
<p>I want you to watch for two things as you see the coverage of the massive tornado damage in Western Kentucky. I&#8217;m from Kentucky, and as you may be aware the tornado traveled over 200 miles and at the time of this writing it had killed more than 70 people (expected to rise) and done massive damage.</p>



<p>If you want to know the character of Kentucky watch for these.</p>



<p>1. This was little covered, but immediately after the tornado, people showed up at the candle factory with their trucks, backhoe tractors, whatever they have, to help dig people out and to rescue anyone they possibly can. These are members of the community, assisting an overwhelmed fire and emergency service system, saving people.</p>



<p>They weren&#8217;t invited.</p>



<p>They didn&#8217;t need to be.</p>



<p>I&#8217;m reminded of a time in my life long ago. If you have ever lived in a close knit community you will say to yourself &#8220;of course.&#8221; If not, then you won&#8217;t get this. April 3 1974, over 300 tornadoes came through Kentucky and the surrounding states, killing hundreds. One of those tornadoes came through our farm and basically wiped out operations. Two very large barns and some other buildings were collapsed, trapping animals, destroying equipment, a decade of growth completely lost.</p>



<p>That night we had over 200 of our neighbors show up to help us dig out, coming from far and wide. They spent most of the night working to at least give us a head start in rebuilding. We didn’t have to call them, they just showed up, bringing whatever equipment or expertise or simple strength that they had.</p>



<p>My Dad and Uncle were in tears, the support &#8211; physical, emotional and spiritual &#8211; was overwhelming.</p>



<p>This is Kentucky.</p>



<p>As the Governor mentioned this is &#8220;neighbors helping neighbors&#8221; a phenomenon that is not lost in America, though perhaps not as prevalent as it used to be. Maybe I missed it (as I mentioned, it doesn&#8217;t get covered a lot) but some of the disasters that could have been served by community support, were not. During 9/11, New York (pretty much the opposite side of the cultural world from Kentucky), was a prime example of community support on a national basis, with emergency responders coming from all around the country.</p>



<p>2. If you are not able to help, they are asking for prayers first. Even if you are not particularly religious, you should recognize that this is what people in such a community do &#8211; whatever they can. They are part of the assistance even when they can do nothing physically, getting ready for the opportunity to help when they can. This is how a community pulls together, and people in Kentucky are very connected.</p>



<p>I&#8217;m sure they will ask to donate to assistance funds later and do so heavily. But that is the easy part.</p>



<p>This too, is Kentucky.</p>

Kentucky Tornado: Two Things to Watch for
