Tornado-flattened town rising ‘stronger, greener’
GREENSBURG, Kan. – A year after it was practically wiped off the map by a tornado, Greensburg is rising again – and going green, too, with solar panels, wind turbines, tinted windows, water-saving toilets and other energy-efficient technology.
Environmentalists and civic leaders have seized on the disaster as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to re-engineer the town.
“I would never say the tornado happening was a good thing. I would never wish that on anybody,” said Kim Alderfer, assistant city manager. “But given the opportunity, we have to do it right – to make it better.”
On May 4, 2007, a ferocious F-5 twister blasted Greensburg, killing 11 people in the town of 1,400 and flattening its turn-of-the-last-century brick buildings, Victorians and prairie-style houses. Townspeople found themselves disoriented after most of Greensburg’s manmade and natural landmarks were erased or uprooted.
But now the water tower is back, the town’s one traffic light has been replaced, and neighborhoods are showing signs of life.
Returning homeowners and businesses are being encouraged to think about such things as energy-saving lights and rainwater collection systems as they rebuild. And the town government has resolved to erect public buildings that meet the stringent LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Platinum standards for energy-efficient design.
“It will be a stronger, better, greener community,” said Erica Goodman, a newly-elected city councilwoman. “I think the green initiative is really what will set Greensburg apart from every other rural community in the United States.”
About 40 homes have been built to environmentally friendly specifications, with added insulation, double-pane windows and high-efficiency compact-fluorescent lights. Some buildings have extra-large, south-facing windows that take advantage of sunlight to heat and illuminate the home. Many returning homeowners are also using recycled materials, including lumber and bricks salvaged from the twister.
Builders are installing water-efficient faucets, shower heads, toilets and appliances, and a few homes will also have solar panels to provide power.
Asserting mastery over the forces of nature that flattened the town, the John Deere farm equipment dealership has put up a wind turbine, as has the town’s arts center. Others are planned.
A commemoration of the disaster, dubbed “Tragedy to Triumph – Greensburg Rising,” begins today and culminates on Sunday with President Bush delivering the high school commencement address. But questions persist about Greensburg’s future – green or not.
Since the storm, 131 new home permits have been issued. But about half the town’s residents have yet to come back. Some cannot afford to rebuild, while others have moved on to other opportunities and settled elsewhere.