When natural disasters occur, survival instincts emerge. But lessons can be learned from survivors who have encountered a massive storm and its aftereffects. One Farm Bureau Financial Services customer shares the lessons he learned from his experience with the Parkersburg tornado.

Lessons we learn are not always without some form of cost associated with the process. Fortunately, for my family, the tornado included some new lessons without long-lasting consequences.

Lesson 1: Even if you doubt it, position yourself to be able to respond. It is easy to become complacent with the city sirens. After all, we have heard them numerous times and nothing happened. However, keep in mind, sometimes it is the real thing and you best be able to act as needed. In our case, this meant getting to the safest place quickly.

Lesson 2: Tornadoes look a lot different up close. We have all seen pictures of tornadoes and have learned to recognize the distinctive “tail” of a tornado. However, when you are in (or about to be in) one, the scene is a bit different. We only saw darkness and felt the stillness of the air before the tornado hit. My thoughts were that a pretty good hail storm was in the making. Thus, your judgment skills may be skewed and not serve you well – back to lesson 1.

Lesson 3: People tend to fall into two distinct categories when a disaster strikes. As we exited the basement and went to investigate the damage, I couldn’t help but notice the immediate responders checking the homes (or the remains of the homes) for injured persons. At the same time, it was hard to miss the “zombies” who were wandering around in a daze. My hat is off to the people who could sort out the situation and act appropriately. I was also impressed with some of the younger folks – 18- to 25- year-olds who were among the group who were quick to assimilate the situation and respond accordingly.

Lesson 4: Determining a plan of action is often easier said than done. As we walked about the neighborhood, it was easy to see the damage. When people were looking at their homes, it was clear that the damage was worse than they had ever imagined would have occurred in their lives. The challenge was what to do NOW. Did you stay to monitor your remaining possessions, help others, or what? Each person was contemplating the same question as to what to do now and struggling with the decision.