I went to Carney and talked with people who lost everything, including a woman who lost her home, her business, her garage, two horse barns and a shed. She also only had sandals on her feet. Had our feet been the same size I would have come home without my shoes.
See this RV... yup, it's on top of a UHaul truck, both are on top of a tree that toppled over.
Fast forward to Monday afternoon, I'm in the basement when a massive tornado begins devouring Moore. I'm, of course, watching Channel 4 and hear Mike Morgan say "This is worse than May 3, 1999."
I have to admit when I heard that I thought it was ridiculous. How could he be making that claim. Afterall, May 3rd was the WORST EVER.
The next thing I know it is worse. Children are trapped in destroyed schools, more than 1200 homes are destroyed and Channel 4 goes into continuous coverage and I'm called in to be there at 1:00 Tuesday morning.
I got there and took over for Adam Mertz (in this picture). He had been working since about 1:00 or 2:00 Monday afternoon.
At 2:00 in the morning it was hard to see exactly what was around me. I was just anxiously awaiting the sunrise, hoping still that Mike Morgan's mention of this being worse than May 3rd was wrong (despite everything I had seen the day before).
I've covered tornado damage pretty much every year of my 8 year career. It's hard to compare, but the amount of damage is definitely more widespread. And while the damage is always in some ways the same it never ceases to amaze me how incredible it is! Everyone has their own opinions about the media, despite what yours is I will say this... because of my job I have the chance to see the damage left by a storm in a unique way. I can show you pictures at home but I don't know that you can really grasp the destruction. I don't know that you want to. I took a few pictures, but I don't do a lot of that because I honestly feel it is somewhat disrespectful to those who have lost their homes. It's not a side show, it's someone's home, someone's memories reduced to rubble. It's heartbreaking.
To stand at a home and see a child's Transformers t-shirt, or to find stuffed animals thrown miles from where they likely belong is really indescribable. Every toy makes me wonder about the family that lived there. Every broken dish helps me remember this was a home.
The man's hands you see here are those of the Lt. Governor. The book is Amelia Bedilia.
And oh, the media. I have never in my life seen so many satellite trucks in one place.
One more note on the media. I know people in Moore were ready for the national folks to go. I think everyone was by Tuesday night. However, look at what's happened. Since Monday there have been hundreds of thousands of dollars raised, so many items donated. If this story had not been broadcast worldwide (yup, I met reporters from The Netherlands, and Japan) I wonder how much help there would have been. I know Oklahomans always step up, but the outpouring of support from all across the world is amazing to me.
I tell ya, nothing shows the power of a nature like a tornado. How a home can be scattered into a million pieces, a car bent in two, yet a Tweetie Bird mug can be lying among the debris fully intact, not even a crack. How everything on a plot of land can be gone yet across the street the home has nothing more than a little roof damage.
This was a powerful picture to me... The home on top is 621 SW 6th Street (likely how it looked Monday morning) ... The picture on the bottom is the same home by Monday night. No home, no mailbox, no bush, no grass... just broken wood, a smashed truck and mud... lots of mud.
Wednesday as I was on my way to the latest press conference I saw what I thought was amazing. The picture on the left is volunteers, actually hundreds of them as they walked from the eastern side of Moore to the western sides of Moore. Alongside them, dozens of trucks with people overflowing the backs... all going to help. It was powerful!
The picture on the left is a puppy found in the rubble. We were in a neighborhood, actually loading up to leave when a guy who was servicing portapotties in the area hollered. He spotted the dog, unharmed among the rubble. The dog was found near 8th and Broadway. He was taken to Mustang Animal Health Clinic.
And then there is Brianna. She's a third grader. Nine years old. A Briarwood Elementary student. The same age as the seven kids who died at Plaza Towers.
My assignment Thursday was to go to Moore, find a story (because there are thousands!) but first I had to go to the school where Briarwood students were going to see their teachers. Brianna was wearing a Briarwood t-shirt. I hated to ask for an interview (because what do you ask a child traumatized by a tornado) but I did. Her mom said it was OK, and Brianna said she didn't mind.
I stumbled through the interview and then my photographer asked her what it was like to see her school after the storm. And, well, here's what happened.
Just watching the story, just typing about it still makes me tear up. Brianna is one of the stories I will never forget I think (there are several of those, most involve children). Brianna actually was not in the school when the tornado hit. Her dad knew storms were coming and he checked her out. They went home and heard "the man on TV said if you get in a closet and not below ground you could die so we drove all the way to Norman." Thank goodness they did. Her home was heavily damaged but is still standing. After this interview I cried a lot. I called my manager and said I was done. I was not going to interview any more of those kids that day. He said that was no problem, to get out of there. So we did.
Wednesday night I was exhausted. I had been working 12-13 hour days and Nate said we should go for a walk. I really just wanted to go to bed, but we went for a walk and it was great. I needed that.
I know there are people who think journalists are heartless, that we are just trying to sensationalize everything. I believe very few journalists are actually like that. I believe the majority of us do want to use our job to help people. That's my goal. It's not easy walking up to someone who has lost everything and asking them for an interview. It's not easy figuring out what to ask a 9 year old who just lived through one of the biggest natural disasters in our state's history. It's not easy watching people figure out what to do next, where to even begin picking up the pieces of their life. But it's what I do.
At the end of the day it is hard. It's hard to go back to my perfectly messy home and not feel guilty that I have a home. It's hard to reach in the drawer for clean socks and underwear and not feel guilty that those in Moore don't have that luxury. But it's just the way it is. I don't just go home after something like this and forget everything I've seen. I see those people and I pray. I go home and I pray and even when I don't have the words I pray because I know God knows my heart.
The tragedy in Moore, Bethel Acres, Carney, Luther, Shawnee and Newcastle will not be gone soon. It will take weeks, even months. However I believe those people will rebuild. I believe God will help them though the process and that only He can bring them the comfort they need right now and for the months to come. And when all the media is finally gone (which may not happen until after the president comes Sunday) Oklahomans will still be here. I just hope we don't soon forget because these communities don't just need a weekend's worth of help, they need support and help for a long time.
1 comment:
Well done, Chellie!
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