WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Pat Roberts (R-Kan.) today released the following statement and video to recognize and commemorate the 10^th Anniversary of the Greensburg tornado.

“It has been ten years since the devastating tornado in Greensburg that changed the town forever,” said Roberts. “With the comeback spirit of the people of Greensburg, the town has been re-imagined and rebuilt with the future in mind. Anyone in Greensburg now can see the destiny, the faith and the hope all around. It has been ever-present since May 4, 2007.”

To download the video, click here. To watch the video, click here or the image above.

The following is the text of Senator Roberts’ remarks in the video:

I am honored to join you in recognizing the 10 years that have passed since the Greensburg tornado. I shall never forget arriving at the crack of dawn and seeing total devastation.

It is important to remember those we lost that night – and what we lost -- but also just as important to recognize the work done to rebuild.

            It has been an emotional comeback, but what a comeback it is!

            The town has been re-imagined and rebuilt with the future in mind.

Working with local leadership, I am proud to say we had a part in this – monetary help, tax changes, government assistance and even immediate help from President Bush all played a role. But, most important was the comeback spirit within the people of Greensburg.

In fact, I noticed the culminating event on the schedule this week is the Kiowa County Schools Graduation.

We looked to the future ten years ago with the Greensburg Rangers, Class of 2007, set to celebrate their graduation when the storms changed everything.

During that commencement, I called these students the class of destiny and hope and tried to reassure them.

The tornado and its losses had taught them hard lessons. I told them they had already experienced what I hoped was the toughest challenge they would face in their lives and in so doing they now knew that when fear knocks at the door, you send faith to open it. 

And anyone here in Greensburg now can see the destiny, the faith and the hope all around.  It has been ever-present since May 4, 2007.

            God bless the people of Greensburg and all of our classes of destiny and hope.

Background:

On May 4, 2007, an EF-5 tornado ripped through the western Kansas town of Greensburg, destroying nearly 95 percent of the city and killing 11 people.

Roberts’ efforts began immediately. In the pre-dawn hours after the deadly storm, Senator Roberts drove to Greensburg to meet with emergency responders and to ensure the state and local authorities had everything they needed to help Kansans in need. He toured the area, was briefed by officials on the ground, and then traveled to a shelter that had been set up for victims.

After consoling many whose homes had been wiped off the map and armed with his own accounts of the damage of the storm and the needs of the residents, Senator Roberts called President George W. Bush from a McDonald’s restaurant in Pratt – the first place he could get cellular phone service.

Roberts told the President that emergency disaster declaration requests would be coming from the governor and urged his immediate approval. Before Roberts could even finish the request, President Bush assured Senator Roberts the state would have whatever it needed.

Senator Roberts invited President Bush to the state to review the damage first hand, and the president accepted. A few days later, Roberts and Bush led the Kansas Congressional delegation through the town to meet with affected families and businesses.

At the same time, Roberts’ staff immediately responded by opening offices on the weekend to field calls from citizens in need. Senator Roberts tapped one of his senior staffers, Mel Thompson, to full time work in and around Greensburg. Mel was on site every day for months and remained in the community on a regular basis for more than a year.

One of the first pieces of federal assistance to come was FEMA’s declaration that Greensburg and surrounding communities would receive 100 percent reimbursement for any costs incurred during the 72 hours following the storm. Usually, FEMA only covers up to 75 percent of the costs, but with Senator Roberts’ help, the agency agreed that the damage in Greensburg warranted a full reimbursement for reconstruction.

Likewise, Senator Roberts moved to develop federal relief programs for victims of the storm. The Senate passed a package of tax relief provisions, the Kansas Disaster Tax Relief Assistance Act (S. 1532), which was later added to the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, commonly referred to as the Farm Bill and passed into law.

The legislation provided small businesses with an employee retention tax credit and increased the expensing limit for businesses who continued to pay their employees while the city was rebuilding. The new rules allowed small businesses to expense up to 50 percent of the clean-up and demolition costs during the renovation process. Finally, the bill waived the penalty for early withdrawal from IRA and other retirement plans for affected individuals.

Following Hurricane Katrina, Greensburg became the national model for rebuilding from a natural disaster. State, local and federal governments worked together to rapidly rebuild and assist those in need based on the model that Senator Roberts’ helped to create in Kansas.

Senator Roberts was honored to be asked to address the Greensburg High School graduation twice, once with President George W. Bush. He recognized each member of the class and declared them the “Class of Dedication and Hope” in 2007 for their perseverance.