As veterans of Sandy’s wrath, we feel for Oklahoma

What does a person do when his or her entire life is suddenly turned upside down?

On May 19, the people of Moore, Oklahoma, faced that issue. A destructive tornado came to that neighborhood and wreaked havoc.

“As Monday’s 1.3-mile-wide tornado descended on Moore, it tossed debris four miles into the sky, damaged 12,000 homes and took 24 lives,” Zeke Miller reported in Time. “But amid the scattered two-by-fours and shingles, there were also generations of memories: family photos, heirlooms and mementos.”

Considering the damage that was inflicted on Moore, it is unbelievable that the entire incident took place so quickly. Bryan Perry from CNN reported that the tornado was 1.3 miles wide and 17 miles long — comparable to 19 football fields end to end. The storm speed was 35 mph with top winds of 200 mph.

Buildings of all sorts were flattened. Homes and school buildings, structures which were considered strong and sturdy, fell quickly to the powerful winds. Anything that was in the path of the destructive tornado crumbled and fell like a deck of cards being shuffled.

Like many of us, I was affected by Hurricane Sandy, so I am able to partially understand some of what the people in Oklahoma are dealing with. It is, however, incomprehensible for me to fully grasp what the residents of Moore are going through. It is difficult for me to imagine the feelings and emotions that some of the people are experiencing at such a challenging time as this.

So much of life as the residents of Moore knew it, is no longer. The town is in shambles, and people are bereaved. Although my experience is able to provide me with only an inkling of what is going on in Oklahoma, it is nowhere near comparable to what these people are encountering.

While most items can eventually be replaced, the people who perished in the storm can not. I sincerely hope that the people of Oklahoma find the strength they will need to rebuild and continue to go on with life.

OU, Young Israel and Chabad are all facilitating the collection and distribution of relief funds to the people of Oklahoma.