In Greensburg

It was a great two weeks in Kiowa County. I was amazed at some of the pieces the students produced on tornado recovery efforts in Greensburg and the surrounding communities.

The people in the communities where we worked were extremely hospitable. I think the students’ eyes were opened not only to what happens in a community after a disaster, but also to life in small Kansas towns as well. For some, it was pure culture shock.

A big thank-you to the people who helped us, particularly those who work with SCKTRO, the South Central Kansas Tornado Relief Organization. They are solid folks. To those in Haviland, who put up with us for two weeks, an extra thanks, especially to June Boettcher at the Friends Church and C.D. Fitch at Barclay College. The daily hospitality of Vic Hannan and his morning coffee crew at the hardware store also was appreciated.

If you haven’t had a chance to check out the students’ work, go to greensburgrebirth.com.

As we headed home at the end of last week, we traveled east on U.S. 54. We passed the scene once again of the tragedy that occurred at the rest stop between Cunningham and Pratt, where the Colorado couple stopped to get off the highway during a severe thunderstorm. Unfortunately, it’s also where their lives ended when a tornado picked up their small car and slammed it into a wheat field a few hundred yards north.

The video by Patrick Vera of the scene is a grim reminder of the often-deadly force of Mother Nature.