The True Heroes: Oklahomans

[majordeej]

Fellow Titanians and Heroes,

I've been fortunate (and unfortunate) to have been working out of Oklahoma City these last two months.  I can truly say I have closely experienced three tornadoes and their accompanying devastation that has decimated Oklahoma this past May 2013.

https://images.weserv.nl/?url=majordeejuniverse.webs.com%2Fok%2520city%2520tornado.jpg

Amidst all of this, I saw something that can only be described locally as the "Oklahoma Standard" - unadulterated, honest heroism at its finest and most prolific.

I saw neighbors who lost loved ones, their houses obliterated, their cars mangled, their memories spread across miles, simply living with the clothes off their back, and yet these same weather-terrorized families would walk next door or down the street and help others in need...just as others came to help them.

https://images.weserv.nl/?url=majordeejuniverse.webs.com%2Fok%2520city%2520tornado%2520ii.jpg

After each storm, I was in my vehicle within mere minutes (once the all clear was given) to go see what I could do to help.  What I saw still to this day causes me pause in my thoughts and actions.  The damage to the affected towns and regions was extreme, the conditions of the damaged buildings was untenable, yet volunteers, neighbors, first-responders, people from neighboring towns and states...they all showed up to help. There were no 'payouts' to help others; no tax-write off; just sheer all-American heroism and kindness at its best.

THE PEOPLE OF OKLAHOMA AND THE CITIZENS OF MOORE, OKLAHOMA ARE MY HEROES

In the last storm on Friday, I was helping clear the roads of downed trees, debris and marking off downed powerlines so the emergency vehicles could get in and out safely.  The flooding was quick and furious.  Within minutes, just outside of El Reno, what was a drainage ditch became a river which then overflowed across the roads in a torrent. The flash flooding in the area had never been seen in modern history.  Nonetheless, trying to help in any way Friday and Saturday was a measure of common sense and caution in all you did.  The folks in and around OK City are truly incredible resilient folk.  They'd sooner give you a smile and a beer than whine and cry over what's been lost to them.

As I was clearing the streets that dark, rainy Friday night, two songs I'd recently heard on a wonderful City of Heroes video called "CoH Remains",

The songs, "Remains" by Maurissa Tancharoen & Jed Whedon, from "Dollhouse" (episode "Epitaph One") and "Where do we go from here?" from "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" (episode "Once More With Feeling") ran through my head for hours as I was helping others.  (My thanks to Leandro for his choice of music for such an ostentatious video).  I figured I'd share that video link here to let you see where the "Oklahoma Standard" plays into this...

CoH Remains Video by Leandro
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XLtqCR6-n3Y

Now, I can't begin to tell any of you how to run your life, or for that matter, what life you should lead, or what you show do with your own days.

What I can ask, though, is to help those whose lives have been thoroughly and utterly destroyed as a results of the tornadoes, storms and flooding that have devastated Oklahoma during May 2013. People just as common (and kind) as you and me.

These folks, for miles on end, have NOTHING left. I've seen it. A fair portion have been hit not only once but twice this last two weeks. Yet their resilience prevails.

For years, many of us enacted as heroes within the realm of the MMORPG, City of Heroes, and in some cases 'were' heroes in real life, such as policemen, detectives and firemen.  Charities such as "Real World Hero" and our 'Departing Dev Dinner fund' for Paragon Studios' devs are just examples of what we can do.  Here is one more.  For Moore.  Moore, Oklahoma.

https://images.weserv.nl/?url=majordeejuniverse.webs.com%2Fredcross+oklahoma+banner.jpg

http://www.redcross.org/charitable-donations

The Red Cross is the best and safest place to ensure your dollars go to help those in Oklahoma. $10 is all you need.  Please take the time.  Click the image.  Make the call.

OKLAHOMANS NEED HEROES NOW.

BE THAT HERO.

I am proud to have been there to see what 'real' heroes do; Let's see what we can do to be heroes for them.

God Speed, Oklahomans.  God Speed.

-Major Deej

[Joshex]

^^^^^^^^I approve of this message. ^^^^^^^

and if theres any news reporters scanning the wreckage for a heartwarming story to boost thier paycheck, if you can break away from what you're doing approach them and mention why you're there, mention that you're just trying to be a hero, you're not asking for anything in return. then when the reporter's conscience has taken a good hold of them mention something small about Titan or city of heroes. "I'm from Titan Network" "this reminds me of being a hero just like in city of heroes" don't ramble on.

