April 15, 2009 - Mena, Arkansas Tornado

On April 9, 2009, a violent tornado touched down in Mena, AR, killing three and injuring 30. From what I can tell, the tornado was on the ground for about 12 miles and could have been up to ¾ of a mile wide. It destroyed 300 homes and damaged 600 others. The tornado was rated as a high-end EF3, with winds near 165 mph.

The storm plowed through downtown Mena, ripping apart homes, businesses, schools and city hall. Hundreds are without a place to call home. Most Americans in this country are already nervous about the present economic climate and unstable future but this storm has now added to the worries of this small city of about 6,000.

When I arrived I met with the mayor and other humanitarian organizations in the new makeshift city hall (the local gas station) to talk about the needs of those living in the community. About 30% of the citizens are estimated to be without insurance.

I've met many people who live in this small town, and I have seen great sadness. When I look into their faces I cannot help but see the sincerity of their appreciation that we are here and it seems to allay their sadness for a brief moment.

Little things go a long way right now - removing a tree that has crashed through someone's living room; replacing a fence to help make someone feel safe again; tarping a roof before a rainstorm hits in an attempt to protect the few belongings someone has left; clearing a home site for someone who has no insurance. The piles of rubble strewn for several square miles may look like piles of junk to the average person but to these people, it's everything they have ever know and worked hard for. Maybe as we pick up the pieces, in some small way it's helping them begin again.

The team and I have been sleeping at a small church on the edge of town. There are about 50 people staying in every room available. Last night the only place I could find an area to catch a few hours sleep was on a chair in the sanctuary. Between the sounds of people snoring and the achiness from sleeping on an uncomfortable floor, I have not slept well.
But last night as I was falling asleep I could not help but be thankful. My friend Steve Mudd once told me, "Someone always has it worse." Life may not always be perfect but if we step back for a brief moment to think, we can find something to be thankful for.

June 8, 2008 - Parkersburg, IA Tornado

We have really grown close to the people here in Parkersburg. Tonight was the first town hall meeting. I was asked to sit in front with the police chief, sheriff, and the town board. They opened up the meeting by welcoming the community to the first town hall meeting since the tornado, which was held in an abandoned mechanic garage on the outskirts of town. Then the chief said, “First order or business, many of you have seen the large black trucks in town opening up roads. We would like to introduce you to the man who owns those trucks, Tad Agoglia.” I was taken aback as everyone from the town gave me a standing ovation.

Later tonight I was told by many people that we gave them hope that they could begin again – because they saw progress and because people cared enough to come help. They simply felt better days were ahead. I’m thankful we can help.

June 2, 2008 - Parkersburg, IA Tornado

We have been in Parkersburg for several days now. We have grown close to the local emergency and government officials. We are no longer staying at the hotel but at County Sheriff Johnson’s house. Our main effort here has been opening up roads. The main highway going through town had piles of debris 30-40 foot high. It was difficult and dangerous for people to drive through because visibility was so bad.

We usually just push debris aside but in this case there were so many houses piled on top of each other – covering a vital road – that we had to remove the debris to the edge of town. When Chris and Jason asked what they could do to help, I said get me dump trucks because dump trucks are usually what is available in most parts of the country.

Jason and Chris took me seriously because dump trucks arrived from three surrounding counties, and for the past few days we have been moving hundreds of truckloads of debris off the main highway.

Today is the day they are burying the husband and wife who died together. The funeral precession came right through the main road where we were working, and we all stopped as everyone drove by. I just can’t seem to get used to this. I can get used to houses and cars being destroyed but I can’t get used to death. It stops me in my tracks every time and makes me think.

After all the cars passed we kept at our work. The truck drivers could not believe we were loading them so fast, one after the other, each truck only taking 1-3 minutes to load. We are tired though – it’s been a long storm season and I know it’s not over yet. We should be done here in Parkersburg in the next few days.

May 27, 2008 - Parkersburg, IA Tornado

We stayed in Picher until yesterday. The situation there was about as stable as possible. Reports started coming in of an EF5 tornado that ripped apart Parkersburg, IA. This is the largest tornado of the year so far, and it was a direct hit on the city. I decided they were going to need our help. We left immediately and arrived in Parkersburg as the sun was coming up.

