Tornado cleanup efforts around Guthrie County have been ongoing all week, and they will continue for the foreseeable future.

The man who’s been heading the disaster recovery effort is Adair & Guthrie County Emergency Management Coordinator Bob Kempf, who hasn’t had much of any rest since Sunday’s damaging tornadoes hit the county.  He explains how he’s holding up emotionally.

“We’re doing fine… I mean, tired… There is a lot going on.  I’ve been working a lot behind the scenes trying to make arrangements for personnel, equipment and supplies, and making sure that the volunteers, our elected officials and citizens have what they need to start the recovery process.”

As we heard from Kempf yesterday, Sunday marked the first time since the 1990s that a tornado had touched down in Guthrie County.

Given that what has just happened is so rare, Kempf reflects on what he’s learned in the days following what is being termed by some as the “Mother’s Day Storm.”

“First of all, we all have to step up and take an individual responsibility to be prepared.  Nobody can make you more prepared than you can yourself.  And then from there we realize that no matter what happened, thank goodness we have no loss of life, no injuries.  We do have damages to property and belongings, but those can be replaced.”

To hear more from Kempf as he discusses Sunday’s tornadoes and his coordination of the cleanup effort since then, tune-in to today’s Let’s Talk Guthrie County on K107 during the 9am, noon and 5pm hours.