The First EF5 Tornado Ever Recorded: Greensburg 2007

On May 4, 2007, the small farming town of Greensburg, Kansas, was hit by a tornado wider than the town itself. Nearly two miles wide and packing estimated winds of 205 mph (330 km/h), it became the first tornado ever rated EF5 on the new Enhanced Fujita Scale — a scale that was only three months old. In roughly ten minutes, about 95% of Greensburg was destroyed: homes, schools, the hospital, Main Street and even the town's water tower. In this documentary, we follow the forgotten storm that crossed from Oklahoma into Kansas after dark, the 26 minutes of warning that gave the town a fighting chance, and the rare "Tornado Emergency" issued by forecasters in Dodge City. We also tell the story of Kelsey Schroth and her baby son Jaden, trapped beneath the rubble of their home — and how a town that lost almost everything chose to rebuild as one of the greenest towns in America. Key moments covered in this video: How a storm almost nobody was watching produced the first EF5 tornado The tornado emergency and the 26 minutes that saved lives Kelsey and Jaden's survival under the debris Why only 11 people died in a town of about 1,500 How Greensburg rebuilt itself green If you're interested in tornado documentaries, extreme weather history, or the stories of the towns that survived them, this video covers one of the most important tornadoes in American history. Chapters: 0:00 Cold Open 1:28 A Normal Friday 2:27 The Setup 3:48 The Forgotten Storm 5:56 The Warning 8:12 Inside the Tornado 9:49 The Morning After 12:09 Why So Few Died 13:51 The Decision 15:37 Greensburg Today Sources: National Weather Service, Dodge City — May 4, 2007 Greensburg tornado survey NOAA / NCEI Storm Events Database Storm Prediction Center The Hutchinson News (2017) — Kelsey Schroth's story Fox News (2007) Footage & photo credits: Archive clips: The Weather Channel, "When Weather Changed History: Green Town" Photos: FEMA (public domain); The Hutchinson News Storm footage licensed from Newsflare: © Sean Parker Photography / Newsflare © NZP Chasers / Newsflare © mechkeysdotca / Newsflare © JLinvilleFert via Spectee / Newsflare © Newsflare (additional storm footage) Maps: Terrain data © Mapzen / AWS Terrain Tiles; Natural Earth In memory of the 11 people who lost their lives in Greensburg on May 4, 2007. #Tornado #Greensburg #EF5 #Kansas #TornadoDocumentary