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Spirit Matters: In a time of catastrophe, community comes together · Illinois Valley - Shaw Local

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  Speaker 1: Spirit Matters. In a time of catastrophe, community comes together.
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  Written by Jerrelyn Zavada Novak and Spirit Matters. This article
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  is being read by an automated voice brought to you
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  by Everlet. As I write. It is Friday, June twelfth,
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  around nine thirty am. It is the morning after a
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  destructive tornado tore path through the south and east sides
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  of Straighter, leaving some with no homes and all in
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  a state of shock. Forecasters had been warning all week
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  of the potential for serious weather, so when the emergency
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  alert on my phone went off early in the evening
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  warning of a potentially catastrophic tornado headed our way, I
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  wasn't entirely unprepared, but I wasn't entirely prepared either. I
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  was home alone with our dog, ivy Rows. I gathered
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  a few important belongings, including my keys, purse, and the
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  remains of our beloved Zeke, and went to the basement.
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  Fortunately I had fully charged my phone earlier in the afternoon,
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  so I was able to watch live updates on YouTube.
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  As the sirens blared outside, I sat on the floor
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  in the corner between a filing cabinet and a crawl
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  space trying to keep a four month old puppy under control,
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  which was not easy. After it was clear the tornado
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  had passed, I took Ivy outside. We live in an
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  untouched area. Thankfully, everyone in my family was safe with
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  no property damage, but my mom lives fairly close to
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  Airport Road, which was one of the hardest hit areas
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  in the community. I spent much of the rest of
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  the evening watching updates on YouTube and scrolling social media,
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  reading post after graphic and emotional post. Admittedly, I also
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  thought several times how grateful I was to no longer
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  be in a position where I had to respond to
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  it right away. When a Category EF one tornado struck
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  Streeter on June fifth, twenty ten, I was working as
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  a reporter at the Times newspaper. Early the next morning,
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  I was called into work after being off for a
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  week on vacation. For the next several weeks, my fellow
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  Streeter reporter A Derek Barrichello, along with the rest of
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  the newsroom's staff in Ottawa and I provided non stop coverage.
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  I remember walking out around Hall Street and Angelane Theater
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  as Streeter public works crews began clean up. At the time,
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  the late Mayor Jimmy Lansford referred to the area as
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  looking like a war zone. Many of the images I
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  have seen of last night's destruction look as bad or
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  worse than they did in twenty ten. So if you
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  haven't already, please be mindful of and appreciate the emergency
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  responders in your community, whether it is a catastrophic tornado,
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  a fire, or a serious car accident. They respond at
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  a moment's notice to situations that remain in their psycas
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  long after the cleanup is over, and most importantly, stay
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  out of their way. They are there to protect and
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  save lives. They cannot do their jobs efficiently when there
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  are curious motorists trying to catch a glimpse of the destruction.
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  One thing I learned in twenty ten and have seen
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  played out again and again is how a small community
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  responds in a big way when their friends, neighbors, and
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  even strangers have suffered a big loss. Streeter is a
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  particularly generous community made up of kind hearted and compassionate people.
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  Even if our loved ones and we aren't directly impacted
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  as a community, we are affected for our friends and neighbors,
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  though we might never have experienced the same kind of loss.
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  We can empathize when we consider the complete upheaval they
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  are now experiencing. Their homes are gone, along with all
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  the comforts and memories they held. They likely only have
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  the clothes on their backs and might no longer have
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  immediate access to official identifying information. They could be missing
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  and looking for beloved pets. Whatever order was in their
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  lives an hour before has been completely obliterated. So we
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  respond by giving in whatever way we can. If we
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  are physically able, we might offer to help clear down
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  trees and other debris, or we might make a home
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  cooked meal for victims, or organize and help donate to
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  a food and clothing drive. There are many ways to give,
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  but it is important to stay informed through official channels
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  about what is needed and how to give. If nothing else,
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  we can all pray for our friends and neighbors, as
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  well as anyone assisting in the cleanup and recovery. Spiritual
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  support is and will remain vital for weeks and months
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  to come, and though we might never know how, we
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  can be assured that spiritual support reaches them and gives
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  them the strength to carry on until the sun rises
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  on a new beginning. For them. Spirit Matters is a
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  weekly column by Jerlyn Zavada Novak that examines experiences common
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  to the human spirit. Contact her at Jayzblue three three
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  at yahoo dot com.