Jerry Moran: “Last Friday night, Greensburg, Kansas, was struck by a devastating tornado. With 20 minutes' warning, I am sure the…”

“Last Friday night, Greensburg, Kansas, was struck by a devastating tornado. With 20 minutes' warning, I am sure the people of Greensburg did everything possible to protect their homes, their lives, to gather their loved ones, to find the basement, to seek the shelter. Twenty minutes is an awfully short period of time to try to save your life. Two minutes, the time that it takes for the tornado 1 rac{1}{2} miles wide, winds blowing 207 miles an hour, 2 minutes it takes to destroy a community. The losses last Friday night in Greensburg, Kansas, are significant. The photograph I have with me demonstrates the look of a town, a county seat town of Kiowa County, Kansas, population about 1,500. In many ways, a typical Kansas community; in many ways, a typical small town in rural America. Mr. Speaker, I have been in Greensburg, Kansas, for the last 3 days. And perhaps what I see is typical, but what I see is heroics. From the moment the tornado struck, the people of Greensburg arose to the occasion, and every moment since then, their lives have been devoted toward making certain that people are okay, seeking recovery of their loved ones and their property, and trying to make certain that everyone is found and that life is preserved.”