Weekly Column:   –  “January 26th was a watershed day for many, many of our Southern Missouri communities – except that water was frozen.  Across our region, inches of ice coated streets, homes, trees, power lines and poles, businesses and health care facilities.  We were literally frozen in place for days on end.

The widespread power outages left homes without heat, the ability to prepare food, and the electricity to run medical devices.  Trees were splintered like toothpicks, with ice-laden branches stripped to the ground and then frozen in place.  In the few places where electricity has been restored, fires have sprung up and victimized helpless residents who could not be reached in time by emergency responders.

On Friday, I toured communities still thawing out from this unmitigated disaster.  I went to Kennett, to Sikeston, to Portageville, and to another Missouri community that is no stranger to weather disasters, Caruthersville.

In some places, it will be another week before power is back on.  The Red Cross is deploying to Southern Missouri, Arkansas and Kentucky to provide a safe, warm place for residents who cannot stay in their darkened homes.  We’ve put out a call for food, water, and fuel – both private companies and public relief organizations are working to meet these basic needs.  A federal disaster declaration is in place, and national resources converged on our communities.

There is nothing like living without the basics to make you appreciate them.  But across our congressional district, people are pulling together to help out their neighbors in need, lending generators, running errands, and taking family and friends into their homes.

The basic humanity of “Love thy neighbor” is in strong evidence in all of these communities.

When no outside assistance could reach us, good citizens stepped in and gave valuable assistance to those who needed it.  Unfortunately, this storm has been the cause of several sad deaths in Southern Missouri.  Without the quick actions and open homes of good neighbors, however, that toll could easily have climbed higher.

In our down-to-earth, commonsense communities, self-reliance is a virtue.  But of course, it’s not possible for all of us to be self-reliant.  Some of us live alone, some of us have small children, some of us live with disabilities or require regular medical treatments either in or outside of the home.  In all of my visits to recovering towns and cities, I haven’t heard about anyone who was overlooked or left out by their neighbor.

Maybe we are not all self-reliant, but our communities have proven we are resilient enough to take the worst that the weather can throw at us.  I just wish we didn’t have to prove it so often.

We will have to keep up the pressure in the weeks ahead, to make sure the federal disaster relief effort is quick and comprehensive.  I’ll demand that no relief assets leave our region before the need for them has been exhausted.  Our state and local authorities deserve a heap of praise for bearing the full load of this disaster on their broad shoulders.  And finally, though everyone will need to be patient, we will keep after the utility companies until every power line is back up.  Those folks in particular have a thankless job, and they are doing yeoman’s work to restore electricity in as efficient and orderly a fashion possible.

After my tour, however, I am sure of one thing: we will not have to worry about anyone being forgotten.”