Tim and I walked into what was left of the volunteer firehouse. The walls and roof were ripped off and all that was left of the garage were steel ribs. There was a lot of commotion and all of a sudden I heard someone scream, “Disaster Recover Solutions!” I heard it screamed again as a man dressed in a police officer’s uniform came around the corner of a fire truck. I identified myself as the person he was looking for. He said, “Are you the guy that owns that large black truck out front?” I said, “Yes, and we are here to help any way you need us.”

He said, “Follow me.” As we walked he said, “My name is Chris Luhring. I have lived here my whole life, and my city is destroyed. I have family who has died, I have friends who have died, and I don’t even know where to bury them. My office in city hall is gone, all the file cabinets, safes, computers, everything is gone. Can you help me?” I said, “Yes, show us where city hall used to be, and we can get to work on finding whatever we can.”

He showed us where to start, and we began digging. We began to pick at the pile of debris with our crane. The tornado was so powerful that houses and cars from blocks away were thrown into city hall – which meant parts of city hall may be lying blocks away as well. Our search went beyond the city hall lot and, according to Chris, we recovered 80 percent of their vital documents. As we stood amidst the rubble with bags of papers, the county clerk we were working with said, “Well, I guess we have to dig graves now.” I explained to him we could use our skid steer to help.

So just a few hours ago the First Response Team did something I never thought we would do: dig graves with the local high school kids using shovels. It was so strange because I never thought I would do something like that in my life. Tim and the kids worked hard, especially on one that needed to be dug double wide for a husband and wife to be buried together.

Chris introduced us to Jason Johnson, the sheriff of the county. They offered to get us a hotel, and thanked us for coming to help. We will meet them tomorrow at sunrise in Parkersburg to again help out in any way we can.

May 15, 2008 - Picher, OK Tornado

After the response phase of a disaster, we often help people clean up their home lots…but not here. This community will not rebuild so people are returning just to get whatever valuables they can before leaving for good. It’s sad because most of what I see in disasters is people rebuilding and finding hope in the rebuilding process.

Today I saw a man stumbling through a pile of rubble that used to be his home. It looked from a distance as if he was having a difficult time walking around the home site. I walked up to him and asked him if he needed help with anything. At that point most of what we were doing in the community was lifting up large objects so people could find personal belongings.

The man looked at me and without hesitation said, “See this home? I don’t care about any of it. This used to be a beautiful two-story home with four nice cars, and I could care less about it. All I want is to find a green briefcase of photos of my mother who passed away years ago.”

His name was John. I explained we could help and minutes later we had the Prentice loader and CAT skid steer pulling apart this man’s home piece by piece. A few hours later Seth thought he found the photos but it turns out there were two green briefcases, and this one did not have the pictures in it. We kept at it and later that afternoon we found the green briefcase of pictures. I will never forget seeing Seth and John standing in the middle of this huge pile of rubble that used to be a home – looking at photos. At that point nothing else matter to John. He didn’t care about anything except that briefcase.

I’m not sure if this is because people are in shock but I have yet to meet someone who has been through one of these disasters, who looked at their home and said, “I can’t go on.” I have only met people who have said, “I’m so glad my family and friends are alive. We can rebuild these homes but we can’t replace our friends and family.”

May 13, 2008 - Picher, OK Tornado

The past few days in Picher have been filled with a lot of hard work. We have done everything from clear roads, pull cars out of trees, and help homeowners find their belongings by removing roofs, walls, and cars from their former homes. We have been so welcomed by this community. The locals have offered us places to stay, and the fire department has fed us.

Still, the situation here is sad. The tornado that hit Picher was an EF4 and destroyed almost 300 homes. At the time, the city was in the middle of what is called a “government buyout”. Years ago Picher was a thriving mining town but now many of the mined dirt piles are allegedly contaminated. Very few volunteer organizations have come to help due to the contamination. The Red Cross, Salvation Army, Southern Baptist Convention, and the First Response Team of America were the only help that arrived – and we are still the only ones that showed up with equipment.


