• Survey of Rural Challenges
  • Small Town Speaker Becky McCray
  • Shop Local video
  • SaveYour.Town

Small Biz Survival

The small town and rural business resource

A row of small town shops
  • Front Page
  • Latest stories
  • About
  • Guided Tour
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
  • RSS

Rebuilding from total disaster

By Becky McCray

Two months ago, Greensburg, Kansas, was flattened by a tornado.

“Seems like it was forever ago,” resident Ruth Ann Wedel said.

The town’s 1500 residents have been scattered. A few are still living in town. Most have moved in with friends and relatives in nearby towns. Some are in town daily or weekly struggling with cleanup. Some are gone for good. Several hundred gathered in Greensburg’s Davis Park for a community meal, a speech by our friend Jack Schultz, and left over fireworks that were rained out on July 4th. Residents greeted each other under the tent with, “Great to see you! Now, where are you staying?”

Jeanne and I went to that gathering. We talked to Dea Anne Corns from Greensburg State Bank, Ruth Ann and Bob Wedel of WB’s Whole Foods and Bob’s backhoe and pumping service, and Charlie Jones of Bowtie and Corker Manufacturing. Each of those businesses lost their building and most or all of their equipment. They are literally starting over. Christy Dolan from a FEMA contractor, Denise Unruh from the South Central Community Foundation and James Bond with the faith based organizations also took time to talk with us. They are there to help, but help from the government, organizations and charities still leaves gaps. We are going to introduce you to these small business survivors in a series of stories. We want you to get to know them.

These people came to hear Jack, and hoped for encouragement.

“I’ve never done a talk like this,” Jack said. “Not for a town so completely destroyed.”

Jack may never had talked to a town like this, but he knows about them. He shared the stories of towns that were burned down, flooded out, scrubbed by hurricanes, and leveled by tornadoes. He related stories of towns facing devastating economic losses, factory closures, and business failures. He told how those towns came back and managed to make something better. He delivered a message of terrific opportunity.

“You were handed some huge lemons that early May night,” he said. “The question is whether you are going to let them leave a bitter taste in your mouth, or if you are going to make it into something sweeter.”

Residents gathered around maps, discussing where to rebuild community facilities, how to relocate roads, and how best to rebuild. How to start from scratch.

A high school student asked Jack how long rebuilding is going to take. Jack estimated 5 to 10 years. Imagine how long that would sound to a high schooler, or to a 75 year old.

Two months down. Five or ten years to go.

New to SmallBizSurvival.com? Take the Guided Tour. Like what you see? Get our updates. Want more stories? Read our shared stories from all over.

  • About the Author
  • Latest Posts

About Becky McCray

Becky started Small Biz Survival in 2006 to share rural business and community building stories and ideas with other small town business people. She and her husband have a small cattle ranch and are lifelong entrepreneurs. Becky is an international speaker on small business and rural topics.
  • How small town businesses can market to remote workers and turn them into new customers - May 15, 2023
  • Survey of Rural Challenges 2023 results - May 8, 2023
  • Rural and small town ideas from the OU Placemaking Conference IQC 2023 - April 5, 2023
  • Rural tourism trends say small towns are still cool - March 27, 2023
  • Move Your Money and Bank Local - March 22, 2023
  • Using a building as a warehouse or storage in a small town? Put up a sign - March 13, 2023
  • How to get customers in the door of small town and rural retail stores - February 19, 2023
  • Check your small business website for outdated pandemic changes, missing info - January 31, 2023
  • Rural Tourism Trend: electric vehicle chargers can drive visitors - January 15, 2023
  • 2023 trends for rural and small town businesses - December 26, 2022

July 10, 2007 Filed Under: Best of, POV, rural, survivors

Wondering what is and is not allowed in the comments?
Or how to get a nifty photo beside your name?
Check our commenting policy.
Use your real name, not a business name.


Don't see the comment form?
Comments are automatically closed on older posts, but you can send me your comment via this contact form and I'll add it manually for you. Thanks!

Howdy!

Glad you dropped in to the rural and small town business blog, established in 2006.

We want you to feel at home, so please take our guided tour.

Meet our authors on the About page.

Have something to say? You can give us a holler on the contact form.

If you would like permission to re-use an article you've read here, please make a Reprint Request.

Want to search our past articles? Catch up with the latest stories? Browse through the categories? All the good stuff is on the Front Page.

Partners

We partner with campaigns and organizations that we think best benefit rural small businesses. Logo with "Shop Indie Local" Move Your Money, bank local, invest local Multicolor logo with text that says "Global Entrepreneurship Week" Save Your Town logotype

Best of Small Biz Survival

A shopkeeper and a customer share a laugh in a small store packed full of interesting home wares.

How to get customers in the door of small town and rural retail stores

Rural Tourism Trend: electric vehicle chargers can drive visitors

Wide view of a prairie landscape with a walk-through gate in a fence

Tourism: Make the most of scant remains and “not much to see” sites with a look-through sign

Holyoke Hummus Company cart

How one food business keeps adapting, from table to cart to truck, to restaurant and back again

Make extra money from extra workspace: co-working and 3rd workplaces in small towns

Newspaper story headline says, "Made in Dorrigo Markets a bustling success"

Boost your maker economy with a “Made in” day

More of the best of Small Biz Survival

Copyright © 2023 Becky McCray
Front Page · Log in