City ravaged by '07 tornado hailed by Bush

Kan. community marks anniversary with graduation

GREENSBURG, Kan. - President Bush hailed the resilience of this community and its tiny high school graduating class yesterday, one year after a tornado barreled through with astonishing fury.

Bush had never delivered a commencement address at a high school, and his presence was meant to reflect how far Greensburg has come. From nearly total devastation last May 4, this city is recovering and hope has been rekindled.

At the center of attention was the class of 2008 - 10 boys and eight girls. They finished their senior year at a makeshift campus of trailers.

"We celebrate the resurgence of a town that stood tall when its buildings and homes were laid low," the president said in his remarks at the temporary high school gymnasium.

"We celebrate the power of faith, the love of family, and the bonds of friendship that guided you through the disaster," he said. "And we celebrate the resilience of 18 seniors who grew closer together when the world around them blew apart."

Bush said the graduating class has sent a powerful message to the nation: "Greensburg, Kan., is back and its best days are ahead."

The tornado that flattened Greensburg was the worst in the United States in years. It raged at 205 miles per hour, spanned more than 1 1/2 miles, and killed 11 people.

From the ruins, it was hard to tell what had stood before. Bush visited five days after the storm, walking through the gnarled mess and offering hugs.

An estimated 95 percent of the city was leveled. No more schools, City Hall, Fire Department, or power plant.

More than 900 houses were destroyed. What was left looked eerie, with cars planted into crumpled structures and trees stripped of all their limbs.

Bush told the students yesterday that they had learned a hard lesson of perseverance.

He compared their resolve to that shown by victims of other disasters, including the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the string of hurricanes, floods, and fires during his terms.

"The lessons that you have learned in this town will give you the strength to rise above any obstacle in your path," Bush said. "You have seen life at its most difficult. You have emerged stronger from it."

Bush personally handed a diploma to each graduate.

The ceremony drew essentially the whole community, and then some, into a temporary warehouse-style structure. An estimated 900 people packed in, although the total appeared to easily top that, including alumni of the school and officials from around the state.

The president made his trip to Kansas as residents of rural Arkansas were cleaning up what was left of their homes after deadly tornadoes scoured the state last week.

Meteorologists said more than 25 tornadoes might have touched down across middle America late Thursday and early Friday, but Arkansas was hit hardest. The violent weather killed at least seven people, all in Arkansas.

On Saturday, at least four weaker tornadoes tore through northern Tennessee, ripping mobile homes off their foundations and snapping trees.

Bush was welcomed warmly into Greensburg yesterday. People holding American flags flanked the roadside.

Leaders of the graduating class thanked Bush for coming, and spoke with optimism. "We couldn't control what happened a year ago," said the co-valedictorian, Cassie Blackburn. "We were thrown off course, but we recovered."

Greensburg's resilience has drawn wide attention. Homes are popping up, businesses are reopening, and a new water tower symbolically stands tall. The population is down from its pre-tornado total of 1,400, but rising.

The city is reengineering itself as a model of energy efficiency, instead of rebuilding in traditional ways. The city is being built to run on clean energy, including, of all things, wind power.

Bush thanked the Greensburg graduates for changing the date of their big day to accommodate him. The commencement had been set for May 10, when his daughter Jenna is getting married.

"I could have suggested changing the date of the wedding instead," Bush said wryly, "but I think we all know how that idea would have turned out."