Street Signs from Tornado
Greensburg residents found themselves without landmarks or street signs
to aid in navigation when a tornado destroyed most of their town in May,
2007.
Kansans are no strangers to severe storms. The state is located in the heart of Tornado Alley and experiences an average of 55 tornadoes per year. Kansas is one of the top four states in annual tornado sightings, but rarely does a twister do the kind of damage witnessed in Greensburg on May 4, 2007. On that date a devastating tornado more than a mile wide leveled 95% of this southwest Kansas community. Ten people were killed and countless others injured, but these numbers could have been much higher given the storm's intensity. Fortunately for residents, the National Weather Service issued a tornado warning 15 to 20 minutes before the twister struck. This advanced warning saved many lives. 
Other communities in Kansas have not been so lucky. Udall lost 20% of its population when a huge tornado struck without warning on the morning of May 25, 1955. This storm killed 87 and injured about 200 people. Storm prediction methods had greatly improved by June 8, 1966, when a tornado warning was issued for Topeka. Storm spotters dispatched around the area reported a large tornado heading toward the capitol city. Even though the storm caused over $100 million in damages, only 16 people were killed due to the advanced warning. Forty years later, an extensive storm spotter network and improved radar and weather prediction techniques lessened the human toll of the massive Greensburg tornado. Residents had time to take cover but businesses, homes, schools and churches were all destroyed in a matter of minutes. Even street signs could not withstand the twister's winds of over 200 miles per hour. This "Stop" sign and "Emergency Snow Route" sign both were damaged during the storm. Street signs were missing from almost every corner. Because tornadoes form quickly and randomly, it is almost impossible to accurately measure the wind speed of a funnel cloud. Instead, tornadic intensity is determined by the damage left behind. Meteorologists have used the Fujita scale to estimate wind speeds since the mid-1970s. The Fujita scale was adjusted in February 2007, becoming known as the Enhanced Fujita scale, and the Greensburg storm became the first EF5 tornado recorded in the United States. A tornado strong enough to receive a rating of 5 had not been seen in the US since 1999 in Oklahoma. 
Only a handful of buildings remained standing after the Greensburg storm. Enormous piles of rubble lined every street. Without landmarks and street signs, it became very difficult for residents and volunteers to move around the community. Temporary signs like these (bottom, right) were placed at intersections to aid navigation until permanent markers could be erected. It will take many months and even years for Greensburg to fully recover, but like other Kansas towns devastated by some of nature's most violent and unpredictable storms, its residents are determined to rebuild. These signs are in the collections of the Kansas Museum of History. They were donated by the City of Greensburg. Cool Things Podcast
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