And whenever Kenneth Adams hears the roar of a passing truck, he recalls the sound of the twister that lifted him off the floor of his home, turned him around and ripped the carpet from beneath him. When he came to, there was a horse in his devastated house. It was another world from what it had just been. The kids have taken it hardest. Many visit friends' gravesites.
Some residents say more soul-searching is needed.
Wanda Ickes is organizing a therapeutic retreat for December. Several students have asked for more counseling. Six months after burying its dead, this is a town struggling to return to the simple business of living. Victims and volunteers took time off from their work to reconcile the Thanksgiving holiday's meaning with their plight. The thank-yous took two hours.