GREENSBURG, Kansas (CNN) -- On May 4, 2007, a monster tornado tore through this rural town, killing 11 people and leaving little more than empty slabs and stacks of debris. Greensburg, 109 miles west of Wichita in south-central Kansas, faced the daunting task of rebuilding from scratch.

Like most residents, Greensburg City Administrator Steve Hewitt lost his home and everything he owned. But Hewitt believes the tornado had a silver lining, for it made this town of some 1,400 people regroup and reinvent itself.

"It forced people to make change. It forced people to say, 'You know what we have is an opportunity unlike any other community gets,' " Hewitt said.

"To change the way we are going. To reverse the trend. To not lose the kids, but to bring our kids back. To invest back in the community so that after they graduate they can have new jobs and new opportunities."

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