I was at home watching the tall trees dancing in the strong winds when I heard the chatter on the television. As the meteorologist described where the storm was and told viewers to get to safety, he stopped and yelled for everyone in the station to go to the "basement now!" I was terrified that the storm would tear my house apart, leaving us stranded with nothing. Although we received heavy rain and strong winds, fallen trees and branches everywhere, no tornadoes came upon us. We soon discovered that the tornado had torn through Tupelo, "swirling trees onto homes, destroying businesses, and leaving a trail of unknown injuries and at least one death" (Ward). The major damage caused by this tornado left over 20,000 people in the area, including me, without power for over twenty-four hours. A few weeks after the storm started, I went with my church to help clean up fallen trees and debris in an elderly couple's yard. They were very grateful that we cleared their yard because they couldn't have done it themselves. I loved being able to help them and seeing the grateful look on their faces. I knew then that this is what I wanted to do every day: help those who really need it. Although storms can cause significant damage, natural disasters can take a completely different turn.