Minot Daily News, Minot, May 28, 2014

Opinion: May 31, 2014 at 12:00a.m.

Severe weather season

Monday night’s tornado that injured at least nine people near Watford City raises all sorts of concerns.

We’re thankful more people weren’t injured, and the 15-year-old girl who suffered critical injuries remains in our thoughts. The injury total certainly could have been much worse, given that 15 trailers were damaged or destroyed at the workers’ camp south of Watford City. Who knows how many more people could have been injured had the tornado struck one of the considerably larger crew camps in the area.

Destructive, severe weather remains a concern in the summer months in North Dakota, and Mother Nature isn’t choosy about where and when storms hit. It’s an obvious concern in western North Dakota, where the booming oil industry brings with it thousands of workers who are housed in temporary living quarters, whether those living spaces are RVs or organized crew camps. Being in an RV or a crew camp is not a safe place to be in the event of a tornado on the plains of North Dakota.

We have no doubts that the physical damage from Monday night’s storm can and will be cleaned up, and the destroyed housing will surely be replaced. But the potential for injuries and potential deaths is of much greater concern.