Tornadoes are dangerously unpredictable as often there is only a few minutes warning for people to get to safety.
These types of disasters are things that we in New England rarely ever think about. We don’t deal with powerful earthquakes and we are not really under threat of tornadoes…we deal with hurricanes… and as we saw this past August, even a relatively weak storm can shut down a city or a state for days or even weeks. At least with a hurricane there is warning… often a few weeks warning rather than only a few minutes.
A simple online search of photos from the areas the tornadoes hit will show how unpredictable these monsters really are. The house across the street from you is gone, completely destroyed down to the foundation… your house, no damage at all… that’s the reality of life in tornado alley.
However, amidst the tragedy of the storms, come examples of the very best of the human spirit. People from neighboring communities, strangers, coming together to help those in need… strangers are helping sift through the rubble of homes, helping to feed and clothe the newly homeless, helping in any way they can to get the victims of these storms back on their feet. When asked why he would come so far to help people he never met, one 60 year old man responded, “maybe someday I will need some help and they will help me.”