I’ve given several speeches in my journalism education and career, but none that have lasted 30 minutes or longer. But, if anyone wants to witness this first, while learning how to stay safe in the face of disaster, come out to Rowlett next month. I will be heading up a talk on weather preparedness in a community that is still struggling to recover from last December’s tornado. 
Those who weren’t affected by the terrible storms may have already forgotten the impact those few tragic minutes had on people, homes, businesses, schools, and the comfortable way of life shared by the neighbors that occupy the quiet communities of the Dallas suburb. But many others remember. I am one of those. I was asked to speak at the event because my own home was one of the ones damaged the day after Christmas. As both a journalist and as an affected resident, I heard the stories of crying children who hid in bathtubs instead of playing with their new presents. I heard the stories of lost pets, vehicles crushed, and loved ones injured and scared. 
As I drive through the hardest hit part of the town, which is right behind my own neighborhood, the emotions I experience are a roller coaster. They range from total devastation and sympathy to simple frustration. That’s because there are still a handful of homes that look the same as they did the morning of December 27th. In those cases, the damage was too costly to repair, or maybe the memory was too much to bear. My heart goes out to those who are having to completely rebuild their lives, or even worse: deal with the loss of a loved one. Then other times, I’m simply just ticked off that for some reason, the city hasn’t replaced the stop light at Chiesa and Miller that was ripped away by the funnel. There is an annoying stop sign that remains and sometimes holds up traffic all the way back to the bridge over Lake Ray Hubbard. But while there are the stories of tragedy, I also had the joy of hearing the stories of survival. I heard the stories of people who crawled out of a hiding space to discover the home around them was gone, but their loved ones unscathed. 
And I heard the stories of a community coming together in a way it never had before, in support, brotherhood, and old-fashioned neighborly love. I will share many of these stories next month.
In the effort to continue Rowlett’s mission to turn this atrocity into a positive, I jumped at the chance to participate by telling my story.
The event is Tuesday July 19th at 2:00pm at the Rowlett Community Center. See you there!