When we first arrived, we were on standby with the generator and within 24 hours we were able to jumpstart the sewage system in the town. We were also told that our hovercraft may be needed since there were still some people missing, and it was speculated that some people trying to escape from the storm in their cars may have been thrown into the lake. Unfortunately, it was true – the dike holding back the lake was dug out, the water drained, and the bodies recovered. The situation in Picher was sad…there were bodies found in trees, homes, and cars. The city moral was already low due to the mandatory government buyout and now everything these people had left was destroyed – giving them no choice to rebuild and forcing them to move out.

May 10, 2008 - Racine, MO Tornado

Tim, Seth, Rob, David and I sat down in a cool coffee shop today just to catch up and talk about something besides work and disasters. Our plan was to get some coffee, have a good dinner, I would get back to my computer to take care of emails, and the guys would go see a movie. I usually always have my laptop with me so as we were at the coffee shop I noticed weather reports were coming in about multiple tornado warnings and watches. A tornado had just touched down a few hours away on the border of MO and OK. With one eye on the computer and the other on a map, it was not long before our planned day of rest was over. We headed to the hotel, grabbed our bags, started the trucks, and headed out.

Just a few short hours later we arrived in Newton County, MO, around 11 pm. We pulled over at a small gas station to look at a map and talk to some local people when a fire fighter came up to my truck. He explained that just up the road was his firehouse. They just called off the search and rescue for the night due to downed power lines everywhere but there were still houses and debris blocking their way into town.

We drove a few miles up the road to the firehouse, introduced ourselves, and explained how we could help. The firefighters were so happy we were there and explained the challenges they were having getting through the debris. I decided to head down to the emergency manager’s office to introduce myself to the man in charge (whose name I won’t give.). I always find out who is in charge. In some cases it’s the fire chief, sheriff, or mayor but in this case the county had an emergency manager. I introduced myself, explained what I had been told by the fire department in Racine, and let him know what resources were available to him free of charge.

For the next eight hours he had me wait there and kept saying, “I’ll call you when I need you.” I attempted to get his attention on two separate occasions and explained how the fire department in Racine was in need of our help – but since he was in charge of the county’s emergency management I was not going to do anything without his permission. He finally said he and his people did not want any help. I thanked him for his time, shook his hand, and wished him luck. I left the county offices and returned to the Racine fire department to tell everyone of the emergency manager’s decision. Everyone was sad because help was badly needed.

As we were saying our goodbyes, one of the firemen got a call on his cell phone. Someone from his family was found dead in one of the homes, and he broke down in tears. I was so upset that we could not help there but I had to respect the wishes of the local government leaders. The team followed my lead, and we started the trucks and headed out of town to a neighboring city that got hit by the same tornado. Though I was upset I knew there was a job for us to do – if it was not in this town, it would be in the next one.

We arrived in Picher, OK, by 3 pm. The road was blocked but the police officer called the fire department explaining that help had arrived. Two hours later we were escorted in to the city by the fire department. They provided us a place to park all of our equipment right in the heart of town next to the fire house where it would be safe and watched 24 hours a day. We then began talks with the city mayor and fire chief about where our equipment was needed the most.

May 3, 2008 - Ava, MO Tornado

The drive to Ava, MO, was not as easy as we thought. Most of the roads were windy and mountainous. We arrived in Ava around 12:30 this morning. The town was as dark as could be. We found the streets surrounding the nursing home and walked them by foot with flashlights. We had to make sure that the roads were big enough and the trees were cut back enough to bring our tractor trailers through and also that we could get close enough to the nursing home.

All the nurses and many of the patients were congregated in the darkness in the dining room. It was the coolest room in the building on this hot summer night. When Tim walked in to find out who was in charge and the nurses found out we were there with the generator, he was bombarded with hugs. It turns out the Red Cross told them we were coming, and they were anticipating our arrival.

