The first weather sirens split the air in our area early in the afternoon Tuesday and continued intermittently into the evening as a series of storms, some of which spawned tornadoes, moved through the state, the Golden Triangle and into Alabama.
So common were the warning sirens that you may have thought you heard them in your sleep.
It was no dream, though: The sirens cried out their warning well into the early-morning hours as the storms plowed their way east.
If it made for a fitful night’s sleep for most of us, we note that for many, there was no sleep at all and no expectation of it.
As we remained safe, dry and mostly comfortable in our homes, there were hundreds who braved the storms to fulfill their duty.
For utility workers, law enforcement and emergency service workers, a long afternoon turned into a long evening and a long night that carried into the morning.
It is on these occasions that we recognize these people, above all else, as public servants.
For them, there is no “let’s wait until the morning and see what we have,” which might be a common-sense approach for most problems.
No, we are proud to note that when public safety is on the line, the response is immediate and no resource is spared. They risk their safety to ensure ours, even our comfort.
If you awoke this morning, turned on the lights, started that first pot of coffee and followed your regular morning routine, there is a good chance a utility worker was out there in the rain at 2 in the morning repairing the power lines that allowed you to do so.
If you were among those who sustained damage to your home, it was the quick response by law enforcement and emergency personnel who came to your aid that eased your fears and secured your safety.
For those people, a long night’s important work has ended and they have returned, bleary-eyed, soaked and exhausted, to their own homes for some well-deserved rest.
And, when circumstances require it, they will do it all again at a moment’s notice.
We are grateful our communities were largely spared from wide-scale destruction and death or injury.
We should also be grateful for all those who compelled by duty, run into the storms instead of away from them.
The Dispatch Editorial Board is made up of publisher Peter Imes, columnist Slim Smith, managing editor Zack Plair and senior newsroom staff.
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