Response To A Traumatic Experience
Lessons learned by law enforcement
Freeborn County officials and responders say they have learned a lot in the last year since the June 17, 2010, tornadoes struck the county. In back are, from left, paramedic Kate Arms, paramedic Ben Schlaak and Freeborn County Emergency Management Director Mark Roche. In front are George Lopez with the Salvation Army, deputy David Hoffman with the Freeborn County Sheriff’s Office and Chris Avery with the Freeborn County chapter of the American Red Cross. The group stands in front of 69367 220th St. northwest of Armstrong.Freeborn County Sheriff Bob Kindler recalls the night clearly.
On June 17, 2010, Kindler — who was then a detective supervisor — sat at his home watching the western sky.
As he saw a storm system approach the Conger area, he immediately responded.
Within the first hour or so, he picked up another deputy and together the two men tried to maintain traffic.
“I was primarily in charge of Conger, but the image that is most vivid is watching that tornado traverse the county,” he said. “It was such an awesome sight the way it moved. It’s very fortunate we didn’t have more injuries or deaths than what we did.”
After the tornado passed through his area, Kindler and the deputy attempted to listen to the radio traffic to find out where they could be of value.
“The radio traffic was so chaotic,” he said. “Even within the Sheriff’s Office, we didn’t know who was responding or where they were at.”
Struggling to communicate, he and the deputy decided to start a grid search or systematic review of the area around Conger to make sure no one was trapped. After one house was completed, they’d mark it down to keep track of where they had been.
They were unaware of just how widespread the devastation was miles to the north in Armstrong, Manchester Township, Clarks Grove Township and Hollandale. Little did they know that not one but three tornado-producing storm cells were striking the county.
Now, a year later, reflecting on those experiences, Kindler and many of the other first responders that night agree that the largest lesson they learned that night — when Freeborn County’s entire emergency response crew was called to action — was the importance of good communication.
Other responders
Freeborn County Emergency Management Director Mark Roche was set up with some sheriff’s deputies right outside of Freeborn County in the Walters area trying to follow the storm and see what was happening.
Response To A Traumatic Experience - News

By combining virtual reality with data from physiological sensors, researchers at Draper Laboratory are trying to develop a new way to diagnose post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), in which people who have undergone a traumatic event
Regardless, she said she and her volunteers had a valuable experience being with the tornado victims in a place where they could tell their stories. “And to remind them that their reactions are normal to that traumatic event,” she added.
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Greensburg GreenTown - Home - "There's Light at the End of the ...
Greensburg GreenTown is a charitable nonprofit organization working in Greensburg, Kansas to rebuild the town following the devastating tornado in May of 2007. The town has made a remarkable comeback, reinventing itself as a model for sustainable building and green living now recognized around the world. GreenTown works to make green building and living easily understood, appealing and accessible to all.
In the wake of the destructive spring storms hitting several areas of the country this year, phones in Greensburg have been ringing off the hook. People have been wondering what kind of help our community can share with those in need of direction and reassurance. We write this column a week after a delegation of folks from Tuscaloosa, Alabama and Reading, Kansas spent two full days in town, touring, asking questions, and getting information about sustainable rebuilding issues.
First, a little background . . . Matt Deighton, full-time community ambassador and part-time GreenTown AmeriCorps intern, drove to Tushka, Oklahoma this spring to offer assistance. The town of 350 was reeling from a devastating EF3 tornado which killed two residents and injured 25 others. While Matt was in town he gave his business card to a FEMA staffer who was next going to Tuscaloosa, Alabama on assignment. One thing led to another and on June 2-3, 10 representatives from their city government and school board made the trip to Greensburg for a series of meetings and tours. They were joined by three women representing the town of Reading, Kansas, which suffered from a tornado hit last month as well. The group met with folks from the City, County, school district, hospital, and the business and nonprofit communities.
Throughout the Recovery Summit, the delegations were offered support, advice, and friendship. Perhaps the most powerful connection during their trip was made during the community meeting held Thursday night at the local Methodist Church. Dozens of residents turned out to share their post-tornado experiences and offer suggestions for what might be helpful for the folks from Alabama and northeast Kansas. Although Tuscaloosa is much larger than Greensburg in size, it was felt that there was enough in common for the trip to be of significant help. Tuscaloosa lost over 40 of its citizens and 7,000 buildings in the EF5 tornado. The advice to not rush into rebuilding without a solid plan, to actively solicit input from residents, and to use the traumatic experience as an opportunity is translatable in response to any size catastrophe.
Response To A Traumatic Experience - Bookshelf
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