And Then the Storm Hit! A Night Northwest Springfield Won’t Forget.
It came without mercy. The skies over Northwest Springfield turned an eerie charcoal gray just before sunset — and then the storm hit.
Winds howled like a freight train barreling down empty streets. Trees bent in agony, fences gave way, and power flickered before surrendering to darkness. In a matter of moments, peaceful neighborhoods were transformed into scenes of chaos.
But amid the wreckage, something remarkable rose: the heart of Springfield. Neighbors with flashlights rushed to check on each other. One man, soaked to the bone, cleared a neighbor’s driveway of branches with bare hands. A young girl offered blankets and cocoa from her porch, her smile warm despite the chill.
James Lewis captured the soul of it all in a photo that’s now circulating online — twisted trees against a bruised sky, raw and real. Yet even in the storm’s shadow, there’s a pulse of hope.
Because that’s who we are. We weather the storms — together.
So if you’re safe, check in on someone. If you’ve got extra, give a little. And if you feel scared, remember: in Springfield, love always rises with the sun.
