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May 2007 tornado Greensburg Kansas

Saturday, June 14, 2008

(CNN) -- Tornadoes tore across the nation's midsection for a second night Saturday, 24 hours after a storm leveled Greensburg, Kansas.

A tornado struck Sweetwater, Oklahoma, about 8:15 p.m. Saturday, causing major damage to a high school and other buildings.

"The tornado came through and just dead-center punched Sweetwater," Roger Mills County Sheriff Joe Hay told KOCO-TV in Oklahoma City. He said there was extensive damage but just one minor injury in the tiny town.

The storm continued to grind north through northwestern Oklahoma toward Kansas for more than 45 minutes.

KOCO's Matt Leinbauer reported seeing damage from another confirmed tornado just east of Arnett, Oklahoma.

At 9:45 p.m. CDT on May 4, 2007, Greensburg was hit by an EF5 tornado. The tornado was estimated to be 1.7 miles (2.7 km) in width 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 ever be rated EF5 since the update of the Fujita scale. The Tornado had caused EF5 Damage at least one well built home in Greensburg, and also is 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,[16] which opened up the affected areas for national and international aid.

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