I'm back from Moore, OK after 5 days of walking around the affected area talking to victims, first responders, volunteers, soldiers from every branch, Red Cross and FEMA people. My job is damage assessment, so I visited with probably 500 people or more in the zone of destruction to determine what their needs are and what we can do for them.
The destruction within the path of the tornado is total. Houses, schools and businesses have been reduce to piles of sticks, streets have disappeared underneath the rubble and the people are dealing with the aftermath as best they can. Just outside the path of the twister, everything is covered in dried blobs of insulation, personal belongs and boards protrude from roofs 2 or 3 blocks away. Trees are shredded, cars piled upon cars and not much remains recognizable. Among the oddities I saw (which are common with tornadoes) was a still inflated Santa Claus resting in a yard as if he were praying to Mecca with his ass in the air, a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle stuck in a tree 40 feet off the ground and a street sign designating the intersection of S. Santa Fe and SW 15th street carried about 10 blocks and put back into the ground upright.
But, it's the people. It's always the people. I've responded now to 25 or 30 disasters, of all kinds and in every corner of this great Republic and even in other countries, and it's always the people who impress the most. Always. Moore, OK is blessed with magnificent people and magnificent neighbors. Today, the first day free from work or school, the destroyed area was swarming with volunteers from all over the country and they outnumbered the victims by at least a factor of 10-1. Moving rubble, searching for personal treasures, cooking food or just randomly handing out bottles of water to total strangers, the number of folks there to help was overwhelming. I've seen that kind of response everywhere I've ever been, but never in such a compact area. It was an incredible sight!
And, you want a feel good story? How about these:
Today, I met a young man and his Mother. He's been through a tough ten years raising his kids alone after his wife left him for the drug culture and he was reduced to living in a house his Mother owns. It's now gone. Nothing left by sticks. On the day of the storm, he rushed toward the school where both of his kids were, only to be restrained by the police until the twister passed. He stood and watched it strike the school where his kids were. Unknown at the time, his Mom was doing the same thing from another direction.
After the tornado had moved on, everyone converged on the school to search for survivors. The first child lifted out of the part of that school where 7 kids died was his son and the first responder just handed him back to whomever was there. He placed the boy right into his father's arms! At the other end of the building, the mans daughter was pulled from the rubble and shoved into the embrace of her Grandmother! What an astonishing blessing!
One more: I met a young man who just graduated from Moore High School last night. On the day of the storm, he conned the teachers into letting him go and he ran down the street to a Circle K store, from where he first saw the approaching tornado. He thought it was miles away but, in reality, it was less than half a mile away. Instead of fleeing for his life, he sprinted 3 blocks right in front of the approaching twister to his home, where he shoved his Mother and sister into a closet, went back out and got the family dog, then covered them all with his own body just as the funnel hit. They all survived unhurt. You want to talk about how sorry the younger generation is? You go ahead. I'll show you this kid.
And, I have to mention Tinker AFB. A large number of the folks I met work there and their employers have been incredibly supportive. The victims have all the time off they need to deal with their own personal tragedies, troops were sent into the neighborhoods as the debris was still flying and I met the base Commander, LTG Litchfield and an Air Force Chaplain walking around a neighborhood visiting with the families of their troops and anyone else they came into contact with. Maybe the government doesn't do everything right, but Tinker AFB sure does. And, so does the 45th BDE, Oklahoma National Guard. They were all over the place doing a sterling service.
Plus, I have to mention the often maligned FEMA. Every single, solitary FEMA worker I came into contact with was an extraordinary human being. They've been there from the first and are still out there working under impossible conditions and rendering wonderful help. So is the Red Cross, The Salvation Army, responders from more than 60 different churches and our own Southern Baptist's who were there before the sun set on the first day. Police and fire departments from all over Oklahoma rushed to the scene and helped out.
The people of Moore will survive. Not only survive, but prosper and grow stronger. With the marvelous support of their neighbors and total strangers, they'll get through this.