Seriously, how desperately sad is this tornado business?

For the sake of a better phrase I'm a big big fan of tornados. They're one of the most powerful and amazing features of mother nature. The force that these things carry is to be admired...but also feared. The picture above speaks the story in itself - this was once, I'd automatically assume, a thriving community in Oklahoma City. In a matter of moments, a two mile wide tornado, with winds in excess of 200 mph, had flattened it.

There have been many deaths - including children. While I admire these great feats of weather I can't help but feel sadness when I look at a photograph just like this. When you see an entire community just...gone. Schools, business and homes have been obliterated. Entire lives torn apart or even lost.

One thing we must admire is that great American spirit to carry on with life. We know that Oklahoma, especially the worst affected areas, will rebuild and continue on as normal within a couple of years despite the en masse destruction. I can only hope that this will be the case, anyway.

Never, ever, ever underestimate the power that mother nature can unleash on us mortals. We are at the hands of her wrath and she will punish indiscriminately and with little warning. This is why we should be thankful for the scores of good people who are out chasing these tornadoes, and putting their own lives on the line while doing it, to find out the truth behind them and how people can be alerted...ASAP.

The thoughts of this lucky UK resident, who thinks a gale force wind is serious, go out to those hurt by this crisis and my hopes go out to the communities there to maintain heart and hope through these troublesome times.