Earlier in 2008, we added a 230KW multi-output generator to our fleet specifically for the purpose of powering up hospital emergency rooms, nursing homes, and other emergency and governmental buildings. At this point I’m glad we did. The facility property manager, Steve Wilkerson, and his wife, Angie, greeted us. Over the next few days we were able to get to know Steve, Angie and many others at the nursing home as we came to power up their nursing home as well as pull some of the very large trees off their property. At times I would see our cameraman David playing a piano in the dining room while singing along with residents of the nursing home surrounding him in their wheelchairs.

May 2, 2008 - Damascus, AR Tornado

What a long day. I woke up at 3 am watching weather patterns and listening to local and national news. There were so many threats of tornados, and one after another they started coming down from the clouds in multiple states. There were many along the Missouri and Arkansas border but it was hard to tell how severe they were.

Around 8 am I spoke to someone at the emergency management offices for the state of Arkansas, and they confirmed that the city of Damascus had been severely hit. The equipment was packed in the trucks and ready to roll since we just finished the clean up in Des Arc the night before. We said our goodbyes to Sandra and the judge and headed out of town. Three hours later we arrived in Damascus. There was no way to block off the disaster zone because a main highway ran right through Damascus so it was easy for us to pull directly into the area. We parked our trucks on the side of the highway, and the men began to unload the equipment. The reports I was getting from the emergency managers on site were that three people had been killed and everyone else had been accounted for. Considering what the place looked like, this was good news.

As we were unloading the equipment from the trucks, my phone suddenly rang. Somehow a small town Red Cross representative got my number. The person on the other line went on to explain they got my number from emergency officials in AR, and they were in desperate need of a generator. Two adult communities and one nursing home had been hit by a tornado in Ava, MO. An estimated 87 people were gathering at the nursing home, and the town had no power. There were people on critically important breathing machines and other life-sustaining equipment, and they had no money to rent a generator large enough for the facility.


Standing in the rubble I had to make a decision. The situation in Damascus was bad but the search and rescue had been completed, and people were out of the rubble and safe now. The people of Ava, MO, needed power – some of them for machines that could save their lives. I decided to head north to Ava.

February 28, 2008 - Prattville, AL Tornado

We have been in Prattville for over a week. From what we are being told from the local government, the National Guard will not bring in any equipment and FEMA has decided to show no support. The First Response Team has been working side by side with the local municipality workers and whatever equipment they have available to them. There is no doubt that we have made significant progress in this community. Thanks to Edward we also have a hotel room to sleep in, which we are very thankful for.

Today I was talking with someone, and I noticed a sophisticated looking man out of the corner of my eye, leaning up against his recent model pickup truck. He walked up to me and tried to speak but his lip began to quiver and nothing came out of his mouth. I knew he wanted to say something but because he was holding back his tears so hard nothing would come out. Finally the words came out of his mouth and with tears coming down his face he said, “That pile…that pile of my house…you cleaned it up for me. I can't tell you…you’ll never know how much it meant that you came and helped me. I feel like I can start again.” The man turned around immediately and walked back toward his truck and drove away. I don’t think I will ever have a chance to meet that man again. I don’t know who he was or which home site he lived on but I can’t help but be moved by what happened today.

I constantly find myself wondering what it is like for these people to lose everything. I’m not sure I will ever know until it happens to me but I do know I want to keep being here for these people and these communities as more disasters continue to happen in America. I wonder sometimes if it’s not necessarily what we do for these people but that something is happening…and happening quickly. It translates into that fact that it won’t be this way forever – progress is happening, people care, and the rebuilding process is beginning and will continue.

February 19, 2008 - Prattville, AL Tornado

This morning Edward set up a meeting between the mayor, his staff and myself. I was interested in putting a plan together that will speed up the process of opening up the roads and cleaning up the homes for the citizens of Prattville…which at this point would hopefully boost their wavering moral.

I recommended that the city provide me with as many dump trucks that were available to them from within their organization as well as surrounding counties. Within hours the Prentice loader operated by Tim Wolkowicz was loading dump truck after dump truck for the city free of charge. The grapple truck dwarfed every piece of equipment we were working with and the citizens were coming from everywhere wondering what all the commotion was. So many expressed their thanks as we went from house to house cleaning up what was left of their homes.

