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Welcome to Kansas City!

 

 

In the original Wonderful Wizard of Oz, a young white farm girl famously dreams that she whisked away from her rural Kansas home by a tornado that drops her in an exciting and magical land. In The Wiz, writers William F. Brown and Charlie Smalls lift the story out of the idyllic, pastoral countryside and place it in urban Kansas City where our Dorothy, now a young black female, faces real issues such as poverty and the devastation that actually results from a tornado. 

 

Poverty Rates

- In a 2013 study, the poverty rate in Kansas City was nearly double the state's percentage with a 9.9% of Kansans and 17.1% of Kansas City citizens earning below the poverty level.

- 43.2% of children live in poverty compared to 18.3% state-wide.

- 67.1% of poor families have a female head of household with no husband present.

For further data about poverty in Kansas City, KS, click here. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Life in Tornado Alley

- Kansas City, KS sees anywhere from zero to twelve tornadoes per year.

- Between 1950 and 2014, the state of Kansas saw 3927 tornadoes which killed 298 people (the highest number of fatalities for one tornado was 80) and injured 3346 people (the highest number of injuries for one tornado was 450)

- In 2014, Kansas was hit by 41 tornadoes with one fatality and 39 injuries. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Devastation and Property Damage

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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