HARVEYVILLE, KS (KCTV) -
Many Harveyville families are picking up the pieces of their loved ones while one family is grieving the loss of their patriarch.
In just a few seconds, life as the Slade family knew it changed forever. Two sons lost their father and a wife became a widow.
"In 30 seconds, she lost not only her house; she lost her husband," said Brent Slade, Richard Slade's son.
The winds of change came in the form of an EF-2 tornado, which leveled houses all over town and shifted one specific home off of its foundation, pinning the legs of 53-year-old Richard Slade, who was in the stairwell heading down to the basement. His wife was in the living room.
"She's having a tough time with it. They're asking some tough questions right now that they're having to deal with, and she's having a tough time with that," said Brent Slade.
The Slade brothers and their grief-stricken mother met with Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback Thursday afternoon during his tour of the area. The governor listened as they recounted their father's final hours.
The disbelief and shock on the governor's face was palpable as he walked through the mounds left behind by Tuesday night's twister.
"It's reminds you just how destructive these tornadoes are and then how much they can sneak in on you," said Brownback.
It was an observation that came after several conversations with Harveyville residents, like the Slades, who are not accustomed to tornadoes in February.
"This is starting earlier than we've had it in the past, and we just got to urge people that things can happen. They can happen without warning," said the governor.
During his tour, Brownback stopped to visit with the Slade family, who lost their family patriarch.
"He was coherent in the house, talking. But as soon as they freed him up, that's when it went downhill," said Matt Slade, Richard's other son, of his father's final hours.
It was a sad reality the brothers still haven't come to terms with.
"It hasn't sunk in yet. It'll hit us one of these days. But it hasn't sunk in yet. It's like a dream," said Matt Slade.
Both of the brothers have young children who haven't yet been told of their grandfather's death.
After that visit, the governor made his way further down Main Street where he was greeted by another homeowner who was only too pleased to give the state's chief executive a tour.
"My wife was standing in front of the refrigerator and I was at the back door, and it was like a big boom and it was gone," the homeowner explained to the governor. "Just boom and it was gone," he said after Brownback asked how long it lasted.
Because he heard from so many people who said they had little warning about this storm, the governor says he wants to take a closer look at this case. Brownback has also been in touch with the White House which, he says, is more than willing to help, but the state is doing damage assessments right now to see if this meets the threshold for federal aid.
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