Thank you, KIMT, KAAL, KTTC, multiple news websites, Power 96, KATE, Facebook, cell phones, text messages and all of the other modern media devices that helped save lives.

The National Weather Service and local meteorologists monitor the conditions that can give birth to tornadoes. They offer constant updates on storm patterns and warn residents when there’s a likelihood of violent storms or tornadoes, as they did Thursday night.

They offer tips on how to stay safe during a storm and let you know when and where you can seek shelter, food or a warm blanket.

Tornadoes often strike with relatively little warning. Within a matter of minutes, they can turn a cloudy spring day into a maelstrom of devastation.

That happened Thursday June 17 when violent storms swept across southern Minnesota.

Just a few minutes of advance warning can make a life or death difference.

Tornadoes are unpredictable, and it’s just that unpredictability that makes it important to monitor forecasts on stormy days and have a storm plan in place.

If you listened, watched, or read anything on the tornado and it helped save your life or the life of a loved one, please say a little thank you to technology and a big thank you to the people working with this technology that bring it to you.