Our opinion: Tornadoes' wrath undermined by advance notice and prepared Southeast Missourians

For days leading up to Friday, March 14, weather forecasters told us storms were going to be bad in our area. Their maps pinpointed where the worst would be, and the darkest colors hovered right over us. They said there would be severe thunderstorms, hail, high winds and some tornadoes.

And they were right.

As of mid-afternoon Friday, March 14, here in Cape Girardeau, the sun was shining, and there was nothing obvious pointing to what was coming. By late afternoon, though, as the temperature climbed to 80-ish, clouds were building in the southwest, and the wind was howling. That’s not a good sign this time of year, when warm, wet air from the south runs into cold air from the north. When those air masses collide, trouble comes from a gray-green sky.

We had to wait until about 9 p.m. for the line of storms to churn their way to us, and for the next few hours, all hell broke loose.

Carter County was the first in the bullseye. Violent storms struck just before 10 p.m.

From then until well past midnight, tornadoes targeted Poplar Bluff in Butler County and Wayne County and then Perry and Scott counties. Six people died in Wayne County; one in Butler. Hundreds of buildings sustained damage. Churches. A kindergarten center. Home after home.

Rescue efforts began moments after the storms passed, and by daybreak Saturday morning, March 15, recovery had begun in earnest.

Gov. Mike Kehoe visited Poplar Bluff on Saturday, pledging state resources. His presence lent gravitas to a situation we know too well. What he saw in the area, mere hours after death rained down on our friends and neighbors, was communities damaged and heartsick but far from broken.

Surrounded by Fujita scale destruction, we looked for silver linings and found more than a few. Students at Three Rivers College escaping harm when some of the school’s buildings did not. Neighbors checking on neighbors, sometimes pulling them from rubble. Businesses, charitable organizations and individuals offering food, shelter, comfort.

Even as we lament the loss of life and property, many thanks are in order.

Weather forecasters who are amazing at predicting severe weather are among them. The National Weather Service office in Paducah, Kentucky, put out informational packets several times a day leading up to Friday. Their models were incredibly accurate, and their alerts no doubt saved lives.

All the first responders who performed their roles capably and admirably Friday night and through the weekend. Making this work even more difficult is the fact that these emergency medical personnel, firefighters and law enforcement officers were looking for survivors and treating victims who were members of their own communities.

Local media folks, too. Newspapers and broadcast media pointed to the dangers, encouraging residents to pay attention and have a safety plan in place. Special kudos to the KFVS-12 team, led by Grant Dade, who were live on air for hours Friday night. How in tune to the upcoming event were they? Well before the storms roared through our area, Dade called out a number of towns as potential hotspots. When the storms arrived, many of those towns were directly in the path of the tornadoes. Well done and much appreciated.

Finally, everyone who knew of the potential danger and was ready for it. Thousands of people in Southeast Missouri heeded warnings and huddled in their safe spaces. They tuned in to the latest news and protected themselves and their loved ones. They kept the death toll and injury count much lower than it could have been. Just one example: The strong tornado that swept through Poplar Bluff hit a trailer park. Usually, that’s a deadly situation. In this case, though, many residents had taken shelter in a nearby church, and even though the twister damaged the church, those seeking shelter were in the safest interior space and came through the storm OK.

Friday’s storms won’t be the last that put Southeast Missourians in harm’s way. In the not-distant future, we’ll likely be talking about the next tornadoes that threaten our safety. We can’t stop that. What we can do, though, is be ready if severe weather comes and then help as best we can in the aftermath.