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SALT LAKE CITY -- The real story of the violent wind storm that wreaked havoc Thursday in Northern Utah was told by shared images of the event.
They were images of destruction, sometimes awe-inspiring, sometimes sad and sometimes downright shocking. There was the house that had been pulled off its foundation by an uprooted tree. There was the driver standing outside of his overturned semitruck on an empty freeway. There were the children who stood distraught behind what was once their playhouse, hands over their mouths and wonder in their eyes.
They were powerful images; they captured the emotions of the moment in which they were taken and they were shared with a broader audience by concerned citizens who wanted to show that they were not alone in their experiences.
More than 300 photos were contributed to ksl.com via email and the ksl.com application's iWitness feature. As victims of the storm commiserated with one another over shared losses, they took a lesson from the pictures, as well.
"You see these pictures and you think, ‘I have things like that; I have property like that," said Springville resident Sam Warren. "This storm … trees were ripped out, trucks were tipped over. We can learn from these pictures."
Journalists have long held responsibility of sharing important events with the public. Now, though, Utah's residents can share what they feel is newsworthy. The greatness of the state of Utah is found in the actions of its population -- the 2.76 million people whose actions define them, and by extension, their state.
The triumphs and tragedies that unite communities are felt most strongly among those who experience them, but allowing others the opportunity serves a valuable purpose. Sharing what is newsworthy with ksl.com, and thus with one another -- being united in experience -- can only strengthen the state of Utah and each of its residents.
