Rebuilding with Heart and Head: Reflections on the May Tornado and the Road Ahead
I want to express deep gratitude to the people who stood up, stepped in, and served our community over the past weeks.
The first responders who ran toward danger. The Monroe County Emergency Management Agency, Monroe Fire Protection District, Monroe County Sheriffs Office and Highway crews working round the clock. The utility workers from Duke Energy and the IBEW professionals who braved live wires and fallen trees to restore power. The Red Cross and United Way, who opened shelter doors. The neighbors who fed one another, offered power outlets and laundry machines, and cleared branches with chainsaws.
There is no substitute for community in a moment like this. I’m so thankful—and relieved—that no lives were lost. But for those who lived through the storm and are still cleaning up the aftermath, the road to recovery will be long. As the headlines fade, we owe it to them to keep the spotlight on.
I’m a both/and thinker—heart and head. I lead with empathy, but I also ask questions and take notes. And having spent the better part of 20 years working in and around disaster policy, it’s impossible for me not to reflect on how we can improve.
Below are some early thoughts. These aren’t criticisms of the immense effort undertaken; they’re constructive observations and questions—offered with humility, care, and a desire to make us stronger the next time disaster strikes.
1. Rebuilding in a New Regulatory Landscape
This storm marks the first real test of our new County Development Ordinance under an emergency declaration. So what does rebuilding look like when properties that were already non-conforming are now severely damaged or destroyed? What can be expedited? What flexibility can we offer—without sacrificing the long-term vision for our land?
Take Clear Creek, for example. On a good day, development in that area has been challenging. So what does rebuilding look like now? If approvals become easier under a disaster context, we need to honestly revisit the zoning issues that stalled things in the first place. The Planning and Building staff have been taking calls and helping plan and inspect. We are in a calm before another storm - when insurance claims are filed and survivors begin to file for permits - over 80 potential parcels - in the months ahead.
Another consideration is our recent attempts at Climate Resiliency. As people move debris, the county has provided dumpsters for vegetation and “contractor debris.” But as I drove around and saw sheet metal siding littered in fields and hanging in downed wires, we need to think about how we can encourage basic recycling of debris in an attempt to be as Green as we aspire to be - even in crisis.
2. The Role of Townships in Crisis
Our townships - and specifically the work of Perry Township Trustee Dan Combs and his staff - are doing incredible work offering emergency assistance. But let’s be clear: they are not emergency management agencies. Their statutory charge is what the state constitution used to call “poor relief”—and yet in this moment, they are catching so many of the people-side responsibilities.
This is a culture shift we need to confront head-on. Resilience isn't just about rebuilding houses—it’s about rethinking systems and roles. Our safety net shouldn’t rely on institutions stretched beyond their legal mandate.
3. Disaster Recovery Is Built Around Property—Not People
The federal and state disaster relief systems—FEMA, IDHS, and others—are rooted in property-based recovery. That’s how our government is organized: assess, survey, protect, tax. While modest individual assistance exists, much of the assistance that comes to a community is focused on those who own or lost property.
I teach in my Emergency Management class that a hazard by itself isn’t a disaster. It is human choices and policy - about where we build, about systemic poverty, about bureaucracy - that make hazards into disasters. People don’t live in spreadsheets. The emotional, economic, and social costs fall outside the lines of a parcel map. This is where the local non-profits and partners in our emergency operations plans step in—and thank goodness for them. While our county plan calls for them to serve in support roles, they are not the lead for human relief alone. We need to keep practicing, keep preparing, and keep learning.
4. Shelter Strategy: Success With Room for Growth
The Red Cross and United Way opened a shelter that served with grace and professionalism, even if it saw limited use. Maybe that’s because the rest of the weekend’s weather was idyllic. Maybe most folks had a couch or spare room elsewhere, as is often the case in the Midwest.
When I visited, the Red Cross staff shared important insights. Nobody wants a long-term shelter—people want and deserve stability. And for those who used it, the shelter was a lifeline. Still, we should learn from its underuse and improve coordination for next time. And as the term “shelter” carries unique socioeconomic stigma in our community - an observation shared with me by more than a few people - we should think about what that means for our sense of “community.”
5. Public Information Challenges—and Opportunities
Public communication is always tough during a disaster. This isn’t just a Monroe County problem—it’s a national challenge for emergency management.
That said, we need to own our piece of it. Our county doesn’t have a unified Public Information Officer (PIO) strategy. The Commissioners’ office once had a part-time PIO on paper - that role is currently unfilled. Our EMA has a PIO, but with a two-person team juggling long shifts, that’s a tall order.
How did you find out about the weather? About the clean up? How do you continue to be informed?
The PIO’s job is to handle internal and external information requests for the incident commander - the person in charge of the incident. Elected officials are not “the mouthpiece” - the PIO’s job is to coordinate press releases, respond to media inquiry, coordinate the press conferences for elected officials to speak at, and answer internal information requests. That is not the role of an elected official or one designee that works for one elected official. It isn’t even the “county administrator’s” role - which should be limited to the roles defined in state code.
We have tools: a talented Geospatial Information Systems team in the county. We have good media partnerships, and the potential for civic internships to reach beyond Facebook posts. But a plan only works if it’s socialized among elected leaders and implemented with intention.
6. Relief Thresholds and the Politics of Recovery
I’ll be watching closely as state and federal relief applications move forward. The damage thresholds for assistance are surprisingly low—$125,000 for state funds, $640,000 for a FEMA declaration. SBA Loans have become available - but they are loans. Access to that relief is rarely straightforward, and too often, politicized.
But we can’t leave money on the table. Non-insured damaged need to be meticulously captured. We need to strive for every opportunity.
Just this past month, Morgan County was denied a FEMA grant for tornado sirens. Let that sink in. We must prepare ourselves for the possibility that no cavalry is coming. In my class, I teach a tough acronym: YOYO—You're On Your Own. That’s not cynicism. It’s realism. And it’s why we need tighter coordination between our charities, congregations, and civic organizations before the next storm hits.
A Final Thought
This is our fourth summer in a row of derechos, supercells, floods, and tornadoes between IU graduation and the Fourth of July. These aren’t anomalies anymore. They are our new normal.
So from a budget perspective, I’ll be pushing for more investment in preparedness and prevention. We owe it to every volunteer, every first responder, and every survivor to be ready next time—not just to react, but to respond with intention.
Thank you again to all who stood in the breach. Monroe County is resilient, but resilience isn’t just something we have—it’s something we build.
Let’s keep building. Together.
