This is America

On May 20, 2013, an EF5 tornado tore through the heartland of America, killing 24, injuring hundreds, completely leveling part of Moore, Oklahoma, and leaving behind horrific devastation.

MOORE, OK – MAY 20: A vehicle lies upside down in the road after a powerful tornado ripped through the area on May 20, 2013 in Moore, Oklahoma. The tornado, reported to be at least EF4 strength and two miles wide, touched down in the Oklahoma City area on Monday killing at least 51 people. (Photo by Brett Deering/Getty Images)

As terrible of a tragedy as this was, and is, the story does not end with the devastation. Because this is America.

Oklahomans are by all accounts a special (albeit slightly crazy) group of folks, as their response to the Moore tornado clearly demonstrates. Though we Texans like to give our northern neighbors a hard time (especially during college football season), I’m honored to call a good few of them friends. What Oklahomans did both during and after the Moore tornado, what they continue to do today, I think is an example for all Americans.

There were numerous stories of heroism and bravery, like the nurse that used her body to shield a newborn baby that she had delivered just an hour earlier and the teachers of Briarwood Elementary who used their bodies to shield students as the tornado destroyed their school. Selflessness that we can all be proud of.

And once the tornado was gone, Oklahomans didn’t sit around waiting for FEMA, they went to work. First responders joined with volunteers in search and rescue efforts, and within just a few hours, cars were lined up to donate supplies and money. Oklahoma City Thunder superstar Kevin Durant personally worked the Red Cross phone bank, and donated $1 million to the relief efforts. Oklahoma resident Blake Shelton is planning a concert to benefit the victims. The list goes on and on.

An American flag blows in the wind at sunrise atop the rubble of a destroyed home in Moore, Okla., on May 21, 2013, a day after a tornado roared through the Oklahoma City suburb, flattening entire neighborhoods and destroying an elementary school with a direct blow as children and teachers huddled against winds up to 200 mph. (Brennan Linsley/AP Photo)

Oklahomans are showing the world what it means to be an American. Pray for Oklahoma, donate to relief efforts, but there’s no need to worry. The folks in Oklahoma are like the flag in the photo above – battered to hell and back, but still standing.

This is America.

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If you would like to help the folks in Oklahoma, this Facebook page provides a summary of the various relief efforts and ways to donate.