Part 4 - Rare video from the Greensburg, KS EF5 tornado

[ksmomma74]

The shock on everyone's faces. Some just milling around because they don't know which end is up. What a sad day. I live in Wichita, but always loved passing through Greensburg. Everytime we went, we had to stop by the "Big Well". If I remember correctly, Greensburg had just a 4-way stop sign downtown. It was just a neat, old town. God Bless those who perished, and those who survived as well. Thank you storm chasers. Nothing you could do to stop it from happening, but thanks for the warnings.

[hickon323]

ever experienced 1 tornado in my life but the looks of it means business!

[USEditor]

***** Exceptional work guys! You served yourselves and Greensburg with honor and distinction. You did this while making a "vital" audio and video record of the crisis hours after the storm. What's more, unlike many storm chasers, all of you in the car were calm and kept your wits together — thinking of people first and your camera second.

[traemaxwell]

What many people can't comprehend is that this tornado was wider than the town.

it pratically ate this poor town and spat it out.

Its simply humbling to see such raw power and scary to know that there was nothing to do but watch it come at you at 50mph

[naderchaser]

@traemaxwell A fantastic point you made about "they can't comprehend that this tornado was bigger than their town". You are absolutely dead-on correct....it is almost inconceiveable to anybody in tornado alley to have one that wide. The only one wider in U.S. History is the Hallam (Lincoln) Nebraska 2 1/2 mile wide monster of 5-24-04. Thank the Good Lord that it only grazed a tiny little town during it's entire lifespan. And a huge salute to these selfless chasers that did the right thing.

[ligon11]

i remember that nado like it was yeasturday

[metallicakirk100]

i was in haviland just 10 miles away from the tornado

[krampp24]

after seeing this video i have alot more respect for mother nature and tornados and the power of theses things when they do hit an open feild in the middle of nowhere they are the most beautiful things ever but when they het a small town like this its the most saddening situation

[kjpww2]

I remember watching this from my dorm room live until almost 1 in the morning. To see that couplet sitting over Greensberg with just insane amounts of outbound and inbound velocities just gave that feeling that something that you never ever hope to see is happening right in front of you and its really something that you never forget.

[floridamn22]

@kjpww2 i remember watching this too...you feel helpless, you want to call someone there and warn them, but...how sad, and how strong those people are.

[narathh]

crybaby

[SongbirdFly20]

this makes me want to cry. so sad

[AzelfandQuilava]

after the tornado attacked it started to come back but it died but the winds had given brith to 3 new tornado's

[samueldj123]

nope

[reformcongress]

The massive size of this tornado, even if it was only 150 mph winds would probably have caused at least as much damage. It took at least 15 minutes to destroy that town which is only about a mile wide at its widest point. The tornado was 1.7 miles wide. The fujita scale rates tornadoes on the damage it does, but generally, the wind speeds in a tornado can be estimated accurately because its very rare to have one this large.

[reformcongress]

Cinnamin, the only real difference is that an F4 or higher is now considered and Ef5

[davidlee110]

Greensburg, KS

1878 - 2007

R.I.P.

Reborn in 2008

[DavoFozter]

a day before my B'day aswell. I found out the next day as i live in the U.K and shed a tear as i only visited greensburg two weeks before as i was on holiday in texas and we went storm chasing around the area. R.I.P to the people that lost there lives that night

[nattymcg]

This is a scene in which no storm chaser would like to ever see no matter how much passion they have for the chase. Greensburg is revitalizing, but for those here in that tragedy, they will never forget.

[jromig19]

no one that was there will ever forget..me being a fellower chaser, didnt want t see this but even more so being a fire fighter..i didnt see the tornado cuz i was in dodge city when it hit but as soon as we heard, we hooked a u turn and started getting out gear together...

[theurge14]

The Embarq building in Gardner, KS loaded up a whole 18-wheeler full of supplies for Greensburg. I helped sort the food and supplies. :)

[cena0123456789o]

i moved away from there like a 2weeks before that

[owenowen]

Uh, we "believe" you.....

