Greensburg Episode: A Town Reborn

A massive EF5 tornado, one of the largest to touch down in United States history heads towards the tiny town of Greensburg, Kansas. The air sirens are muffled by the deafening sound of a town collapsing. When the storm passes City Administrator Steve Hewitt and the other residents survey the damage. Virtually every thing that the people of Greensburg have known and loved is gone. 13 are dead including resident Taylor Schmidt's grandfather. Taylor cries over this loss and the utter destruction of Greensburg. Everyone is forced to find temporary shelter. Some decide immediately to leave town and never come back. But many others along vow not to be beaten by this storm. They will do whatever it takes to resurrect Greensburg.

FEMA arrives to help, the debris begins to be taken away. Though Steve is also homeless, his responsibilities extend beyond his family. As city administrator, he will be responsible for the rebuilding effort. But how do you rebuild an entire town?

Steve worries that simply rebuilding will not be enough. He faces the truth. For years before the storm Greensburg had been dying. Young people would move away because there where no economic opportunities. Steve has an epiphany. Although the tornado was tragic, maybe it was also an opportunity to reinvent Greensburg. Steve and the town leaders come up with a radical idea, an idea. Why not rebuild Greensburg as a living example of sustainability and responsibility. Why not create the world?s first Eco-town?

So he pushes forward, enlisting the help of Mayor Lonnie McCollum, but it's not an easy sell to the town and Lonnie decides he is too old to start this big of a project, and resigns. With new a Mayor John Janssen in place Steve Hewitt and he come up with a groundbreaking ordinance; all new public buildings in Greensburg must be built LEED Platinum, the highest level of sustainability possible. Now the hard work begins.

Some residents are inspired and eco-friendly houses start to appear. But that's not enough, now the community needs to bring businesses back. Steve?s solution is to build a Business Incubator that will nurture local businesses. Building begins on multiple city projects and Steve learns how rough it is to get all the projects completed on schedule. The town is frustrated by the slow rate of progress and question whether building green is the right thing to do. They just want their town back. Building green is new to the contractors and builders in Kansas and the environmental elements of building cause delays.

The first holidays since the tornado brings bittersweet memories to the town of what they?ve lost and what they still don?t have. They all make the most of what they have and try to remember why they stayed in Greensburg.

In a reminder that all the progress they have made could be wiped out in an instant, a tornado heads for Greensburg. Residents cram into a storm shelters and basements watching the sky as rain starts to fall. The storm passes. Though it caused minimal damage, the storm traumatizes the residents of Greensburg once again.

Many residents are still struggling. In fact, only about 60 percent of residents have moved back to town. Whether Greensburg will survive is still an unanswered question. The dream of an Ecotown is by no means assured. And with the current economic downturn the dream is truly in jeopardy.