Nebraskans show again how to be a good neighbor

We’ve run numerous stories about local residents doing everything they can to help fellow Nebraskans who lost their homes and livelihoods in the March storms, but they didn’t have far to go when help was needed Friday.

Their son had to move debris to free Don and Aggie Roberts, relatively unscathed from their bedroom northwest of McCook, where they were preparing to go to church after mistakenly believing the storm had passed.

Instead of going to church, however, the church came to them, dozens of youth group and Knights of Columbus members joining many other friends and neighbors helping with the cleanup, perhaps 140 or more, according to a son.

There is no shortage of photos and videos of this and other twisters, taken by both amateurs, professional photographers and professional storm chasers.

We appreciate those who risk their lives to warn us of approaching storms, and while many of us are guilty of yielding to the temptation to go outside and look for ourselves, anyone who does so is putting their own safety at risk. No one was seriously injured this time, but it’s only a matter of time and statistics before someone is hurt or worse while pursuing a twister.

We remember a year — can it be 30 years already, 1989? — when the McCook area experienced several tornadoes, which all seemed to arrive on the weekend. If we’re in for a similar pattern this year, let’s hope the novelty wears off and more of us experience summer storms from the safety of our storm shelters.