The community response to the Canada Day tornado in Mountain View County has highlighted once again the outstanding and selfless spirit that makes rural Alberta great.
With many, many volunteers helping with the clean up and recovery of hard-hit area farms, ranches and acreages, the individuals and families impacted are certainly and truly in good hands.
And does it surprise anyone that the response from the women and men who call this region home has been so swift and strong? The simple answer is no.
“It’s terrible and so close to home,” said one Carstairs resident and volunteer who was among the many people who made time to help with the recovery efforts on two heavily damaged properties on Highway 2A. “It's amazing to see the community come together. I was off work today so I came out.”
While the clean up from the Canada Day tornado may take weeks or even months, there is no doubt that the community-at-large will rise to the occasion and make everything right in the end.
At the same time, and very unfortunately, there are individuals and groups out there who will no doubt try to take advantage of this disaster situation to profit from the hardship of the victims.
In particular, scammers and thieves are sure to surface in the coming days with promises of help for the families – and hidden intentions to steal from those same families and add to their troubles.
Such unscrupulous activities have been seen many times at previous disaster situations and are all but sure to surface this time around.
As such, the provincial government should and must take a leading role in ensuring that any person or persons who aims to profit unfairly or unjustly from the misfortunes of the Canada Day tornado victims is met with a vigorous and unyielding response.
Residents across this district insist that the victims of this natural disaster are properly supported – and that includes having the full protection of the law.
Dan Singleton is an editor with the Albertan.
