RIP Picher, Oklahoma 1918 – 2011

Image Credit: sync.democraticunderground.com

Located in the northeast corner of Oklahoma, the town of Picher was once home to the world’s richest lead and zinc mining field. After decades of mining, towering piles of mine waste covered 25,000 acres, devastating Quapaw tribal lands and local economies. Acid mine water burned nearby Tar Creek and stained it red. An alarmingly high percentage of local children were found to have toxic levels of lead in their blood, along with high rates of cancer and other diseases among the populace. (more…)

Here is the article on how monstrous the Greensburg tornado really was.

Greensburg study finds that storm contained 22 tornadoes

By STAN FINGER
The Wichita Eagle

The first in-depth study of the Greensburg, Kan., tornado has uncovered new
details about one of the strongest and most dramatic tornado outbreaks ever
recorded.

“There are a lot of things in that storm that made me go, ‘Wow,’” said Les Lemon,
a co-author of the study and research associate meteorologist with the Cooperative
Institute in Mesoscale Meteorological Studies at the University of Oklahoma. (more…)

Back on the Map!

Ron Shank and Levi Garrett described how scared they were with the weather
that had the tornado whistle blowing.  Everyone hit the bunkers and waited
for the storm to pass.  Ron’s GM Dealership had some hail damage. The new
church suffered some water damage.

City Council meet to get BNIM’s Master plan approved and the presentation is made.
Council approves the plan with a 5-0 vote. (more…)

May 2008

The new city council is meeting for the first time.  Mayor Dixson asked Steve
Hewitt to give the administration update.  Steve lets the council know that
the business incubator is fully funded.  Kim Alderfer, Recovery Coordinator,
and Steve visit the business incubator site only to find that 3 days of rain
has slowed all activity.

Tyler Schmidt is running for student body president.  Shane Engelken is also
running for student body president.  They put their flyers together, hung
them in the most unique areas and are getting their speeches ready. (more…)

April 29, 2008
One year after the tornado

Farrell Allison’s house is being invaded by CBS news.  Greensburg is getting
ready for the 1 year anniversary.  They are going to break ground on the business
incubator, a memorial service for those that died due to the tornado, and
re-dedicate the new water tower.   The seniors will be graduating, and the
President will be in town.

Dealing with the news media gives them exposure to hopefully extra monies to (more…)

I’M STILL STANDING, YEAH, YEAH, YEAH!

I would like to let you all know that I am still standing after IKE
came to town.

Ike started hitting us during the early morning hours.  Around 8:20
a.m. lost electricity.  Then the winds and rains started gearing up
for a rockin and rollin day. (more…)

Hi Everyone!  Thanks for all of your thoughts and humor!  It is greatly
appreciated.  So here is the latest.

IKE will be coming in between Freeport and Houston.  These two cities are
only 50 miles apart.  So, in essence, Houston is going to get hit hard for
being on the dirty end of it.

The surge in Galveston Bay will push floodwaters into Houston, damaging areas
that include the nation’s biggest refineries and NASA’s Johnson Space Center.
The Ship Channel will also get a huge part of the surge.  So I am sure that
those big ships will be anchored pretty well.  With the surge being predicted (more…)