years-after-twister-kansas-hospital-to-rise-from-rubble/61297868007/
  138. Boston Society for Architecture
    https://www.architects.org/stories/building-health
  139. U.S. Climate Resilience Toolkit
    https://toolkit.climate.gov/case-studies/following-devastating-tornado-town-and-hospital-rebuild-harness-wind-energy
  140. United States Department of Energy
    https://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/corporate/ns/greensburgsign_hospital.pdf
  141. United States Department of Energy
    https://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/corporate/ns/greensburgsign_hospital.pdf
  142. United States Department of Energy
    https://www1.eere.energy.gov/buildings/publications/pdfs/corporate/ns/greensburgsign_hospital.pdf
  143. Jenkins 2015, p. 32. "The city of Greensburg's small size did not allow for the city to employ its own emergency service
  144. Jenkins 2015, p. 32. "At the time, Kiowa County employed a part-time emergency manager who was responsible for the count
  145. Jenkins 2015, p. 32. "... the county relied solely on an informational pamphlet from the early 1990s as its emergency op
  146. Jenkins 2015, pp. 32–33. "(This pamphlet was lost in the May 4, 2007, tornado and cannot be located for examination or c
  147. Jenkins 2015, p. 33. "In order to comply with the Disaster Mitigation Act of 2000 (DMA), the state of Kansas utilized a
  148. Jenkins 2015, p. 33. "This requirement was not met by Kiowa County, and no enforcement action was taken by the state to
  149. Jenkins 2015, p. 33. "In order to comply with the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) of 1986, al
  150. Jenkins 2015, p. 33. ... and was specifically focused on addressing dangers related to hazardous industrial materials em
  151. Jenkins 2015, p. 33. "Today, the Kansas CEPR promotes utilizing local emergency planning committees (LEPCs) to address m
  152. The Wichita Eagle
    https://www.kansas.com/news/state/article147489754.html
  153. Ablah et al. 2013, p. 94. See Table 2
  154. The Seattle Times
    https://www.seattletimes.com/nation-world/kansas-officer-dies-from-twister-injuries/
  155. Ablah et al. 2013, p. 90. "On May 4, 2007 an EF5 tornado hit the rural community of Greensburg, KS, destroying 95% of th
  156. The Washington Post
    https://www.washingtonpost.com/climate-solutions/2020/10/22/greensburg-kansas-wind-power-carbon-emissions/
  157. PBS News
    https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/storms-and-tornadoes-continue-to-ravage-central-u-s-after-killing-dozens
  158. Ablah et al. 2013, p. 91. "As a result of this tornado, 12 fatalities were reported, 10 of which were immediate and 2 we
  159. The Denver Post
    https://www.denverpost.com/2007/05/08/kansas-tornado-claims-hero/
  160. CBS News
    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kansas-tornado-death-toll-rises/
  161. The Wichita Eagle
  162. Ablah et al. 2013, p. 92. "Because KCMH, Greensburg's local hospital, had been destroyed, ... sent to hospitals in other
  163. Ablah et al. 2013, p. 92. "Pratt Regional Medical Center (PRMC) was the most likely receiver of patients ... Fifty-nine
  164. Ablah et al. 2013, p. 92. "Patients who had been at KCMH before the tornado were transferred to Comanche County Hospital
  165. Ablah et al. 2013, p. 92. "These 6 patients did not have tornado-related injuries and received care only for their pre-t
  166. Ablah et al. 2013. "Age was found to be related to injury severity, but no relationship between sex and injury severity
  167. USA Today
    https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/greenhouse/2013/04/13/greensburg-kansas/2078901/
  168. Grazulis 1990, p. 178
  169. Grazulis 1990, p. 211
  170. Grazulis 1990, p. 211
  171. National Weather Service
    https://www.weather.gov/ddc/ddcsvr2012apr14
  172. Iowa Environmental Mesonet
    https://mesonet.agron.iastate.edu/vtec/event/2025-O-NEW-KDDC-TO-W-0009/radar/USCOMP-N0Q-202505190245/tab/textdata
  173. KLC Journal
    https://klcjournal.com/is-greensburg-kansas-the-model-for-resilient-rebuilding-after-disaster/
  174. DAT
    https://apps.dat.noaa.gov/stormdamage/damageviewer/
  175. KAKE
    https://www.kake.com/greensburg-residents-relieved-as-tornado-skips-town-stirs-memories-from-deadly-ef-5-in-2007/article_71b9ca2a-7565-46e5-b549-d2ae68d4f919.html
Image
Source: —
Tip: Wheel or +/− to zoom, drag to pan, Esc to close.