Thoughts and prayers

A tornado hit a boyscout camp in Iowa last night, killing four boys, three of which were from my hometown of Omaha. When tragedy hits at home, it makes me feel even further away. I just got the following email from my mother, along with a photo getting emailed around that was allegedly taken in downtown Omaha just before the storm hit.

"Hey,

A tornado hit a boys scout camp in Little Sioux, Iowa last night. It's just over the border from Nebraska up north by Sioux City.

This week was leadership training for the best of the best boy scouts in the Mid America Region. There was 40 some boys 13 - 14 and another 40 leaders, trainers etc. The press conference just now was announcing the names of the boys. There were 4 boys that died. 3 are from Omaha.

-They just had practiced a tornado drill the day before.

-Injuries are coming from the chimney (classic huge stone chimney in a camp lodge) being leveled. There seems to be head injuries and spinal cord injuries.

-There's a ranger with his family on site of the 1,800 acres camp. The ranger's house was totally destroyed and the scouts pulled the family out of the rebel including a new baby.

-The emergency department grapevine is saying that the scouts tended to the needs of the injured before the ambulances even arrived. The boys are being credited with incredible survival skills and living the boy scout motto…be prepared."

If you want the whole story, go to the Omaha World Herald.