This made me cry.

ditto

It never ceases to amaze: the many and varied sudden blows life on earth can deal.

This couple was on the evening news on TV. They gave some comments, and then their little daughter said in a voice of simple wonder and surprise: "Our house is in little pieces!"

Link attempt didn't work, anyway, it's the bearded dad in the plaid shirt, mom in sweatshirt, daughter in red fleece.

I sat for a long time trying to add some commentary to this post but I just went with the pictures. Words fail me.

Those poor people. There must be hundreds of little towns like that in that part of the USA that are vulnerable to destruction. What can they do? What on earth can the people do?

Tough pictures, arse_hat.

"... What on earth can the people do?"
posted by essexjan 06 May | 02:12

I suppose, they'll do what the people of Topeka did in 1966. Most will put one foot in front of the other, and get through the awful days ahead, with the help of their neighbors.

In '66, I spent a number of weekends with other teenage Grange members, riding into devastated Topeka to help with clean up, and start the re-building process. We took clothes and food to shelters, too.

And we knew, as we did it, and went back to our homes 50 miles away, that it could have so easily been us. So I know that people are gathering and organizing, and that help will go. Since I can't, I'm making a monetary donation to the Kansas MMC (although I'm not otherwise affiliated), simply because they are the lowest overhead, most direct help organization I know in the area.

My heart goes out to all the families as recovery could take years. My kid's preschool was hit by a tornado in 2001, and to this day she's still scared of bad weather. For about a year after the tornado, she couldn't go out on the playground on a windy day (even if the skies were blue) without shaking and crying.

When hurricane Isabel made her way to DC two years after the tornado, I worried how my kid would handle it, but she weathered it like a champ. Having time to prepare made all the difference. I wish there were some way to get more advance notice out for tornados.

The sad thing is that most people probably won't build stronger houses, with more protection. They will want to live in their own home as soon as possible, so they won't take the time to see what sort of house they could build that would survive these sorts of extreme situations.

Wow, paulsc. I was born in Junction City, a few miles west of Topeka, a month and a half after that tornado. No wonder my parents headed to the east coast soon after. 23 years later, though, their house was nearly destroyed by Hugo.