Greensburg, Kansas
| Greensburg, Kansas | |
|---|---|
| City | |
Greensburg Water Tower (2009)
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 Location within Kiowa County and Kansas |
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 KDOT map of Kiowa County (legend) |
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| Coordinates: 37°36′16″N 99°17′37″W / 37.60444°N 99.29361°WCoordinates: 37°36′16″N 99°17′37″W / 37.60444°N 99.29361°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Kansas |
| County | Kiowa |
| Area | |
| • Total | 1.48 sq mi (3.83 km2) |
| • Land | 1.48 sq mi (3.83 km2) |
| • Water | 0 sq mi (0 km2) |
| Elevation | 2,234 ft (681 m) |
| Population (2010) | |
| • Total | 777 |
| • Estimate (2015) | 798 |
| • Density | 530/sq mi (200/km2) |
| Time zone | CST (UTC-6) |
| • Summer (DST) | CDT (UTC-5) |
| ZIP code | 67054 |
| Area code(s) | 620 |
| FIPS code | 20-28675 |
| GNIS feature ID | 0474258 |
| Website | GreensburgKS |
Greensburg is a city in, and the county seat of, Kiowa County, Kansas, United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 777.
In the evening of May 4, 2007, Greensburg was devastated by an EF5 tornado that traveled rapidly through the area, leveling at least 95 percent of the city and killing eleven people between the ages of 46 and 84.
Greensburg today stands as a model "green town", often described as the greenest in America. The hospital, city hall, and school have all been built to the highest certification level issued by Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). Greensburg is also home to the world's largest hand-dug well.
The first settlement was made at Greensburg in 1885. Greensburg was named for D. R. "Cannonball" Green, who owned a stagecoach company and who helped to form the city.
At 9:45 p.m. CDT on May 4, 2007, during a deadly tornado outbreak, Greensburg was hit by an EF5 tornado. The tornado was estimated to be 1.7 miles (2.7 km) in width — wider than the city itself — and traveled for nearly 22 miles (35 km). Ninety-five percent of the city was confirmed to be destroyed, with the other five percent being severely damaged. The National Weather Service estimated winds of the tornado to reach 205 mph (330 km/h). This was the first tornado to be rated EF5 since the update of the Fujita scale and the first "5" classification since May 3, 1999, when an F5 tornado ripped through Moore, Oklahoma, as part of the 1999 Oklahoma tornado outbreak. Tornado sirens sounded in the city twenty minutes before the tornado struck, and a tornado emergency was issued, which undoubtedly saved many lives. Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius and President George W. Bush both declared Kiowa County a disaster area, which opened up the affected areas for national and international aid. The tornado took 10 lives in Greensburg and two more in neighboring towns. While some rebuilding was done, the population by 2010 was about 50% of what it was in 2000, as the 2000 census found 1,574 residents, while only 777 were recorded in the 2010 census.
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