Reconnecting with Storm Victims

[Van DeWald]

I'm curious to hear about anyone who may have reconnected with storm victims that you might have helped in the past. Storm chasers can and occasionally are first responders, arriving on the scene only seconds after homes have been destroyed, etc. Has anyone ever made any attempt to get back in touch with those folks, months, or even years after the fact? I haven't quite decided if it would be a good or bad idea to stop and say hello. I'm sure they would remember your helping them in their time of need, but not sure if it's good or not psychologically. So, has anyone gone back to reconnect with tornado victims that you've helped?

Van

 

[Darin Brunin]

On the 4th of July, we had the opportunity to go back to Greensburg and meet up with a man we assisted that night. Overall, it was a positive experience I think. We got to meet his family and drove around Greensburg, with him telling us stories from that night. We saw that he, his family, and the town are full of normal people that were affected horribly and that was hard to take in.

The hardest part was seeing all of the people from the town still struggling. It really showed us how much those people are still affected from that night and it brought a sense of guilt over me of how people can take things for granted in life so easily.

It did feel good to know that he and his family are getting by though so that was a good aspect. They have since moved to New Mexico, since their farm was completely destroyed. It's just still weird to think that they would still be living peacefully south of Greensburg if that tornado had never happened. Psychologically, it brought me sense of relief but it also caused a lot of anxiety when reliving that night and still does when I think about it.