Greensburg

A school isn't a school without furniture.  This week, crews in Greensburg are moving furniture into the new Kiowa County School. The previous school was destroyed, like much of Greensburg, when an EF5 tornado hit the community in May of 2007.Since then, the district has been working out of a series of temporary trailers. "Pretty excited to see the spaces start to get filled up," explains Superintendent Darin Headrick. He and others were on hand Monday an Tuesday as the first semis full of furniture arrived.

by Kara Sewell (GREENSBURG, Kan.) In Greensburg, Monday, it was all about how much customers wanted to take off. "You just have to go with the flow," says Kathy Bruce.  That meant sitting outside on main street, to get a haircut. "My girlfriends and I do margaritas and do it," says Bruce. The cuts are free too but everyone on Main Street is a professional. Snip by snip they're giving the people of Greensburg a makeover. Forty stylist are lined up on the sidewalk of Main Street in Greensburg.

By Megan Strader (GREENSBURG, Kan.) It was more than a mile and a half wide and packed wind speeds more than 200 miles per hour. The EF5 tornado that ripped through the Kiowa County town of Greensburg, three years ago Tuesday, destroyed nearly everything in its path. But a lot has been done to rebuild the town since the tornado hit. In just the past year, the city dedicated its courthouse, hospital, city hall and opened Main Street businesses. The new Kiowa County School will also be finished in a just a few months.

Countless volunteers helped the people of Greensburg get back on their feet. And now, one of those residents is returning the favor. The vest Dennis Miller wears says something about him. "The Red Cross is 95% volunteer," he said. "It doesn't do any good to send money if there's no body to do the work. " He volunteers more than 30 hours a week with the organization, usually by helping people who have had a fire damage their home. To do so, he drives the Disaster Assistance Truck.

(GREENSBURG, Kan.) "They were big, established and very beautiful. They flowered in the Spring and beautiful color in the Fall. " Dea Corns' yard used to have more than twenty trees shading her home. "There's so much of the trunk gone on this one, it's not gonna survive more than five or ten years. " Hers are just a fraction of the trees the city of Greensburg lost when an EF-5 tornado tore through the town nearly three years ago. "Trees are important to us and it's one of the things after the storm that we really have missed and so having some big trees, that are giving us the opportunity for shade in our lifetime, is really important.

(GREENSBURG, Kan.) On May 4th, 2007, A tornado leveled most of Greensburg. Nearly three years later, some homes sit just the way they did on May 5th. The city calls them an eyesore and a health issue, but adds it's working on fixing the problem.  For the first time in their lives, Carl and Joan Hayse have a new home. "We had lived in remodeled homes and we had lived in our home that we had here for 56 years," explains Joan.  It took them two years to rebuild on the spot where their old house stood, but the same can't be said for a few of their neighbors.

(GREENSBURG, Kan.) After a massive tornado destroyed Greensburg, residents knew it would be to hard to get businesses to rebuild. Nearly three years later, Main Street is bustling and officials say one of their most important tools is working. Kari Kyle and Glenda Nichols are neighbors, but their businesses couldn't be more different. One, a coffee shop, ready to cure your hunger. The other, a massage and all natural supplement store, hoping to cure whatever else ails you. But the building they share is unique, it's an incubator building.

By Megan Strader (GREENSBURG, Kan.) It took nearly three years, but Greensburg's Kiowa County Memorial Hospital is back. The May 2007 tornado destroyed the original, leaving staff working out of trailers and army tents for years. On Friday, the building was opened for all to see. The crowd included FEMA's Deputy Director, Governor Mark Parkinson  and hundreds of Kiowa County residents, all wanting their first look at the new $25 million facility. The hospital will employ 90 people and also house an ambulance service and two rural health clinics.

By Megan Strader (GREENSBURG, Kan.) The new Kiowa County Memorials Hospital in Greensburg will be powered, in part, by wind energy.  Crews are busy today installing the new wind turbine. Reporter Video: Megan Strader on Greensburg Hospital Turbine The hospital invested around $25-million in its new building, land and the wind technology, most of that came from insurance, donations and through organizations like FEMA. The hospital only had to take out a $2.2 million loan for the project.

(GREENSBURG, Kan.) They lost everything. People living in the Kiowa County town of Greensburg are busy rebuilding homes and businesses, two and half years after a tornado destroyed the town. But there are things that can never truly be replaced. That's why a pair of photographers from half way across the country are using what they know to try and help. On the steps of their brand new home, Marion and Ella Mae Marrs are making new memories. "First new home I've ever had. I've owned several homes but this is the first new one. " A May 2007 tornado left their old home heavily damaged, and several of their wedding pictures in similar condition.