In the years that my wife, a therapist, and I have done stress and trauma work with newsrooms, some of the most gut-wrenching conversations we have had have been with local TV meteorologists who were on the air tracking what they knew would be deadly storms. Here is such a moment from WTVA in Tupelo, Mississippi, as a deadly line of storms targeted Amory, Mississippi.
Minutes before the storm ripped through the town, the meteorologist, Matt Laubhan, stopped for a few seconds of prayer.
“We got a new scan coming in as we speak. Oh man, like north side of Amory, this is coming in. Oh man,” he said, “Dear Jesus, please help them. Amen.”
Then he turned back to the storm on his radar screen, now seconds from demolishing sections of the town.
This is heartbreaking. A meteorlogist who tried to warn his community about a tornado sees it changing direction and offers a prayer on air. At least 25 people died in this storm. pic.twitter.com/ycTDraNAeU
— Kyle Clark (@KyleClark) March 26, 2023
The per capita death toll from tornadoes has actually gone down in the latter half of the past 100 years. So as bad as these new outbreaks are, science, technology and — I would say — local meteorologists are saving lives at a faster rate than storms are killing people.
In the span of my time in journalism, weather forecasting moved from folksy weathermen and perky weathergirls to women and men who are scientists and treat their craft as the professionals they are. Local meteorologists save lives. They walk the delicate line between not being alarmist and needing to shake viewers out of inaction.
I am grateful to these professionals, and I am thankful for the scientists and computer programmers who made it possible for meteorologists to alert us of potential danger sometimes days before it arrives.
This article originally appeared in The Morning Meeting with Al Tompkins, Poynter’s daily newsletter featuring story ideas and tips. Sign up here.