Re: moved away from there like a 2weeks before that

[codycox13]

i feel soo srry for those Millions and Millions (exagerating i think) ppl who lost thier homes and rpobly some loved ones im not sure its soo sad and devastating and i know this is not the right time but whats the song at the end??

[Kayiko]

This might come a little late for some, but the reason the F scale was changed was because they now take into account the type of structure a building is and how easy or hard it can stand up again wind damage. The old scale only judged by the amount of destruction caused.. The new scale evaluates the builds and judges (Like someone said.. a complete destruction of a school house is major major high wind damage.. where as just a house made of wood and sheet rock, not as hard to destroy)

[Kayiko]

sorry.. a school. not school house. (school house makes me think of those one room school buildings from the old days. i meant the large, brick or concrete schools they build now)

[Drumguy1988]

Sorry I ment Manitoba, Ontario not Alberta.

[Drumguy1988]

Wasn't it after this Tornado and the the EF-5 in Alberta, Canada that they updated the scale to EF rating instead of just F???

[Kayiko]

i believe it was before this tornado. Since this was, i believe, the first tornado to get a EF 5.

[Cinnamint28]

They haven't adopted the EF system in Canada yet, they still use the old F system.

[djmweatherman]

Kind of reminds me of Parkersburg, Iowa, of May 25, 2008.

[ZeroFlame007]

I can see my house in the background for the first 3 minutes of the video...

[WackyModder86]

srry to hear that =(

[MindOfAPsychopath]

dumbasses

[greenday8821]

I think I shit myself

[JUSTINCLOSER]

That tornado was devastating, you guys seem to always be in the right place at the right time, I am a Skywarn spotter in North Alabama and it is pretty difficult to chase out here due to the lovely trees and hills we have. Great vids guys, keep up the good work and maybe I'll see you on some desolate country road in Oklahoma in the future if I can get some vacation time next year!!!!!!!

[Andylong99]

may the people who died in greensburg tornado rest in peace and the families of lost loved ones i know what its like to lose loved ones

[seanwilson7]

Just wanted to compliment the three of you on all of the amazing videos and the care you gave those in need. Great job!!

[TheHaydenator]

Also, I Might add, I was amazed how people came together so fast. We had emergency units there from 50 miles away within an hour.

And being the dog lover I am, I have to wonder if they ever found that German Shepard?

[TheHaydenator]

Watching this video brings chills and memories to me. I'm a rookie reporter and had to cover an EF-3 touchdown here in Georgia back in March. I arrived there 30 mins. afterwards and much like they did in the video I was helping and reporting at the same time. The storm killed 2 people and also hit a kennel with 100 dogs. Only 12 survived.

There was also a dog that was chained with an industrial-type chain. The tornado broke the chain, but the dog survived.

[LoserForJesus]

man the clouds are just wicked in the beginning.. ahh and greensburg today is still in not great condition :/

[alwill893]

wow i couldnt b that close to a tornado u must not b i really glad somebody stepped ^ cause we would stay away i was in 1 tornado when i waz 5 but now im 11

& im a girl so imagine that

[spartan4745]

haah today during football we were on the field and a storm was coming and a tornado was forming right next to the field so we had to run reallly fast inside didnt touch down but it was pretty cool

[redhillsaluki]

at 3:39 it looks like the house from twister.

[hefrules]

OMG it really does! thats just plain creepy! That was the only part of that movie that I hated cause it freaked me out!

[SiggyTore]

The song is called "Over" by VideoPhonic, which resides in Edmond, OK (North OKC suburb). Thanks to River Jones Music Label for letting me use it!

Myspace(dot)com(slash)videopho­nic

[sciencealwayswins]

Londonhound, you think this is funny? Yeah, how about you wait until an EF5 tornado hits your town/city, and then let us know if you still find it funny. Go to hell.

[theitalian556]

I agree! It takes a real asshole to think that heartache is a joke! I truely feel bad for all these people! My heart goes out to them! If only tornadoes weren't destuctive!!!

