GREENSBURG, Kan. – After this town was destroyed by a tornado a year ago, most of the 59 wounded made it to the hospital, which was also damaged.

The Associated Press

Greensburg, Kan., is slowly rebuilding nearly a year after a tornado destroyed most of the community of 1,300.

Physician assistant Chris Gardiner, who lived in a home that he'd bought for $75,000, was the hero of the day, creatively treating those who were seriously wounded.

Mr. Gardiner, like most of the about 1,300 residents, vowed to stay and rebuild.

But like about half of the residents, he is leaving.

Even though the town has received millions of dollars in federal and state aid, along with help from many charities, it's not enough.

They bought their houses for $30,000 to $80,000 and found that to rebuild them would cost $100,000 to $200,000. They left, even though FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, provided $69 million in aid, and insurance companies paid $153 million in claims.

Mr. Gardiner learned that his house would cost more than $200,000 to rebuild. "There were agonizing conversations with my family."

He planned to shake President Bush's hand Sunday following his daughter's high school graduation, then move to Hutchison, Kan., where he's found a job and a house that he can afford.

Still, the half who have remained are optimistic. They've decided to rebuild as a "green" city, hoping to lure environmentally friendly businesses.

"Let's be sure about one thing," said Chuck Banks, state director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Community Self Help Housing program.

"Greensburg will survive, in part because the town leadership is strong, vital and impassioned. Greensburg will come back. Maybe smaller, but there is real vision and leadership among those people."

Roy Wenzl,

McClatchy Newspapers