My heart goes out to Hugo

It sadness me to see the damage in Hugo - especially the death of a 2-year old. Just when it seems like our own wounds are starting to heal, a tragedy like this tends to reopen them. September 2006 was an extremely difficult time for me as a parent, homeowner and Council member. Even though my home's damage was all external and no one in my family was injured, I know it could have been a lot worse. The storm still took a mental toll on my kids - every time it thunders I am asked if we have to head to the basement. Plus, as elected officials we had to deal with the tragic death of one of our residents. Now with fresh pictures of tornado damage in the paper and on TV, we have a new reminder of what happened almost 2 years ago in Rogers. Like Rogers did, Hugo will have to come to terms with what happened and start to rebuild. From our own experiences we know it does not happen quickly and we appreciate a helpful hand. My heart goes out to them...God Bless.