Lessons from a tornado
Fifteen years ago this week, on Sunday evening, May 22, 2011, a devastating class 5 tornado hit Joplin, Mo., killing 162 people, destroying many properties, including the high school, and causing three billion dollars in damage.
It was the worst U.S. tornado in over 60 years of the recorded history of such storms. You can look it up.
A year later, with massive local effort and government support, Joplin was well on the road to recovery. On May 21, 2012, President Barack Obama delivered a well received and heartwarming commencement address at the newly rebuilt high school. Purely by coincidence, my wife and I were in Joplin that day.
Today, as you read the news, you can see our country is going through another devastating storm. We can call it the Trump Tornado of Twenty-six, or 3T, for short. When, and if, this storm ends, the personal, financial and reputational loss will be far worse than Joplin’s citizens experienced.
Let’s hope we’re as fortunate as they were.