Perspective important component in looking at tragedies

The other day a co-worker asked me if I could go get a picture of a fire at a bio-fuel plant about 30 miles from Dodge City, Kansas.

I quickly headed out the door and got as close as I could to snap a photo on June 12. The billowing smoke caught my attention as I could see it for quite a ways before I arrived. No one was injured in the fire and I was thankful to receive that news.

In the news industry covering the challenges presented by Mother Nature or by mankind are always the toughest, saddest and most humbling.

Over time it has been hard to rank the “toughest stories.” Sometimes the damage is pronounced from a flood or blizzard. Sometimes the effect of a drought is not known for many months.

Living in the heartland the one event I feared the most and the one that was the toughest to cover dealt with tornadoes. I’ve been following the 10-year observance of the Chapman, Kansas, tornado, which was June 11, 2008, and it wiped out nearly every school in the town, several churches and a significant chunk of residential area.

The tornado killed one person, Crystal Bishop, and left many people in the small town scarred from the experience. Recovery was going to take years. As I covered the recovery from the perspective of a daily newspaper there was not always much time to put it into a personal perspective. My newspaper staff was devoted to coverage. Stories about the tornado and recovery quickly became popular and many comments were received were from people who lived many miles from Dickinson County.

Chapman students had to attend schools in a hodgepodge of modular homes approved by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. To the credit of the leadership of the local school district, students started their 2008-09 school year on time and they graduated on time. It took about 2 1/2 years for new schools to re-open and the facilities were built well and became a great source of community pride.

A new residential district with upscale homes and a new grocery store are all success stories. When I drive on old U.S. Highway 40 I think about June 11, 2008, and the devastation that occurred and the carnage that made it look like war zone that only soldiers from nearby Fort Riley would see in their tours of duty.

Residents in the heartland all have stories based on similar experiences. I know their inspiring tales are just as encouraging as the ones I was fortunate to cover in the days, months and years that followed.

People reaching out to help others is what makes the heartland shine. None of us can stop every battle put in front of us by Mother Nature or accidents, but we can do our part to soften the blow and when we do our compassion takes a back seat to no one.