Sam Brownback: “I just returned from Greensburg, KS, yesterday, where we had a horrific tornado hit late Friday evening. I want to share…”

“I just returned from Greensburg, KS, yesterday, where we had a horrific tornado hit late Friday evening. I want to share with my colleagues some of the damage assessments, some of the pictures of what has taken place, and some of the needs we have for this community. It is a community I have been to a number of times while serving in different positions in Kansas. It is a wonderful community, full of community spirit, with people who have been there for a number of years. They have a celebration around a hand-dug well that is kind of an unusual event. It is the world's largest hand-dug well. You can go to the bottom of it, and I have done that. Greensburg is a community with a lot of spirit in the middle of the State and in the middle of our country. Now it is experiencing this tremendous devastation. The tornado covered 40 miles in 90 minutes. It was first spotted at 8:24 p.m. last Friday 3 miles south of Sitka, KS, in Clark County. The tornado tracked through six counties: Comanche, Kiowa, Edwards, Stafford, Pratt, and Barton. At 9:45 p.m., the tornado demolished Greensburg before wrapping north and dissipating before 10 p.m. Fortunately, the National Weather Service and a weather man out of Dodge City spotted it and warned the community, and the community had about a 20-minute warning that a tornado was coming and that it was a big one.”