ICT 4 JLN

Today was anything but a slow news day.

City council meetings were forgotten. Sports events were no longer interesting.

Today, all eyes were on the weather.

As one anchor said, it was a "breaking news" kind of day.

And it was an incredible day to begin an internship with a Wichita news station, KAKE-TV.

Even as I walked into the newsroom at 11:00 a.m., 'tornado' was the buzzword of the day. Several stories were about the Joplin tornado -- everything from national coverage to local stories.

My main focus of the day was a story about local individuals and businesses who were organizing relief efforts for the Joplin tornado victims.

One West Wichita man, who is originally from Joplin, wanted to go down and help his 10 siblings who were still living there. Initially, he wanted to just put whatever he could in a small trailer attached to his truck, but now his wife and several other people are helping him with "Wichita Helping Joplin."

He was overwhelmed by how much the Wichita community has supported the Joplin relief efforts, but was even more thankful that all of his family members were okay.

Even as we were interviewing him, he said, "This is probably going to get a little emotional."

As we came back to the station, all eyes were beginning to turn toward a different storm -- one that was looming across the southern horizon.

One of the anchors told me that today felt like the day a tornado hit Andover in May 1991. He hoped that nothing would happen, but said that, if it did, I would be in right in the middle of a big news story.

Even so, I thought, I wouldn't want that to happen. How would I feel if I had to report on parts of Wichita getting blown away in a tornado or big storm? How would I feel if we were the next Joplin?

All throughout the day, my thoughts turned to Joplin: the children who had just gotten out for the school year, the hospital employees who were there helping their patients, the journalists who were covering the story but still struggling with their own personal losses.

So, tonight, as I watch the 10:00 news, I feel lucky. Even though our story didn't air today, I hope that they will air it tomorrow. But, even in they don't, I know that there are people in my community who are making a difference for those who need it most.
  
Our thoughts and prayers go out to all of those in Joplin, Mo.; Reading, Kan.; and all of those who were effected by today's tornadoes and storms in Oklahoma and Kansas.

Stay strong and be safe.

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Want to help those in Joplin? Here are several websites of organizations/drives where you can find more information:

"Wichita Helping Joplin" on Facebook
http://american.redcross.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ntld_main&s_src=RSG000000000&s_subsrc=RCO_BigRedButton
Salvation Army
http://unitedwayplains.org/
KAKE-TV/Dillon's