As for the damages in oklahoma, I can only say this;

I happen to remember what they taught us in Earth Science, and also what was said in a recent news report about the 2 houses that are left standing.

1: evidence of the weather pattern in the region has nicknamed it "tornado alley" for a reason, the geologic location causes a mix of trapped high and low pressure zones, when they collide during the warmer wetter seasons there will be tornadoes around the collision region.

secondly on that point, the records indicate that each year the tornadoes have been getting worse. the most recent tradgedy indicates a relentless weather system that as the climate changes will only persist to get stronger and more unpredictable.

that brings me to the second topic and I'm going to have to emphasize this for the sake of saving lives;

2: either build your home in a sturdy manner, aka build it to last through the storm, or, it may be painful to do this for many but, if you wont take the initiative to abandon your double wide trailer or wood frame ranch house and build a house from stone, I suggest you give up the land that you own and leave to a non-tornado region of the country. seriously your life is more important than property.

that point is brought up by the inspection of 2 houses that survived a direct assault fromt he torando and are salvagable while all the others are rubble down to the foundation. - seriously take a note from that. the two surviving houses were the only 2 in the area made from thick stone walls, not brick, not cinderblock  those are thin and cinderblocks are hollow, I mean a solid cinderblock sized non-hollow stone, make your house from that and a tornado will be the least of your worries. Oh and put something protective in front of the windows; steel shutters are a good start.

oh and make sure the cars are in the garrage. garrage too small? that extra car might semm useful till mother nature bends it up when her oversized frame tries to sit in the driver seat and bends it in two then gets furious that it wasn't made for her size and chucks it through your window.

seriously, if you leave a pie out on the window you're asking for it to be stolen these days. - remember that concept.

trees - not near the house, keep them out of falling distance and try to keep them on the small side.

make sure if it's outside it's tied down; that bird washing pool sure looks nice and mothernature would like to place it in your nieghbor's bathroom so the birdies can wash indoors as well.

kids toys - yep mother nature has kids and they'll want to play. you'd be surprised how much damage a plastic tricycle can do in the right hands. - agian if it's not tied down it comes inside. thats the golden rule. either you follow it or mother nature will lend a very speedy hand to help you.

trampolines - plastic wrap for any object nature wants to save for later.

pools - below ground only. above ground is party time and a quick refreshment for a tornado, "hey it even comes with a disposable cup! hmm but where to dispose of it?"

mailboxes - use the mail slot in the door technique. mother nature looses more mail every year than all the most incompetant postoffices in the world combined.

Fake grass or sod patches - "SACRELIGE!!! I SHALL MAKE THEM PAY" - signed mother nature

sattelite dish - get cable.

Powerlines - Hmm california found a way to put them underground, I might look into that.

does this sound like too much work? then I suggest evacuation of the area.

on the note of houses, trailer parks are convieniently made of metal to attract the electrons in the storm coulds, and plastic ones contain static electricity. your trailer and a tornado is likened unto a static filled comb and a stream of running water, infact thats exactly how it works infact, and this stream of running water is moving at 70+ MPH in a circular motion, carring and odd number of sharp and heavy objects (and a few cattle, they always carry at least 1 cow, it's a rule..) and did I mention this stream of watter is taking a little hike through your region? not to mention you are in a flat open region with little trees to protect the premises. oh and no matter how much you try, trailers break the rule "if it's outside it's tied down" - a trialer cannot be tied down, and even if it could due to it's design it can always be ripped off.

just some notes, take em or leave em, don;t be mad at me, I'm trying to give advice based on other peoples expertice of this tradgedy and what was wrong.

besides, this thread needed some comedy.

[Twisted Toon]

Being from Oklahoma, I would like to thank you (belatedly) for your thoughts and well wishes towards the residents of my home state. I am sure that they appreciate your assistance and well wishes as well.

By the way, Joshex,

   I'm not sure that even a stone house would really stand up to a determined F5 tornado. I have seen some crazy aftermath from tornadoes. Unfortunately, Moore Oklahoma seems to see more than its fair share.