Our prayers go out…

Posted on by May 20, 2013

To the folks in Oklahoma who were hit again today by what is now being called an EF-4 (200mph) tornado. This one hit Moore, OK apparently two blocks over from where an EF-5 (250+mph) tornado hit in 1999.  It’s all over the news, but I think the real takeaway here is how the people themselves responded…

As soon as it passed, the folks jumped out and started digging folks out, and especially the kids at the two elementary schools.  They didn’t wait for help, they did it themselves… Apparently at Briarwood Elementary ALL of the children were found okay!!!   At the other school the news does not sound good…

Edit- 50 confirmed dead as of 2100 EST.  And it appears they have lost over 20 young kids in the second school… Thoughts and prayers for those folks and the families… 

The loss of life is still not known, but I think it’s a miracle there were as few deaths as there were. Oklahoma (and most of the other states in Tornado Alley) have excellent warning systems and the people listened.

I didn’t hear anyone crying about the government not taking care of them; they just stepped up and did what they could to dig out, get the neighbors out, and get those kids out.  Kudos to all the folks and first responders and the LEOs/EMTs/Fire Rescue that got there as soon as they could and assisted/dug out survivors.

If you’ve never seen the results of a tornado, it’s NOT like you can just drive to the scene quickly; you’re dodging trees, cars, glass is everywhere, and metal pieces/parts. And the other thing you DO NOT do is drive over any bundles of clothes…

Keep those folks in your prayers please…

Comments

Our prayers go out… — 10 Comments

  1. I just sat down to this news and let out a physical gasp. My heart just sank at the pictures.

  4. My wife has been working at a triage center since the late afternoon. You just can’t believe the devastation. Please keep the victims in your prayers and if you can spare a donation to the Red Cross it will be greatly appreciated.

  5. 45er/Tim/Brighid- It’s going to get uglier…

    Poppa- I can, BTDT- Give her some love when she gets home, she’s going to be devastated.

  6. Thank you. Yes, much uglier. The estimates this morning are 91 dead. Many of them children.
    We do what we do. Dig out and rebuild.

  7. I can’t imagine the horror. I’ve experienced 2 small ones and that was way scary enough for me.

  8. People who have not been through it have no frame of reference. As good as the warning systems are now, they give you minutes to maybe an hour. Any help has to be mobilized and transported after the fact as opposed to being staged with a hurricane. Then there is the fact that tornados can and do remove entire buildings from the landscape. It’s kinda hard to prepare for the building to disappear around you. Don’t forget about the live power lines being down.