The aftermath

of the tornado is being dealt with around here. You have to have ID badges to get into certain areas of town. The mobile home park that was decimated has a schedule set in place for residents to be allowed back in - one street at a time to try and recover their belongings. Roads are still blocked, power is still out in some places and although school resumed today, bus routes are sporadic. And people are still missing.

All day long you can see dump trucks of debris making their way down the road. Trees are filled - not with fall leaves, but sheetmetal, underpinning, twisted steel beams and insulation. Farm fields are covered with the scattered remains of homes that have stood for 100 years. A photograph was found yesterday - 80 miles from where it hung on the wall last week.

The community has pulled together and things are getting done. Strangers are walking the streets - looking to help anyone in need. There are no reports of looting, no vandalism, no troubles. Just small towns trying to get back to some sense of normalcy.

The newspaper stories on the lives of the victims are heartbreaking. As it turned out, although I didn't realize it at the time, there was a family killed in the tornado. A man, his wife - who was 8 months pregnant and their 4 year old son died instantly when their home was destroyed. The man was the brother of a long time friend of mine. The baby was delivered and she will be buried with her mother. Their funeral is in the morning. It will be the first time I have ever gone to a funeral of more than one person. As the people of our town begin to bury the victims, please continue to pray for us.