February 18, 2008 - Prattville, AL Tornado

Online reports indicated that 200 homes and 40 businesses were affected by another tornado. There was no indication whether the storm caused total destruction or whether the houses sustained minimal damage. The reports were inconclusive but from what we could gather the storm was bad so we decided it would be best for us to respond.

We arrived in Prattville, Alabama, eight hours later. The city was somewhat in a daze. Traffic was everywhere, and there was no heavy equipment brought in to help. The federal government provided no aid and the National Guard came with no equipment – just volunteers. We were the only ones who came with equipment to clean up the streets and neighborhoods. Within 30 minutes of my arrival I met the local leaders who were in charge. Edward Clinton, the Director of Solid Waste for Prattville, welcomed us into the city and within no time Disaster Recovery Solutions’ First Response Team was working side-by-side with the city workers and their limited equipment.

We began to open up roads within hours of our arrival but I was interested in finding out what resources this small community had to see if there was a way we could work together.

February 5, 2008 - Lafayette, TN Tornado

Tim and I were in PA working on the equipment. A local paint shop let us use their facility to take apart one of the CAT skid steers for some mechanical work and to give it a new paint job from damage it sustained from the CA wildfires of 2007. It would have taken about one week to go through the whole machine and get it ready for the 2008 storm season.

Even though we were taking some time to work on the equipment, we would still watch weather patterns in case something developed. We were not expecting anything big to happen so early in the year but then out of the blue there was a deadly outbreak of tornados. From what we could tell at that point it was one of the deadliest outbreak of tornados in TN history during the month of February. Many cities were hit with the same system but Lafayette seemed to be particularly devastated.

The problem was I had equipment in NY, PA, and TN, as well as some of the Cat equipment in pieces. Usually we could respond and depart within hours but this time was different: We needed about 24 hours. We knew we had to respond and that we had to move quickly. Tim worked through the day and night to get the CAT ready to roll, and I headed out to get the grapple truck fueled and ready. Twenty-four hours later we were on the road to TN. The trip was not easy. Tim was tired, and I was feeling run down. By the time we arrived in TN, I was feeling so sick Tim dropped me off at the local emergency room and headed on to scout out where we would be needed most.

There were so many areas hit by the tornados we first had to decide which city and state we should respond to first. Tim quickly found out that Lafayette was hit the worst, with 180 homes destroyed and 14 deaths. Tim later picked me up at the hospital – I had an advanced case of the flu – and we got a hotel room for a few hours of sleep. We arrived in Lafayette that next morning and spoke to some of the men and women in the emergency operations office. They asked if I would help in those who had lost homes and churches. We were given all access passes to anywhere in the city and was told of a neighborhood that had total loss. Upon arrival, we realized there was a church positioned right in the middle of the neighborhood that was destroyed.

Grace Baptist Church was built 25 years ago by the community. After speaking to a few neighbors, they informed me that Jerry Wix, the pastor who founded and built the church, lived just five houses up. I knocked on his door and his wife answered. I explained how I was from Long Island, New York, and was there to offer my help. We could take down the church, clean up the property, and of course, we would provide this help free of charge. She could not believe it and explained that her husband has been so upset. He had been crying and so anxious about what to do next. A few minutes later I met Mr. Wix, an older man in winter work clothes whose eyes were water logged from the past few days. Soft spoken, he was still in a state of shock. I explained that I was there to help him, his congregation, and his community. He did not know what to do but give me a hug, so I embraced him back. The pastor wondered how we could somehow save the steeple. Assuring him this would not be a problem, we agreed to demo the church along with any other houses in this community of people who we knew were in need.

We were so drained from our travel and from pressing forward in our desire to help those devastated by these tornados that I didn’t realize how sick I was becoming. I was weak beyond belief and finally had to admit it was more than exhaustion…I was coughing up blood. I later called the hospital to find out the results of my test. They said I had some kind of debilitating case of Influenza A–one I obviously ignored for a bit too long. The people in the community were so nice and were thankful for our help. But, before we knew it, another tornado struck south of us in Prattville, AL. This tornado destroyed more homes and businesses than had been destroyed in the TN town we were currently helping. Guess where we headed next!

