Building resilience through tragedy
By: J. David Chapman/May 2, 2024
On Sunday, Julie and I were returning to Edmond from a wedding in Palestine, TX, down I-35.
As we entered Oklahoma, we saw signs stating that the interstate had been closed due to storm damage. The road had been closed due to an EF-4 Tornado that ravaged Marietta, OK, as well as several other cities in Oklahoma. I-35 was shut down for nine hours as crews removed debris from the Family Dollar distribution center as well as demolished cars and trucks that had been traveling on I-35.
When we reached the affected area after several hours of delay, the destroyed Family Dollar warehouse brought back memories of the destruction I witnessed in Moore, OK, in 1999.
This tornado’s fury took loved ones from families. Please pray for those families. I spend my time and effort planning and working on using the built environment to protect humans. The built environment of any city serves as both its backbone and its vulnerability in the face of natural disasters.
Julie and I recently returned from New Orleans where we took a walking architecture tour admiring homes and commercial structures more than 100 years old. That community is no stranger to natural disasters with many of these structures receiving water and wind damage caused by massive hurricanes.
The damage inflicted by the tornado on Sulphur’s built environment was severe and widespread. Nearly the entire downtown with its century-old, historic buildings is literally gone along with the businesses in those buildings. Residential neighborhoods bore the brunt of the storm, with houses ripped from their foundations, roofs torn off, and debris scattered across streets.
The tornado’s indiscriminate fury spared few structures, leaving many residents homeless and communities shattered. Community engagement will play a vital role in Marietta and Sulphur’s recovery and resilience-building process. Collaboration between residents, businesses and government agencies will foster a sense of solidarity and shared responsibility in responding to disasters.
The tornados that struck these communities serve as a stark reminder of the power of nature and the vulnerability of the built environment. However, it also underscores the resilience and determination of communities, and they will bounce back stronger than before.
By learning from the lessons of the past and embracing a future-focused approach to planning and development, we will pave the way towards a more resilient and disaster-ready future.
Dr. J. David Chapman is Professor of Finance & Real Estate at The University of Central Oklahoma (jchapman7@uco.edu).