To say it was a tragedy may demean the more substantial losses felt in places like Joplin, Mo., and Reading, Kan.

Still, Friday’s hurricane-force windstorm here was tragedy enough to do what all tragedies seem to do hereabouts: bring out the best in everyone, from government workers to average residents.

Sure, a few downed limbs and uprooted trees still need attention, but the vast majority of damage was well on its way to being cleaned up within hours of the storm’s passage.

People didn’t complain and expect others to fix things for them. Demonstrating the same stoic spirit that this community long has been known for, they pitched in at daybreak and, with a steady line of vehicles dumping material at the city’s yard-waste dump south of town, had things looking almost normal by Saturday night or Sunday.

Impressive as that was, it was nothing compared to what you would have seen if you had ventured out — which you probably shouldn’t have, as we most definitely shouldn’t have — immediately after the storm in the wee hours Saturday morning.

Literally dozens of streets were completely impassible — something almost impossible to image by daybreak Saturday.

Police, public works personnel and especially volunteer firefighters (despite having a bit of trouble with one of the doors at their station) performed masterfully.

From their initial weather spotting before the storm hit to their patrolling to identify trouble spots and address them afterward, they performed with a level of efficiency, professionalism, and dedication that should make them and all citizens of Marion justifiably proud.

Not even the distractions of smoke alarms going off at St. Luke Hospital and an alarm going off at Central National Bank amid the height of the chaos could disrupt a clear and effective chain of command.

Even average citizens pitched in, stopping their cars to help drag limbs off unfamiliar streets or to set up flashlight brigades to identify downed power lines.

Sad as it was to see hundred-year-old trees felled and in some cases damaging homes, the overall feeling one had early Saturday was of pride with how quickly and smoothly the community, its volunteers, and its staff came together to address myriad problems.

Now if we could just do the same with everyday problems. . . .

— ERIC MEYER