Chuck Magaha has seen it many times.When disaster strikes, volunteers stream to aid victims."I think people want to be involved, to feel good about doing something," said Magaha, who's directed Leavenworth County Emergency Management for 12 years. "Human nature doesn't like to see somebody else ...

A year later, repairs from last May's tornado are just about complete at the Leavenworth County Fairgrounds."We are working on the last building that needs to be worked on," said David Todd, Leavenworth County Fair Board president. "It's almost done."About 75 percent of the task to whip the ...

When a tornado siren sounds, where should you go?Unless you live or work in a house or office with a basement, sometimes the best place to go is no place, says a weather expert.National Weather Service meteorologist Greg Koch, Pleasant Hill, Mo., said that by the time the sirens sound, it's ...

The National Weather Service meteorologists weren't sure that any severe weather would develop on the night of May 11, 2000."We knew that if there was any kind of a storm, it would be substantial," Bill Bunting of the National Weather Service said the day after the storm. "Once it developed, we ...

Trees in Tonganoxie suffered tremendous damage in last May's tornado.Velda Roberts of the Tonganoxie Tree Board said that 10 percent to 30 percent of trees along streets in the city were damaged.Recovering from this loss has taken almost a year's worth of planning for the tree board.The first ...

The Tonganoxie Assembly of God Church has risen from the rubble, thanks to the work of many volunteers.The church was all-but destroyed in last May's tornado. Now, it appears the rebuilding project might be complete in July."That's a projection," said Waneta Karriker, whose husband, Herman, was ...

One year ago: Littered with barn debris and downed trees, Hubbel Hill Cemetery lay in shambles. Proving that nothing was safe from Mother Nature's iron hand, final resting places were ravaged.Tipping tombstones and tossing urns, in a long blink of the eye the swirling wind lay waste to decades ...

The tornado that ripped through Tonganoxie last May wreaked havoc on some local businesses.But not everyone saw a downturn in profits following the storm. In fact, two area men were well-positioned with their two, diverse businesses.Chainsaw carvingA year ago, Russell Ehart dreamed of turning ...

Several businesses in downtown Tonganoxie received extensive damage from the May 11 tornado.Those businesses are close to getting or have finally gotten past some of the setbacks and repairs that resulted from the tornado.Pelzl's HardwareDestruction to Pelzl Do It Best and V&S Variety, ...