RIDERS ON THE
STORM
CALMING COMMUNITY ANXIETY AND WEATHER WOES
STORY BY ANDY MORPHEW , PHOTOS BY DARREN BEAVER
The calm and the storm . These words often come together in the phrase “ the calm before the storm ” or “ the calm after the storm ” but sometimes that “ calm ” feeling isn ’ t what ’ s happening at all .
After a storm , the “ calm ” is usually accompanied by surveying of damage , and the resulting grief — or happiness from sheer luck — that comes with severe weather .
But before a storm , that calm is much different . That calm is associated with fear for some , and in other instances with Oklahoma weather , that initial calm doesn ’ t exist .
To ease anxiety and weather woes , five Duncan residents joined forces over the years to track storms , tornadoes and severe weather events and report their conditions to the community at large .
Brandon Link , one of the organizers of WeatherLink LLC - Oklahoma & Northern Texas , said the team got its feet wet for the first time after an EF5 tornado touched down in 2013 in El Reno .
At the time , Link drove to Chickasha to watch the weather , where he started to post on his social media