May 26, 2007 - Greensburg, KS Tornado

It’s 5:00am, and I just arrived in Lancaster, PA, where one of my employees lives. I’m not sure why I’m sitting down to right this blog but I just feel like there is such a need for the type of help I gave Greensburg. I’m not sure if my idea of responding to disasters to open up roads is good enough.

There was such chaos and confusion after the storm. No one could get around; no one could talk to each other because cell phones were down. There was no power, no way to pump water and not even the right equipment to perform rescue operations because the firehouse was destroyed. I think if I’m going to respond to more disasters I need to add some other equipment to the fleet.

Not only do we need the grapple truck and skid steers to open up roads, we also need a generator large enough to power up hospital emergency rooms and nursing homes. When the power lines, phone lines and cell phone towers are down, we need to be able to provide satellite phones and laptops to local officials in order to communicate their needs to the outside world.

I think GMRS/GPS radios would allow us and the local responders to talk with each other to help with a more organized disaster response. I think a dirt bike would serve us well in scouting out the disasters. In fact, a dirt bike equipped with GPS and Sat phones could travel over logs and other debris looking for those who need medical attention in the wake of the storm. I think a dirt bike would be good in flooding situations as well, monitoring levees and alerting communities of potential flash flooding. A water pump and rescue boat would be good to have on hand. From what I see, these fire departments don’t have the budgets to have specialized equipment like this on hand.

It’s hard to rest after seeing what I have. I didn’t want to leave Greensburg but I think it was good I did. It’s going to take some thought into putting together this first response team, but I think I should take some of these ideas and do something about them. The need is there, and I think I can help.

May 23, 2007 - Greensburg, KS tornado

Today I received a phone call that encouraged me beyond words. It was from a group of men whom I respect as expert truck builders. One reason I know they’re good is because they have enough patience to deal with all my phone calls when I have technical questions about my crane, day or night.

Nevertheless, Disaster Recovery Solutions’ First Response Team’s strongest asset is their state of the art equipment. It takes a large team of experts to put together these trucks as well as a facility that would make the GM plant look like a hot dog stand.

The men involved are Rodney, Bob, Dean, Daryl, Bill and Mike from V&H Trucks. All of these men play a key role in developing equipment and keeping them running. What touched me so greatly is these men called me and expressed interest in supporting the First Response Team. Unfortunately, neither they nor I know in what capacity they can help. This is my first trip responding to a disaster. Daryl has offered to fly in and help for a few days and has even gone so far as to collect money for our fuel. But what was so touching is that they simply wanted to help.

Thank you, V&H. Thank you for the trucks you have built for me already, and thanks for expressing an interest in being involved.

Thank you Rodney for taking care of the details. Thank you Bob for helping me spec out new equipment and keep them going. Thank you Dean for finding me the best financing. And thank you Daryl, Bill, and Mike for keeping the cranes going.

May 20, 2007- Greensburg, KS Tornado

A church with only six members was destroyed. Where the beautiful historic building once stood is now a large hole where a foundation once was next to a newly erected large blue tent. The view from the tent is destruction as far as the eye can see, along with what’s left of an antique organ wedged in a tree.

It’s Sunday morning, and I could not help but come to be a part of Greensburg’s first church service. As I sat down to this meaningful event, I could not help but notice that people were coming from all over to participate in this service. Even the members of the National Guard showed up. The makeshift pews made up of plastic chairs were filling up quickly. Then who takes center stage but Wes Carlton…but this time, instead of overalls he wore a suit and in place of the America flag baseball cap he wore a cowboy hat. He also had a guitar.

I’m not sure what was going through this man’s mind but I do know this: he could care less that his church was demolished and piled up in some farmer’s field on the edge of town. What Wes Carlton cared about was that the people of his community came to church. His smile was contagious, and his love for those people was evident.

A husband and wife got up to sing a song together. She had bruises all over her face but didn’t seem to mind to stand in front of everyone to sing. Have you ever heard the hymn, “It Is Well With My Soul“? Have you ever heard it sung by an 80-year-old man who just a week before stood holding his wife in a closet while his house was ripped apart wall by wall?

