Giving back to Greensburg
By BRANDON WORF
One week shy of the year anniversary of the Greensburg EF5 tornado, a contingent of Fort Hays State University students decided to forgo sleeping in on Saturday morning and traveled to the town to aid in ongoing cleanup efforts as part of their participation in the National Youth Service Day.
The group, members of the campus service entity Tigers In Service, consisted of roughly 25 college students from all over the state, including one who grew up in Greensburg. While it appeared as if getting out of bed before 9 a.m. on a Saturday was a chore for some, most were lively, and the day kicked off with a short meeting with Greensburg resident and volunteer coordinator Matt Deighton. Addressing the group, Deighton warned them of what they were about to see.
"I know you've already seen some stuff driving in. But when you go walk these lots, it's going to be hard to see some of the things out there," he said.
Deighton gave the group a fairly detailed background on the storm -- and its effects.
"The storm hit at two minutes after 10, and we had 20 minutes of warning," he said. "Unfortunately, that warning was cut in half when the power went out, and we had people coming back up out of their basements and shelters to either look or whatever else it was they were doing when it hit."
Deighton somberly stated the town was lucky to only have nine fatalities.
"We were really lucky, considering how big this thing was," he said. "One of our city guys managed to get out to the main gas supply to the town and shut off the supply before it hit. Otherwise, this town literally might have vaporized off the face of the earth."
After giving details on the history of the disaster, Deighton explained what the students would be doing and what to look for.
"Most of the holes from the basements and such have been filled in, and a lot of stuff got buried," he said. "But the thing is, with all the rain, the snow and the wind, a lot of stuff has begun to resurface due to the erosion. So don't be surprised if you find things like Christmas ornaments, wedding rings, books, toys, things like that."
And with that, the students headed out with him to begin their work.
Most of the group was taken to the south part of town, where they began clearing large surface debris such as tree limbs, pieces of wood and other large objects still left behind despite nearly a year's time. Deighton took three girls from the group to a temporary house and had them painting some large sheets of plywood for an upcoming event next week. By now, most of the students had loosened up and short, scattered conversations came and went. Some came for the service, and some came for the incentives it offered.
For Chelsea Wirtz, it was both.
"I love doing stuff like this," she said. "You meet the most amazing people while volunteering because they're just like you, and they're here to help."
The junior from Ellinwood was majoring in elementary education and came because she lived so close.
"I just wanted to finally get down here and help, but I hadn't been here since the tornado and this is just mind-blowing," she said.
Shannon O'Shea, a junior from Blaine, agreed.
"This is just amazing and shocking at the same time," O'Shea said. "I've volunteered for this before. But every time I come back, it just surprises me still how much damage was done."
O'Shea said she decided to participate because she just wanted to help the people out.
"When you volunteer for something like this, it's an amazing feeling in the end," she said. "And the people you get to meet are awesome."
Wirtz and O'Shea were working with a third student, Hannah Krady, on painting the plywood at Deighton's house.
"It's just shocking how much needs to be done here, and I wanted to do my part," said Krady, a freshman from Abilene.
Meanwhile, the main group was at a lot where several houses previously stood and where a handful already were being rebuilt. Students were sifting, digging and removing anything from broken 2-by-4s, to tree limbs, roots and boards from the ground. Most of what was found was trash. Despite this, no one complained.
For Greensburg native Justin Greenleaf, it was more subdued.
The Fort Hays alumnus, who has master's and bachelor's degrees in organizational leadership, and a bachelor's degree in information networking and telecommunications, grew up in Greensburg before attending Fort Hays, where he now teaches courses in leadership at the school. To him, it was just an extension of what he's already been through. His parents, still residents of Greensburg, lost their house and essentially everything in it.
"I was born and raised here, and to me, it's just completely amazing," he said. "I still can't wrap my head around the fact that the town I lived in for 18 years was gone in less than 15 minutes."
Greenleaf has worked with Deighton to help rebuild the town, but only after he'd taken care of his business first.
"It took awhile to get my family stabilized from all of this," he said. "But once I got that taken care of, I started doing this on the weekends when I can, so I've been here a lot the last year."
