Greensburg
On the evening of May 4, 2007, the town of Greensburg, Kansas, was directly hit by a powerful tornado, reducing almost the entire town to rubble. What are the odds that I had chosen that very place back in 1993 to capture small-town life in the American Midwest? My early black-and-white photographs now serve as a poignant, nostalgic glimpse into Greensburg before the disaster.
Despite the massive ruination in 2007, Greensburg was rebuilt. A particularly fascinating aspect of the rebuild was the decision to create a greener, more sustainable city — making Greensburg a pioneer in sustainable urban planning.
Now, 30 years after my first visit and 18 years after the tornado, I have returned. What became of the people I met in 1993? What dreams guided the reconstruction, and how did it turn out? And what is it like to live in the so-called Tornado Alley, where every year brings the threat of powerful storms and new tornadoes?
Book release October 8 at Konst/ig
Photography & text - Susanne Walström
Design - Anton Hull
Published by - Kerber Verlag
