The tornado that swooped through the Kansas community of Greensburg can be summed up by numbers that are worthy of our pause, our contemplation. This storm was an F-5 — top of the scale — with winds of 205 m.p.h. It cut a swath 1.7 miles wide — think about that — and 22 miles long. It killed at least 10 people and destroyed 95 percent of this town of 1,500.
But for the people who call Greensburg home, the hard numbers pale next to the reality of how swiftly everyday lives were torn asunder by the fury. Lives like all of our lives — filled with obligations and deadlines, appointments and annoyances — today are as scattered as the piles of kindling that were homes and businesses.
Spend a moment with this photograph. Let your eyes walk these streets as if this were your neighborhood. Witness how thoroughly natural forces can shred the tidy scripts we write for ourselves and our families. Imagine recovering.
There was before. The miracle in Greensburg is that so many can contemplate the after.
