Rachel Allred

What is my responsibility in the face of human tragedy?

I remember the December of 2011 being cold but the wind my little city of Centerville, Utah, experienced made it feel much colder. As I began my day, sitting up in my bed, the white winter light trickling in through the blinds on my window, it was not my first thought to wonder what tragedy might occur. Though it seems tragedy occurs every day, it was my line of thinking that most of the large scale tragedies don’t directly affect me, so why worry? Yet, tragedy seems to be skilled in the element of surprise. It is inevitable that we will face tragic situations, and while we cannot always control our own circumstances, we can control how we respond to them. This is responsibility: The ability to respond.

I don’t think my community was quite prepared for what was to come when the weather report said that the area would experience wind speeds of over 100 miles per hour. I imagine many people even doubted that the report was valid as the wind didn’t actually pick up until the temperature dropped late in the evening. It was close to midnight when I first heard the wind outside my window. I still listen for the wind outside my window, but nothing I hear now compares to the sound of air and flailing debris I heard then. The storm continued through the night into the next day, uprooting many trees, including my massive pine tree in my backyard, knocking down power lines, and completely making a mess of things. Later, after the wind died down, my community was left with the storm’s disastrous aftermath. The storm couldn’t have been prevented, or controlled however our community responded positively and quickly as we cleaned up the mess. Like Charles R. Swindoll said: “We cannot change our past. We can not change the fact that people act in a certain way. We can not change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the one string we have, and that is our attitude.” The attitude of the people in my community contributed greatly to the fact that the clean up was so fast and successful. Many people could have responded negatively in this situation, sitting back, letting other people do the work, but this was not the case. So many neighbors came together in acts of service, helping people who couldn’t clean up their yards or fix their houses on their own. By the time the troops, that the government sent to help clean up, arrived the work was already done. There have been other situations where recovery from a disaster has taken weeks, but with a positive attitude the situation becomes better and recovery can go faster. There will always be good and bad experiences in life. This is an inevitable consequence of living life that we cannot control. However, we can control our attitudes. By thinking clearly and working efficiently we can keep the experience as positive as possible, making it better for everyone.

The tree falling down taking my house powerline with it, for me, was the worst part of the whole windstorm disaster. It was difficult being without heat in the middle of a frigid winter. I could live without a microwave, computer, or even the light in the bathroom when I brushed my teeth at night, but sleeplessly shivering in my bed under an inadequate amount of blankets was simply unbearable. Especially since the wind continued to blow throughout the rest of the week although its speed was not as fast as the initial storm. Due to the dangers of driving on the road with such powerful winds school was cancelled. It was exciting. In Utah we hardly ever have “snow-days” because most cities are prepared with the proper equipment to clear snow. Because there was no school the kids in my family were able to help clean up. I was less than enthusiastic about going out into the cold wind and chopping up trees. However, still dressed in my pajamas and equipped with a hoodie, I put on my cowboy boots and went out to help. Like Moliere an accomplished French playwright in the 17 century once said: “It is not only for what we do that we are held responsible, but also for what we do not do.”  This was not only true for the 17th century, but also for today and centuries from now. In a situation of tragedy it is our responsibility to not sit idle but to act; and to specifically act positively, so to not make the situation worse. It is important to remember that progress begins with an action in the right direction.

Word spread fast about the situation in Centerville and some family friends living in Wyoming called after seeing the Utah windstorm on the news. They did not hesitate to help. They jumped in their car with their chainsaws and drove for five hours to help us. With their help the whale of a tree that was lying in my backyard disappeared leaving in its place a pile of fresh sappy pinewood. Also several other fallen trees in the neighborhood began to disappear, transforming into piles of wood. These friends were not obligated to come and help us, living miles away they were hardly, or even not at all affected by our windstorm. Yet out of the goodness of their hearts they helped our situation. My family had been out of power for several days longer than the rest of my neighborhood, since the tree collapsed on our personal house line. My neighbors were kind enough to let us use their ovens to cook our meals, and they assisted us in whatever ways they could. Their help made the situation, even though it couldn’t be changed, easier to endure. Though we may not directly be involved in, or experiencing some tragedies we can still help those in need. By doing so we become a part of a network, a club of humanity, where people look out for each other, helping each other when help is required.

The windstorm wasn’t limited to Centerville alone, however my community was largely affected and yet was able to respond quite impressively to the situation. During this disaster, my family along with the community worked together to help fix roofs, cut up trees, and restore power to homes. The result was amazing and the recovery was in record time. What had previously been reported on the news as a disaster, in which even the federal government made an effort to assist us, became an inspiring story of how my community pulled together and overcame adversity. Ultimately, when facing tragedy it is our responsibility to act positively to our best ability. We cannot control all that may happen in life. Bad things will come to all of us, but instead of sitting idle while the experience passes by we can help people and change what might have been much worse into something better. We do not realize how far our influence can reach. Like a drop of water can create a ripple, we can change the outcome of our situations.