There is something about the word tornado that gets people’s attention.

It should.

People in this part of the province had another reminder recently, when severe weather brought tornado concerns to areas including High Prairie, Falher and Enilda.

For many people, the first reaction is probably to look outside, check the sky, check the phone and wonder if it is really going to happen here.

That is understandable.

Tornadoes still seem, to many of us, like something that happens somewhere else. In the United States, maybe.

In southern Alberta, maybe. Somewhere on a weather documentary. Not here.

The most terrible example in this province is still the Edmonton tornado on July 31, 1987.

The Canadian Encyclopedia says the tornado, also known as Black Friday, was an F4 tornado that struck the eastern edge of Edmonton and parts of Strathcona County.

It killed 27 people and remains the deadliest and most destructive tornado in Alberta’s history.

That was not some ancient legend.

Many Albertans remember it. Others grew up hearing about it.

Black Friday led to the creation of Alberta’s Emergency Public Warning System in 1992.

That is worth remembering when phones buzz, radio alerts interrupt programming or weather warnings appear online.

Those systems exist because past disasters showed what can happen when people do not get enough warning, or do not have enough time to respond.

Of course, not every warning turns into disaster.

Thank goodness for that. But the fact that many warnings end without tragedy is not a reason to ignore them.

It is a reason to be grateful and stay prepared.
Preparing for emergencies is, in many ways, a community effort.

Check on the person who lives alone. Make sure newcomers know what a tornado warning means.
Talk to children before the storm arrives, not while everyone is already scared. Keep the advice simple and practical.

The recent tornado scare around High Prairie, Falher and Enilda should be taken for what it is: a reminder.
Not a reason to be afraid every time thunder rolls, but a reason to respect severe weather and the warnings that come with it.

Black Friday showed Alberta what the worst can look like.

We do not need to learn that lesson the hard way again.