Pastor Wes pulled a folded up piece of paper out of his pocket. On it was the sermon notes and tears rolled down his face as he read his thoughts and shared his Bible verses. But they were tears of joy and thankfulness. As I saw this man preaching among the destruction and debris surrounding this little tent, I realized something. Life is precious. Nothing mattered at that point but people.

Can you explain a sunset so that people understand what you saw? Or can you explain the joy of when your first baby was born? Can I explain what I saw in these people today as they sang “It Is Well With My Soul” while standing in piles of debris as far as the eye can see? I cannot but I can say everyday is a gift.

May 15, 2007 - Greensburg, KS Tornado

I wrote earlier in the week about a man I met when I first arrived in Greensburg. His name is Ken Graham, lead project manager for a company called Philips and Jordan. Ken came here to find work for his company. When I first met Ken, he was a bit surprised that I came here with this expensive equipment to help out for free. But I think as we have had a chance to room together for a few nights, he has seen what I have done for this community, and he realizes that I’m really here to help.

Today, instead of Ken doing his daily routine of meeting with local officials such as the mayor, public works director, the county commissioner or the city administrator, Ken walked around the city block-by-block looking for people who needed help. I asked him over breakfast this morning if he could help me find people who needed help.

And sure enough he found somebody! Ken came up to me around noon and asked me to come meet the pastor of the Greensburg Baptist Church. He explained they had no money or insurance but they wanted to clean up the lot to erect a tent in anticipation for the first church service since the tornado struck.

Ken and I walked about 5 blocks to where the church used to be. I met a man who introduced himself as Wes Carlton. He was an older man wearing overalls, a baseball cap with an American flag and carrying a cane. You could tell the church was huge and the pile of rubble was enormous. There were bibles and hymnals thrown everywhere. It was obvious this was the largest church in Greensburg, and it would mean a lot to the community to have a place to pray sooner rather than later.

The job needed to be done so I decided to start immediately. This was by far one of the largest buildings I had ever demoed but one scoop at a time I began to dig away at the debris. It was amazing to see how fast the crane was working. Everything was flying through air – church pews, children’s puppets, a library, an alter and finally a picture of Jesus.

At the same time I was working, I could not help but notice out of the corner of my eye was Ken Graham, this stranger I met just a few days earlier, lead guy for one of the largest disaster recovery companies in the country, wearing a hard hat, safety vest and digging through the rubble with shovel in hand.

Moments later he pulled a sign from a pile that said “Greensburg Baptist Church”. Ken held it over his head for a brief moment for me to see, then walked it over to Pastor Carlson and proudly handed him the sign for his church. I think in some small way today represents that Greensburg Baptist Church is not gone – only the building is gone. The church is still alive and well. I don’t know why working with Ken today left such an impression on me. I think it may have been the fact that instead of Ken meeting with the governor of Kansas to talk about a business deal, he chose to help this small-town church get back on its feet again. Later that day, Ken put on some gloves and worked with five kids to erect a large tent in preparation for the Sunday service.

May 12, 2007 - Greensburg, KS Tornado

The days are getting longer. It’s 3am and I just got to the hotel. I want to write now so I don’t forget these days but I just can’t seem to keep my eyes open.

We finished demoing the house and cleaning up the lot for the man who lost almost everything. It was a bit emotional for me. The Prentice loader and hydraulic head would reach down and grab large pieces of debris such as walls, roofs, couches, beds and kitchen cabinets. We then crush and pull them out of the former home site and place the debris in the large metal boxes in front of and behind the crane.

This man’s wife who was killed must have loved making clothes. There were rooms full of magazines and books on how to make dresses, cabinets full of fabrics and closets packet with hundreds of colorful dresses. It was a bit surreal…the sky was so blue but the wind was blowing hard. Each time I would lift a pile of clothes to place in the truck, the wind would blow some of the dresses out of the grapple claw and the through the air.






