The Joplin community is intimately familiarwith the enormity of devastation a tornado can cause. Two years ago, amile-wide EF5 ripped through the Missouri town, claiming 161 lives andinjuring hundreds more. The twister would generate $2.8 billion inclaims, but it would also teach us many lessons about resilienceand the human spirit.

The people I met while there for the one-year anniversary of the twister were survivors in thepurest sense of the word. Their kindness, their stories and theirtears touched me. The experience continues to motivate us here atClaims, and drive those in the field to strive forexcellence in claims handling.

Because part of what makes our industry great is the camaraderiebetween claims professionals, as well as the dedication andselflessness of those working in the trenches. In true Joplinfashion, city officials quickly dispatched a group of public safetyemployees to tornado-stricken Moore, Oklahoma, less than 24 hours after a powerful twistertore through the town, killing at least 24 people. Joplin organizeda team of close to a dozen police and firefighters to lend ahelping hand. There is comfort in knowing that, amid the debris anddevastation, there is solidarity and hope. I invite you to revisitour coverage of Joplin on PropertyCasualty.com and stay tuned forongoing developments about Moore, Okla. and the other areas affected bylast month's storms.