Pittsburgh Post-Gazette from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania • Page 11

May 5 2007 PITTSBURGH POST-GAZETTE SUNDAY, MAY 6, 2007 WWW.POST-GAZETTE.COM A-12 NATIONAL G. Marc Press Melissa Hillhouse smiles after finding her camera salvageable among the remains of her home after a tornado hit Greensburg, Kan, on Friday. Mrs. Hillhouse, her husband, Kevin, and their daughter Alexis had moved a week ago from Berryville, Ark. Tornadoes rip through Kansas for 2nd day after 9 are killed By Roxanna Hegeman The Associated Press GREENSBURG, Kan.

A fresh wave of tornadoes ripped through southwest Kansas last evening, a day after a tornado all but destroyed this town, killing nine and injuring dozens more. The National Weather Service said it had received reports into the double of twisters touching down in six counties. Among them were a series of half-mile wide tornadoes similar to the one that devastated Greensburg on Friday night, meteorologist Mike Umscheid said. going to expect quite a lot of he said. Earlier, emergency crews called off the search in Greensburg for victims as the weather deteriorated again.

Mr. Umscheid said the slow- moving storm system would likely to spawn severe weather early into this morning. Rescuers had spent the day hurrying through the wreckage from Friday giant tornado, which left little standing beyond the local pub. weather was blamed for nine deaths in the region, a figure authorities feared could rise even before the latest twisters. City Administrator Steve Hewitt estimated 95 percent of the town of 1,500 was destroyed and predicted rescue efforts could take days as survivors could be trapped in basements and under rubble.

Among the only structures that survived was the Bar Tavern, the lone bar. It was briefly converted into a morgue. Survivors picked over the remnants of their homes and possessions, still dazed by the strength and scope. Jackie Robertson and her family collected wedding photos, a wallet and other belongings from the debris that had been her home. Ms.

Robertson, her husband and a friend stayed in a cellar Friday night when the storms struck. heart just aches for she said. is so surreal. This is where I The town, previously best known as the home of the largest hand-dug well 32 feet in diameter, 109 feet deep when it was finished in 1888 was a nightmare of splintered homes and smashed vehicles, the air redolent with the smell of sap from trees stripped of bark. want everybody to know, and I plead to the American people as well as the people here in Kansas, this is a huge catastrophe that has happened to our small Mr.

Hewitt said. my downtown is gone. My home is gone. My homes are gone. And got to find a way to get this to work and come to work every day and get this thing back on its feet.

going to be Residents said they heard the tornado warning sirens a common feature of towns in about 20 minutes before storm hit. Even with that heads-up, Frank Gallant had no place to go. Mr. Mr. Gallant, who uses a wheelchair, had no basement, so he moved to the center of his house with his miniature pinscher, No.

5. just hope lived up to the expectations, and going to the good place and not the said Gallant, 47. Weather Service meteorologist Larry Ruthi said the path of damage was 1.4 miles wide, estimating it would be classified a F-4 or an tornado, the strongest possible. Jose Peraza said he was driving his oil rig into town when he heard the siren and driving hail started pounding the area. He pulled over and hid with several other people in a convenience store freezer.

He said the storm ripped the side off the freezer, and when he came out he found the twister had thrown his truck weighed down by 40,000 pounds of oil The dead included eight in Kiowa County and one in nearby Pratt County, said Sharon Watson, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Adjutant Department. She said officials are looking into reports of two other storm-related deaths. State Rep. Dennis McKinney, the Kansas House minority leader, said he and his daughter kid in the basement while the storm destroyed his home. He helped search homes for survivors but noted inspections take that long because in the western part of town, there many homes left to A mandatory evacuation was ordered, he said.

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius declared a disaster emergency for Kiowa County and planned to tour the area today, said her spokeswoman, Nicole Corcoran. The state sent 40 National Guard soldiers to help. The White House said President Bush was briefed on the situation, and a spokeswoman for the Federal Emergency Management Agency said FEMA was preparing to send aid. SOURCE: ESRIAP Rescuers search through damage A city official estimated 95 percent of Greensburg was destroyed from a tornado that left at least eight people dead in Kiowa County and one in Stafford.

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