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Inside Politics

Bush visits Kansas town flattened by tornado

Story Highlights

• President Bush toured devastation Wednesday
• Mayor says Kansas town's residents making progress
• Priority is restoring utilities to the town of 1,600
• Mayor among displaced, staying in friend's truck
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GREENSBURG, Kansas (CNN) -- Standing in a muddy lot, President Bush sought to bring comfort to the residents of tornado-ravaged Greensburg, Kansas, on Wednesday.

He has issued a disaster declaration for Kiowa County, where Greensburg is the county seat.

Twelve Greensburg residents died as a result of Friday's storm, including an injured police officer who was taken off life support Tuesday.

Another person died in a nearby county Friday night, and there was another fatality outside Greensburg on Saturday.

The town of 1,600 will rely heavily on federal aid, Greensburg Mayor Lonnie McCollum said.

He witnessed the Federal Emergency Management Agency's rapid response to the storm.

"As I broke down my back door to go out, there's a fireman from Dodge City, Kansas," McCollum said. "He meets me as I'm digging out of the rubble to see if I'm OK. And almost the next person behind him is somebody from FEMA." (Watch how the small town is embarking on the road to recovery Video)

FEMA officials have vowed not to repeat the mistakes that drew harsh criticism after Hurricane Katrina decimated the Gulf Coast in 2005. (Watch how politics enters relief effort Video)

Governor: Federal response too slow

Though City Administrator Steve Hewitt applauded the FEMA and National Guard response to the disaster, Gov. Kathleen Sebelius said Monday that the federal response was slow because too much National Guard manpower and equipment is in Iraq. (Watch how the National Guard is struggling with shortfalls Video)

White House spokesman Tony Snow shot back that Sebelius was to blame for any delays and said, "The administration is doing whatever it can. If there's a need for equipment, it will arrive."

He added Tuesday that the federal response should be considered "a success story."

McCollum said Greensburg's priority is restoring utilities, but with most of the town's structures spirited away or leveled, there is little recourse for the myriad residents taking refuge in shelters.

The mayor said he is among the displaced.

"I'm staying in the front seat of my friend's pickup right now. That's my bedroom," he said.

Most homes destroyed

Bush arrived on Air Force One just after 9 a.m. (10 a.m. ET) and quickly boarded the Marine One helicopter for the 45-minute journey to Greensburg, arriving there as a steady rain fell.

"My mission today is to lift people's spirits as best as I possibly can," he said. "And hopefully touch somebody's soul by representing our country and to let people know that while there was a dark day in the past, there's brighter days ahead."

The twister's winds, which at some points reached 205 mph (330 kph), destroyed about 95 percent of homes in the town about 110 miles (177 kilometers) west of Wichita. Even City Hall, where key municipal records were stored, is nowhere to be found. (Watch a 360-degree view of the devastation Video)

The only major buildings left standing in the southwest Kansas town were the courthouse and a grain elevator.

Bush walked among John Deere combines and other large farm equipment reduced to twisted masses of rubble.

Stark, bare trees and piles of splintered wood and debris were everywhere. A car was wedged almost vertically in the roof of a building.

"A lot of us have seen the pictures of what happened here. The pictures don't do it justice. There is a lot of destruction," Bush said. "I bring the prayers and concerns of the people of this country to this town."

Bush said he was impressed by residents.

"I am struck by the strength of the character of the people of the Plains -- people who refuse to have their spirit affected by this storm ... who are willing to do what it takes to rebuild in a better way."

The search for survivors who might be trapped in the rubble continued Tuesday.

Two shelters remained open, but Hewitt urged residents to find temporary housing in nearby communities. (Watch rescuers comb through the rubble Video)

It will take "a couple of months" to estimate the cost of the devastation, but regardless, McCollum said, "We're going to have a brand new town here."

Greensburg has two claims to fame: The world's largest hand-dug well and a 1,000-pound pallasite meteorite. McCollum, who was born and reared in Greensburg, said the town must stay strong.

"We can't let that go," he said. "This town owes it to our historical roots and what we have here to rebuild."


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