On May 4 and 5, Golden Year 4 (2007), a series of tornadoes swept through the middle of the United States. The biggest, a 1.5 mile-wide, category F-5 tornado (the most powerful in the U.S. in eight years) hit Greensburg, Kansas, USA. Winds of 205 mph (330 km) destroyed nearly 95 percent of the town.

After learning of this hugely destructive force that had affected so many, Master was very concerned and sent instructions to see whether any help was needed. Carrying Master’s love, our Association members from Oklahoma and the Midwest arrived at the disaster area on the morning of May 8 and went immediately to where the main shelter was located. Representatives from the large organizations like FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) and the Red Cross were very surprised to see our working team members.  

Touched that we came from so far away to show love and care to the tornado victims, one FEMA representative personally took our group around the shelter and introduced us to the people who needed help the most. Initiates distributed gifts of personal necessities and snacks, as well as some cash in envelopes, to those who had completely lost their homes and were without family support. One volunteer from the Red Cross told us that money is what people needed the most now. When we gave the envelopes, it was obvious that the people were very touched. The money was not much, but it was very meaningful to them. One person said, “I will take the money now, but when I have a job again, I will repay your kindness by helping others.”

We noticed that our Association’s vests and hats, especially the whole team wearing the same uniform, brought a response of trust. It’s like a “universal ID” for access to otherwise restricted places.  

Since at the shelters, the government provides enough food and old clothes for the victims, our group then traveled to the site of the disaster in Greensburg, Kansas. There, we found some local people who had returned to the site of their previous homes and were searching to find a few belongings. Some were breaking down in tears when they returned to their house to find only piles of debris. Many tree trunks stood bare, stripped of most of their branches.

Our team members gave these local people some cash in envelopes. It was clear that they were touched and felt consoled. People asked what group we belonged to, and we gave them News Magazines and introduced them to the Supreme Master Television.

The whole town was almost gone and 11 people lost their lives. The Kansas Emergency Management Agency said that the storm collapsed one of the wings of Greensburg’s Kiowa County Memorial Hospital, trapping 30 people. But they were later rescued with very minor injuries. With the massively destructive power of this tornado, we were so thankful to God that there were comparatively few casualties. Everyone said that it could have been worse.

Some people think that a pioneer spirit still exists in the mid-United States, and they believe that the Greenburg community will be rebuilt. In order to bring more of God’s light and blessings to this area, we placed a Supreme Master Television announcement for one week since May 14 in the biggest newspaper in Kansas, the Kansas City Star, with a circulation of over 360,000. We hope that the people of Kansas will have a chance to know there is an alternative way of living, to reawaken their souls as well as rebuild their faith in God.

Expenditure for Tornado Relief Work in Kansas, USA,
by The Supreme Master Ching Hai International Association

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