Brooke Huff

Babblin' Brooke 

Over the weekend I drove to Missouri to see my boyfriend and his family. On my way home, taking a different route, I ended up driving through Greensburg, Kan.

About 30 miles or so out of town, I started seeing signs about the small town. After seeing the first mileage sign, I began to wonder where I had heard of Greensburg before. I knew I had heard of it, but couldn’t think if it was from a movie or television. Then I spotted a sign about the World’s Largest Hand Dug Water Well, and thought, that must be it.
However, as I traveled through the small town on the Kansas plains looking at concrete slabs where homes used to stand, I began thinking, “wow it literally looks like a tornado blew through here.” I then realized that a tornado had blown through there.
Having spent most of my 26 years in the Texas Panhandle, I have witnessed several tornadoes. None of them, however, left behind a path of destruction like I saw in that Kansas town. Everywhere I looked there were buildings missing walls, roofs, or the entire structure. Tents were lined up along the streets and in parks, while rescue workers and volunteers picked up the pieces.
 I had heard the reports and had even seen footage on the news, but nothing could have prepared me for actually seeing it firsthand. It broke my heart to think that many of those people lost everything. All they have left to hold on to is the hope that someday they can restore a small amount of normalcy to their lives.  
The first thing that really caught my attention as I drove into town were the signs directing volunteers to the proper registration locations. A short distance further, I noticed debris, trees, bricks, etc., still littering the streets and the giant walls of still standing buildings casting shadows over lots where other buildings once stood. I think the one building that still stands out most in my mind, even after only a few seconds of seeing it, is a tall red-brick building with only a portion of its back wall still intact. The rest of the area is merely a cement foundation, serving as a simple reminder of the building’s once significant purpose.    
As I approached to the edge of town, I was captivated by the sight of 10 to 12 trailers lined up along the road. From these trailers, dozens of volunteers and rescue workers are working tirelessly day and night to restore the town and its people to a happier state. Even a temporary medical facility has been set up in a trailer on the edge of town to ensure that everyone has the care and attention they need to help get them back to their lives.   
I was suddenly hit by the impact those tornadoes had on that tiny town, and the toll they took on the lives of the people there. Being overcome with grief, the images of that town still working to pick up the pieces will forever be engraved on my memory.  
Witnessing situations like that really makes me grateful for what I have. It causes me to reexamine my priorities. I know that if I were to lose everything, much like the people in Greensburg, Kan., I would be okay. For me, as long as I have my family and friends, the people that truly love me by my side, I can make it through even the toughest of situations.
What is truly remarkable about disasters like hurricanes and tornadoes, is how people are always able to rise above the rubble. They pick up the few remaining pieces and move on. Despite the pain, they are able to look past the devastation to a future full of new beginnings.