I wonder if life is more precious and more of a gift than I often consider. I hope I can remember to try and make each day count. If I was this man I don’t know how I could move on. All over this town I see where people have painted on brick walls, sides of homes and cars “God Bless Greensburg”. God if you’re out there…please bless Greensburg. Have you ever heard that statement before “live everyday as if it was your last?” This place is sure making me think a lot about what is important in life.

May 11, 2007 - Greensburg, KS Tornado

It rained today. The water began to wash away the dirt and dust that covered the roads that were now cleared, and I could see for the first time the black asphalt of the roads. The firehouse is almost completed, and I began looking for other people who were in need.

A man pulled up to the crane truck and offered me 250 dollars an hour to clean up the lot where his house used to be. I kindly explained that although the money would be nice, I was here to help people who could not help themselves. I explained that contractors would soon be coming in to help him but I was looking for people who did not have money to clean up their homes, had no insurance or were underinsured.

He first looked at me like I was nuts, but then he was so taken aback that I was helping his community in this way that he responded by saying, “Son, if you need anything while you are here just let me know. I have another home 20 miles outside of town. Whenever you need a clean bed and a good meal, you give me a call at this number, ya hear?”

I’ve been so impressed with the ability of these people to remain positive and persevere in the face of overwhelming obstacles. Many of the farmers who live on the outskirts of town are here with hand tools, pickup trucks and anything they have to help the community.

I needed to get around town and find out where I could be of most help. I had a new F150 Pickup truck in the back box of the crane. I hooked up the aluminum ramps, drove the pickup out and began to drive around and talk with people. I just started talking to random people everywhere. I pulled up to one man who had some sort of homemade bandage wrapped around his arm. You could tell the bandage was not working because blood was all over his arm and hand. He told me about a man who lost his wife in the storm. She was in their home when the tornado hit. The house had no basement, and there was nowhere to hide. But there is more –his business was destroyed and his only employee was killed. When I asked where he was, this man whom I just met explained the guy was at the hospital, visiting his father-in-law in the intensive care unit.

The local church in Greensburg contacted the man, and he agreed to have his lot cleaned up. Whether he has insurance or not, we are going to help him so he does not have to worry about getting his property prepared to rebuild again. I’ll start on it tomorrow and work with a group of local high school kids who can help rummage through the mess and set aside anything that may be of value or meaning to this man.

I cannot even begin to imagine what this man is going through. I can’t even imagine.

May 7, 2007 - Greensburg, KS Tornado

I slept in my truck last night. I did not want to pull out and leave the city in order to find a hotel. I think it would be best to stay close in case something comes up and they need the crane. I brushed my teeth standing next to my truck using a gallon of water. The Red Cross is starting to come in with food so it looks like I won’t have to worry about food while I’m here. Most of the town is gone anyway so there would be no way to buy food.

Doyle asked me this morning if I would take down what was left of the firehouse. He said it will be the first building they will want to rebuild. Of course I agreed and began the process right away. Instead of just throwing it to the side, I loaded it into our truck, which holds 120 cubic yards. I then hauled the debris to a farm field, which Doyle said they would use as the new dump.

While I was working on the firehouse, a group of local farmers came up to me and asked if I could come over and help disassemble what was left of the bank. When I asked why, they explained that it looked as if three large metal rafters had damaged the vault and water was beginning to seep in – which could possibly destroy important personal documents such as deposit/withdrawal slips and deeds to farms. I agreed to help and within 3 hours – and 8 Mennonite farmers equipped with sledgehammers and a chain saw – we finally accessed the vault. The vault is now covered with a temporary roof to protect important information and valuables.

Hotels within a hundred mile radius are full! But I met someone who is graciously allowing me to stay in his hotel room whenever I can find some time to get some sleep. I met him yesterday morning. He came up to my truck and said, “What are you doing here with this equipment? There are no contracts for any work here.” His name is Ken Graham and he works for a company called Philips and Jordan. He seems like a nice man and supposedly his company played a major role in cleaning up the disaster in NYC that happened on 9-11. When he heard I was here to help out for free and that there were no hotels available for 100 miles, he told me I could stay with him at his hotel about 35 miles out of town.