Third in a series

PARKERSBURG -- Spring brings storms to the Midwest, and over Memorial Day weekend in May, meteorologists warned a tornado threatened Butler County and Northeast Iowa.

The prospect of bad weather thwarted plans to grill out at the Kellum household in Parkersburg. The family changed the menu to BLTs.

Shortly before 5 p.m., Dustin Kellum, 32, went outside to assess the horizon. He then told his wife and children to move from the garage to the basement.

"I didn't like the way the sky looked."

As the family waited in the dark, Kellum struggled to place a peculiar noise, a clickety-clack, clickety-clack -- like a train going over a track.

"I realized later it was houses and trees coming apart," he said.

Kellum emerged to see his home -- built in the 1850s -- had taken a beating. The structure was still standing, sort of, but a new addition and the garage were gone.

"All of our southern walls were blown out. The house just looked terrible."

Dozens of homes and businesses on Parkersburg's south side suffered a similar fate, though some fared much worse. On May 25, an EF5 tornado destroyed about one-third of the buildings in town. Another third were damaged.

The storm killed eight in Parkersburg and New Hartford and wreaked havoc in northern Black Hawk County, terrorizing rural Dunkerton residents before losing steam in Buchanan County.

When the killer winds died, rain began to fall. Residents in affected communities faced a daunting task. Piles of rubble covered yards and foundations. Metal, glass and wood made streets impassable. The sight overwhelmed many.

"When you look at the devastation you just wonder how we are going to put this back together," said Bob Haylock, mayor of Parkersburg.

Six months later, residents have taken great strides in rebuilding. Officials have issued about 200 building permits for homes, businesses and repairs. City Administrator Gary Hinders expects to see another 50 houses pop up in the spring.

Financial, logistic and emotional challenges remain, however. Some residents are still displaced, and others continue to mourn loved ones. Students are pursuing an education, though the Aplington-Parkersburg High School collapsed. Parkersburg residents also bemoan the loss of their grocery store.

About 600 miles away, a small community in Kansas faces many of the same obstacles -- and a few additional challenges. On May 4, 2007, an EF5 tornado destroyed up to 95 percent of Greensburg. Eleven residents died in that city.

For the past 18 months, those who call Greensburg home have been rebuilding the town from the ground up.

Long road

Meteorologists tracked a particularly nasty storm system in south-central Kansas. As some residents prepared for bed, sirens sounded as a hefty twister barrelled toward the town, population 1,450. Some recall having a 20-minute warning before strong winds pulled almost everything apart.

Elma Helwig, 86, sought shelter. Dressed for bed, she grabbed her purse and her poodle and joined neighbors in their basement. Helwig left her own storm door open.

"Because I was going to come back," she said.

Helwig and others emerged to destruction.

The tornado -- 1.7 miles wide and whirling at more than 200 mph -- took out most of the buildings in Greensburg. The storm took out the hospital, both schools, the library, water tower and City Hall. Wind and debris ruined almost every home and most businesses, knocking out water and power.

Initially, Helwig couldn't process the loss.

"And we just stood there," she said.

"I think I went into shock."

With residents unaccounted for, authorities evacuated the community. Survivors maneuvered through metal, wood and glass to board buses, taxis and other vehicles for shelter in neighboring towns.

Some exiting the town west by the John Deere dealership commented on a strange light show. Damaged combines flashed, illuminating the darkness, elementary Principal Staci Derstein remembers.

"It was just like Christmas," she said.

Today, about 850 residents remain in Greensburg. Contractors and volunteers continue to pound out new homes, businesses and churches. The town recently broke ground on what will be City Hall and a school, and other projects are in the works. The community's unique efforts to rebuild as a green, sustainable community also continue to attract national attention.

But as much as leaders and residents applaud progress, the road to recovery is long. Main Street is all but barren. About 200 students have attended classes in temporary trailers for more than a year.

Much work remains.

"It's taken longer than what we thought," Helwig said.

Femaville

After the storm, the Federal Emergency Management Agency issued 320 trailers to Greensburg residents, Mayor Bob Dixson said.

The trailers weren't exactly home sweet home, but the portable shelters served as an important milestone. With limited housing available in nearby communities, the trailers -- set up on the southeast side of town -- brought people home, Dixson said.

Today, more than 30 trailers remain in what residents dubbed Femaville. The temporary housing could remain for another six months.

Some inhabitants are waiting for their new home to be finished. Others are still figuring out the details of what happens next.

Jake Rempel, 36, wanted to leave town after the tornado but family convinced him to stay. The scrap metal collector agreed to help build homes in return for assistance constructing his own through a Mennonite group's relief effort. The housing program and others like it provide residents who qualify an opportunity to stay in Greensburg.

"I think it's going to be a pretty good town," Rempel said.

Helwig, a widow, initially thought she couldn't afford to rebuild because she lacked adequate insurance.

Resident mover-and-shaker Matt Deighton offered a solution. Helwig contributed money to pay for building materials, and Deighton rounded up a volunteer work crew. Helwig, known as the Cinnamon Roll Lady, expressed her thanks by exercising her baking skills.

Helwig moved into her new house this summer after a year in a FEMA trailer.

"I am so thankful to have a home," she said.

In Parkersburg, officials said they didn't field any requests for trailers, according to Hinders, the city administrator. Displaced residents live elsewhere in town or in surrounding communities.

Money matters

For residents in Greensburg and Parkersburg, some decisions come down to money.

The storm revealed a number of homeowners and renters did not have any or adequate insurance, said Doug Callis, 66, of Greensburg. The retiree weighed his options and decided he could stretch his resources farther by fixing up a house in the county. Volunteers are helping with renovations.

While assistance is available through the federal government, nonprofit organizations and charitable groups, not everyone qualifies. Others didn't want the hassle of starting over.

Even those in a position to rebuild marvel at the cost.

Marvin George, pastor of First Baptist Church in Greensburg, said the congregation had their building's replacement value reassessed prior to the storm. Even so, George learned the cost of construction could cost up to three times the amount of the insurance settlement.

"And we had good insurance," George said.

The congregation's church is under construction.

In Parkersburg, some residents, particularly those in the older part of town, sold their lots, Hinders said. Prior to the storm, older homes on the town's west side may have been worth $50,000 to 80,000, he added, and owners were less likely to have adequate insurance.

"For a reason," Hinders said. "Nobody thinks they are going to get hit by a tornado."

In the newer part of town -- where houses may be worth at least $150,000 -- homeowners found they were in a somewhat better situation, Hinders said.

City leaders in Greensburg and Parkersburg also identified concerns.

While local governments receive financial assistance for cleanup and repairs associated with the tornado, Hinders said Parkersburg officials will face, at least for a time, a drop in property tax revenues. That translates into a drop in revenue for city services, he said.

And the tornado didn't blow away the city's commitment to pay bonds taken out for previous projects, Hinders added.

Some Greensburg residents commute to and from Pratt, a 60-mile trip. The town, population 6,000, isn't the closest community to Greensburg but reportedly offers the most options for shopping and dining.

Daily struggle

Helwig is grateful to have a home to call her own. Staying in Greensburg means she can still visit her husband's grave, but she misses old friends who moved away.

Life's annoyances create stress. Helwig is still discovering items she needs to find or replace: toothpicks, safety pins …

"It's just them little things that nearly drive you up the wall."

To Helwig, Greensburg is home. She sees starting over after the tornado as one of life's adjustments. She has faith. The town just needs time.

"We are strong."

Contact Karen Heinselman at (319) 291-1581 or karen.heinselman@wcfcourier.com.