By Associated Press

The weekend was a fresh and scary reminder to south-central Kansans that tornadoes come with the territory. But it also demonstrated that early, accurate warnings can be lifesavers.

The meteorologists used their high-tech tools and the resulting data to warn people days ahead of the potential for a massive tornado system to target Wichita and other parts of Kansas on Saturday.

Thanks to traditional and social media, residents had plenty of specific information at their fingertips and on their TVs and radios about what could happen.

As the storm system’s deadly severity became clear, southeast Wichita was ablaze with red on the radar maps and the tornado sirens wailed accordingly.

Most important, the majority of people paid attention and took shelter.

Even many of those jaded plains dwellers who act as if the sirens’ howl is the official signal to head for the front yard eventually chose to ride out Saturday’s EF-3 tornado in places that would have made Merril Teller, Jay Prater and Dave Freeman proud.

Then another defining characteristic of the south-central Kansan took over – the urge to step forward and help others.

Thanks are due the firefighters, law enforcement officers, government officials, charities and churches that responded to the need, even as late evening became middle of the night.

And it’s hard to imagine how things might have been different if not for the storm shelter at the Pinaire Mobile Home Park, near 52nd Street South and Clifton – and the willingness of residents to use it.

Too bad so many people in the Wichita area later acted as if the destruction was meant for sightseeing rather than search, rescue and cleanup. Their curiosity ended up clogging the streets and making it harder for emergency crews to get around.

As the winds of up to 165 mph mangled houses and belongings, they robbed many of a way of life. The affected neighborhoods and businesses will be in the community’s thoughts and prayers for the months to come.

And how frustrating that the tornado damaged the facilities of 3 of Wichita’s planemakers, adding to their challenges amid the economy’s slow-motion recovery. Spirit AeroSystems, Wichita’s biggest employer, expects to be closed through at least Tuesday to assess damage.

All of the Wichita community should support the Oaklawn area and other affected neighborhoods by making financial donations to the Wichita Red Cross (www.redcross.org, or call 800-RED-CROSS) or checking with the United Way of the Plains (dial 211) for ways to volunteer.

As those in the parts of Wichita and the rest of Kansas that were untouched by the weekend storms count their blessings, they can be confident that nature will have more storms in store for the region. We can’t stop them from coming. We can only be as ready and safe as possible when they get here.