As many people nationwide celebrate the wedding of William and Kate, others mourn the loss of loved ones caused by a devastating tornado in Alabama. In all, six states were hit by a series of storms and tornadoes that as of Friday morning had killed approximately 300 people.
One of the hardest hit cities was Tuscaloosa, where 38 people have already been announced dead. In case you didn't know, Tuscaloosa is home of the University of Alabama. As of Friday morning, two Alabama students were announced dead with various students still missing. What makes this tragedy even worse is that two students who have been confirmed dead are members of the Greek community. One woman, a member of Gamma Phi Beta and the other, a member of Phi Mu sorority.
I write this blog today because this is a tragedy that any one of us could have faced. For me personally, a tragedy like this is my biggest fear in the profession I work in. On any given day, I could receive a call telling me that one of my Greek students had passed away. The thought of having to tell the family, to console other students, to address the media and manage the day-to-day operations along with the various other elements that come with a tragedy are astounding to think about. On top of that, can you imagine trying to re-build a city like Tuscaloosa where blocks and blocks of the city have been obliterated?
I try to watch how every institution handles every crisis situation. While painful, I'm trying to learn. I'm trying to ensure that if the time comes and I need to act, I am ready to respond. This is my job. Along with all the fun in my job also comes the reality that tragedies happen. I need to be ready. No one can anticipate every scenario but we can do our best to prepare and learn from previous experiences. Do you feel prepared and ready to handle a crisis situation or tragedy?
In closing, I hope you will send good thoughts and prayers to the University of Alabama. My blog highlighted those that have passed away and doesn't even begin to mention those that have lost homes, life belongings, etc. So, any help you can provide would go a long way in restoring Bama's institution as well as the city of Tuscaloosa. Lastly, this provides another opportunity to showcase the true power of the Greek community in a national context as our Bama Greeks mourn the loss of their own members. Will you help?
Below is a link to the University of Alabama that you can check for updated information. Thank you for reading and my thoughts go out to the Tuscaloosa and Alabama community.
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