Early twister warning probably saved lives

There remained plenty of caution about what the rubble might reveal in the coming days. Since the tornado hit Friday night, emergency responders have had little indication of how many people in this central Kansas town of 1,500 may be safely staying with friends or relatives, rather than in shelters.

Law enforcement officials will be checking identification and compiling a list of people whose whereabouts still haven’t been determined. Residents were told to leave again by 6 p.m.

Amid the searching, a museum volunteer uncovered a missing 1,000-pound pallasite meteorite. One of the largest of its kind in the world, the meteorite is insured for $1 million. For decades, meteorite hunters from around the world have been drawn here to hunt for space rocks in the rich soil near here.

Museum volunteer Don Stimpson dug through the rubble Monday until he found the meteorite where it had been displayed, enclosed in glass at the Big Well museum and gift shop.

“I read reports the meteorite was gone, that it got sucked up by the tornado,” said Stimpson. “Unless you know what you are looking for, it looks like rubble.”

Tree trunks stood bare in Greensburg, stripped of most of their branches. All the churches were destroyed. Every business on Main Street was demolished, and the town’s fire engines were crushed.

The massive concrete silos of a grain elevator towered over the flattened expanse of what was left of the town.

Near downtown, a woman supported by two others stopped frequently along U.S. 54, breaking down in sobs.

“If I hear that people are going stay and we’re going to have a school, then I’ll stay,” said Greensburg High School shop teacher Peter Kern, who had lived in the town for the last year. “If we don’t have a school, I don’t have a job.”

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