A Deadly Tornado Remembered

I've always been a person who has been afraid of severe weather. Living where I do, you never can tell what can happen.That sort of thing always makes me nervous! I remember one time when it was just my children and I at home alone. The weather was getting worse outside. Every time I changed the channel all people were talking about was the weather. Then people started talking about tornadoes and I got nervous! You had to have seen the little fortress I built for the three of us back then. Time wasn't going by fast enough! When the danger passed, it took me forever to calm down! So far, we've had some that have come close,but thankfully not close enough to what happened in Joplin, Mo. last year. A tornado ripped through the area and killed 161 people and injuring many others. A lot of neighborhoods were simply wiped off the map. The amount of damage was estimated to be about $2.8 billion dollars. Right now the residents are trying to rebuild what was damaged in the area-the hospital,the high school, and the local grocery store. They also remembered those who were lost in the storm by walking by the damaged areas.It was said that 5 to 6 thousand people participated in the walk to bring people together on this day . There was a moment of silence at the end of the walk . It was where the storm first hit the city at around 5:15 p.m. at a park. There was a ceremony to celebrate the rebuilding of the high school. Graduation ceremonies were held this year as usual. The citizens and the 2012 graduates of Joplin were given some words of encouragement during the ceremony by President Obama. I'd say we're dealing with some of the bravest people that decided to stay in the area and pick up the pieces of their lives. I'd also like to say that this city(in Tennessee) is one of the luckiest cities I know. Everything always happens around us but never to us.We have had some quiet summers lately - I take it as a sign that God wants us around for a little while longer. I don't want to ever experience anything like this if I can help it! God bless all those who have experienced loss at the hands of Mother Nature! The day you start smiling again will come before you know it!