Monday was my day off, but I was called into the office after the tornado in Moore hit, unaware of the gravity of what had just happened.
Making sense of the chaos around me was difficult - all around me I heard television sets and computers at every desk talking about the storms that had just gone through the Oklahoma City metro area.
When I walked into my boss's office, I asked him what he needed me to do. Photographers had already been dispatched to areas north of the Tulsa that were under threat of tornados. He pulled up a slideshow of the the images that had come over the wire in Moore. Ariel still images from news choppers showed entire neighborhoods flattened by the killer storm that went through hours before.
At this time, all I could do was sit in the office and wait. There was still a chance that the storm that hit Moore would produce a tornado in Tulsa, and no one could make their way down to the damage in Moore because that storm was headed directly up I-44.
I woke up early the next morning and drove down to Moore. I-35 was backed up for miles, and exits for Moore were closed and guarded by police. The only way to get to the damage was to take exits outside of Moore and hope to make it into the city.
I spent three hours trying to get passed police barricades and meet up with the reporter I was assigned to work with.
When I finally made it to the media command center in the parking lot of the Dick's Sporting Goods, I saw media from all over the country who had already arrived.
It was cold, rainy, muddy, and miserable in Moore that morning.
People in ponchos were digging through the rubble of what was once their homes, trying to overcome the shock of what had happened less than 24 hours before.
On the second day, Ginnie Graham and I were walking down a street of one of the neighborhoods that got hit. One of the residents shouted and said, "Why don't you put down your cameras and help?" I looked back and kept walking. He proceeded to call Ginnie and me names and even tried to get me to come back and fight him, but we kept walking.
That short encounter stuck with me the rest of the day, because of course I wanted to help. In that situation, it is hard to not feel helpless as a journalist, but the job we do is important. Every story we tell creates reaction and relief - some have a hard time understanding that when they have cameras from every corner of the world stuck in their face, but in situations like this, it is important that we focus on the people affected and their stories, and not the numbers.
-Garett Fisbeck Follow Tulsa World Photo on Twitter.
PHOTO & VIDEO: View photography, videos and visual journalism from the Tulsa World staff.
Christine Hammond stops to rest while looking for belongings with her husband, David Hammond, in Moore, Okla., Tuesday, May 21, 2013. GARETT FISBECK/Tulsa World
David Friess hugs his wife, Ann, while looking for remains of their home in Moore, Okla., Tuesday, May 21, 2013. GARETT FISBECK/Tulsa World
Justin Stephan recovers photographs in his home that was hit by a tornado in Moore, Okla., Tuesday, May 21, 2013. GARETT FISBECK/Tulsa World
Tracy Stephan reacts after she digs her dog, Phoenix, out of the rubble of her home that was destroyed in a tornado in Moore, Okla., Tuesday, May 21, 2013. GARETT FISBECK/Tulsa World
Nico Pizzarello prepares a crate of water for the Salvation Army in an attempt to provide relief to tornado victims in Moore, Okla., Tuesday, May 21, 2013. GARETT FISBECK/Tulsa World
Families work to salvage what is left of their homes at a neighborhood in Moore, Okla., Wednesday, May 22, 2013. GARETT FISBECK/Tulsa World
Mason Taylor, 4, right, plays with a toy he recovered at his cousin's home as Gavin Jackson, 4, watches in Moore, Okla., Wednesday, May 22, 2013. GARETT FISBECK/Tulsa World
Cristi Lewis and Sarah Burnett move cinderblocks off of an antique barber's chair in Moore, Okla., Wednesday, May 22, 2013. Cristi Lewis' barbershop, Kut Ups, was destroyed by the tornado that tore through Moore. GARETT FISBECK/Tulsa World
The remains of a house destroyed by a tornado in Moore, Okla., Sunday, May 26, 2013. GARETT FISBECK/Tulsa World
Family and friends of Terri Long, mother of Alyson Costilla, hold up photographs during Westmoore High School's graduation ceremony at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City, Okla., Saturday, May 25, 2013. Terri Long died in the tornado Monday. She was looking forward to seeing her daughter, Alyson, graduate. GARETT FISBECK/Tulsa World
Airman 1st Class Kevin Heidt plays with Xavier Delgado, 9, and Haley Delgato, 8, near Plaza Towers Elementary School in Moore, Okla., Sunday, May 26, 2013. Heidt stood guard in front of a bridge where people tried to get a glimpse of President Obama on his tour of tornado damage. Xavier and Haley survived the tornado that hit their school Monday. GARETT FISBECK/Tulsa World