[Aloysius458]

man it looked like a movie at the end with that helicopter but i happened for REAL!

[krampp24]

i wnat that song whats it called plz someone find out

[krampp24]

What is the name of this amazing song

[krampp24]

good vid by the way it really made me realize how devestating a tornado can be thumbs up guys

[teenvideogamenerd]

COOL!!!

[Yarndt]

I think that wind engineer Tim Marshall started the whole EF scale. I don't know why, though.

[sakajiro]

ill repeat myself one last time NEVER chase tornadoes at night if u ever are chasing a tornado and it get to dark to see the tornado BACK OFF IMEDIATLY it is extremly dangerous to continue because u can only rely on radar

[moore73160]

mine shut up

[cboy4]

What a wonderfully haunting video..you feel like you're standing there in person....and oh my gosh, when the music bleeds in...wow, it just brings home the devastation in chilling fashion. A+

Does anyone know the name of it?

[misfitfiend83]

the only difference between the old scale and the new is the wind speeds...the requirements for whatever rating a tornado is given is the same with a lil modification to F0 and 1's..and since the Moore Ok tornado they know wind speeds within a tornado can get up to over 300mph...true they werent at the base but shows Fujita wasnt far off with his estimates of what a tornado can do..but ur rite...it is only speculations.

[Kayiko]

(sorry for the old comment) actually the new one takes into account the type of building structure is being damaged. Both scales, old or new, i heard could only be used when a tornado goes over structures. So though it does judge wind, it needs structure damage first to get an EF (or F) rating. So said a doctor Joshua Wurman, an atmospheric scientist noted for tornado, hurricane, and weather radar research.

[SiggyTore]

So looking at houses completely wiped off their foundation will definitely signal a strong if not violent tornado, but it all depends on how the house was anchored and what material was used.

FWIW, we saw at least one house completely wiped off the foundation and it was built probably sometime in the Great Depression. Just 2 blocks back to the west stood a single house, with nothing but a few shingles taken off the roof. 50 feet in any direction, houses were at least EF-4 damage.

[SiggyTore]

.... One of the reasons why the Greensburg tornado was given an EF-5 rating, was because of the high school being constructed back in the 1920's and the 3rd level being completely concrete and that level removed off.

There is no way to compare the new EF scale with the old F scale, due to old damage surveys not using this new enhanced scale. You can speculate, but scientifically, without recorded data, it's nothing other than speculation.

-Dick

[SiggyTore]

"It was only an F3 on the original fujita scale."

Incorrect, winds which were once thought to be higher than what they really were. On May 3, 1999 the DOW's scanned the F-5 that moved through OKC...at 319 mph, but that was not at the surface, tornadic winds will decrease in speed the closer they are to the surface.

They now use detailed damage indicators to determine the intensity, which is now more detailed.

[animefaninarcadia]

Sorry, this is in Kansas. That is what KS stands for...

[Jrue12]

I drove through greensburg two hours before the tornado hit. I was driving from liberal, kansas with the seward county softball team to wichita for our regional tournament. its crazy to see a town before and after. how awful, my heart goes out to the people

[Nk1fan]

that was a horrible F5 i hate tornadoes but i luv them at the same time i luv metoroligy

[SonNycZ]

metoroligy wtf? you love it and you cant spell it?

[abone734]

It was only an F3 on the original fujita scale.

[kdc29]

How can somthing so beautiful cause this damage..

[PietBerger]

The sad side from something that can be so beautifull.

I love tornado's, but not the damage they leave behind!

god bless those people.

[nats316]

very good vid.

[urbanpoet06]

so sad. I hope the town can recover from this trumatic event. I have the upmost respect for you guys and the work you do.

[astrantia2k]

I agree with you. Too bad there are elitist old time chasers who like to slap 'yahoo chasers' on these guys.

[MDHmodder]

We call them "meteorologists". They like pretending they're walking textbooks sometimes.