Living in Tornado Alley

Some people can't imagine the anxiety of living in Kansas during tornado season. For us, we would could not imagine living with the anxiety of earthquakes. We have warning systems and weather forecasting, meteorology specialties with our local TV stations, storm spotters, and most children are taught tornado safety from when they are pre-schoolers.

Most home owners have insurance that will cover the hail and wind damage that goes along with these storms, and usually the damage is somewhat isolated, so that there are many more families and volunteers to help with the clean-up than there are people directly affected. These natural disasters often bring out the best in people and it may be why Midwesterners, many who have come from sturdy, hard-working farm families also realize what 'grace' is when their lives have been spared, even though they might lose much of their belongings. At such times, what rises from the ashes, like a phoenix, is better than what existed before.

In 1991 and again in 1999, tornadoes destroyed significant portions of the Wichita suburb of Haysville, KS. In 1991, the town's mayor quit his full-time job as the manager of a Target store to help the community rebuild. The result was a stronger community with improved pride. That mayor is now a popular country commissioner, and can share what he learned through the experience. A similar story may come from the May 2007 Greensburg KS tornado-- and each community that suffers through spring storms. It is not just a story of the losses, but how people and communities can be transformed through hardship and coming together to learn how to work together, improve their lives and build a new future. A leader who rises to the occasion to bolster people's faith and perseverance will be keys to the story when it is retold to future generations. LM