Kansas, Oklahoma in for ‘another long night’

GREENSBURG, Kan. - A fresh wave of tornadoes ripped through southwest Kansas on Saturday evening, a day after a tornado all but destroyed this town, killing nine and injuring dozens more.

The National Weather Service said it had received reports “well into the double digits” of twisters touching down in six counties.

“It looks like it’s going to be another long night,” said meteorologist Mike Umscheid.

A series of half-mile wide “wedge” tornadoes — similar to the one that devastated Greensburg on Friday night — was seen in the area, Umscheid said.

“We’re going to expect quite a lot of damage,” he said.

Earlier, emergency crews called off the search in Greensburg for victims as the weather deteriorated again.

Umscheid said the slow-moving storm system would likely to spawn severe weather early into Sunday morning.

"I wouldn't say they are small tornadoes, they just haven't hit anything yet," a state police officer in Wichita told NBC News.

Rescuers in Kansas spent the day hurrying through the wreckage from Friday’s giant tornado, which left little standing in Greensburg beyond the local pub.

Friday’s weather was blamed for nine deaths in the region, a figure authorities feared could rise even before the latest twisters.

Town a near-total loss
City Administrator Steve Hewitt estimated 95 percent of the town of 1,500 was destroyed and predicted rescue efforts could take days as survivors could be trapped in basements and under rubble.

Among the only structures that survived was the Bar H Tavern, the town’s lone bar. It was briefly converted into a morgue.

Survivors of the storm picked over the remnants of their homes and possessions, still dazed by the twister’s strength and scope.

Jackie Robertson and her family collected wedding photos, a wallet and other belongings from the debris that had been her home.

Robertson, her husband and a friend stayed in a cellar Friday night when the storms struck.

“My heart just aches for everyone,” she said. “It is so surreal. This is where I live.”

The town, previously best known as the home of the world’s largest hand-dug well — 32 feet in diameter, 109 feet deep when it was finished in 1888 — was a nightmare of splintered homes and smashed vehicles, the air redolent with the smell of sap from trees stripped of bark.

“We want everybody to know, and I plead to the American people as well as the people here in Kansas, this is a huge catastrophe that has happened to our small town,” Hewitt said. “All my downtown is gone. My home is gone. My staff’s homes are gone. And we’ve got to find a way to get this to work and come to work every day and get this thing back on its feet. It’s going to be tough.”

A monster storm
Residents said they heard the tornado warning sirens — a common feature of towns in “Tornado Alley” — about 20 minutes before Friday’s storm hit.

Jose Peraza said he was driving his oil rig into town when he heard the siren and driving hail started pounding the area. He pulled over and hid with several other people in a convenience store freezer.

He said the storm ripped the side off the freezer, and when he came out he found the twister had thrown his truck — weighed down by 40,000 pounds of oil — “like nothing.”

The dead included eight in Kiowa County, where Greensburg is located, and one in nearby Stafford County, said Sharon Watson, a spokeswoman for the Kansas Adjutant General’s Department.

“We continue to find folks and this will go on for a good couple days — the rescue itself,” Hewitt said. “I mean, the debris is just unbelievable. Even if you are in a basement, I mean your home is collapsed, and we’ve got to find a way to get to you.”