How to cover a major, devastating storm such as the one in Joplin, Mo.

Having lived the past 17 years in Southwest Missouri, (I am a graduate of Missouri Southern State University based in Joplin, Mo.) my heart aches with the images of the deadly destruction from the May 22 tornado in Joplin, Mo.

Personally, my wife and daughters were in Joplin at the time of the storm, minutes away from the tornado's path, but they are OK as are family members who live in the area. I know several folks, though, that have lost loved ones and their property to the storm's wrath.

While at my former newspaper in Neosho, Mo., we were faced with covering several deadly storms. Using those past experiences, here are some past practices if your newsroom is ever faced with such a task in the future.

1) Stay safe. It is not worth losing your life chasing a storm. Do your job, but do not put yourself or your loved ones at risk doing so.

2) After the storm clears, put together a quick battle plan with staff members. As a common practice, you should have a plan in place in your newsroom for such a major news development. Put together a call tree, which is an easy way to make contact with employees. Make sure you have all the equipment necessary to do the job in the field (i.e. extra batteries, camera battery charged, video camera, recorders, extra clothes, good shoes, water, food)

3) Have a member of the staff man the office and provide updates on your website from the field and from wire reports. If cell phone service is up, reporters in the field could call in frequently with updates and email or text photos from their mobile devices if possible.

4) Ask readers to get involved in news coverage: Put up a callout for readers and citizens to send in their photos of the damage, news of the scene around them and any stories that could be shared. Use social media sites to also get the word out.

5) Update, update, update! People will want news updates often during the days after the storm. Remember, even if your area is affected and power may be down, there will be former residents, loved ones, and interested parties wanting to know what the latest is from the region. Also, people could have cell phone service and be able to read your product via a mobile device.

6) Photo slideshows: Put every quality photo up online. Tell the story through photos. I have attached some examples from my former newspapers in Carthage and Neosho, Mo., of their work from the May 22 Joplin tornado.

http://www.neoshodailynews.com/photos/x1495157578/Joplin-tornado-damage
http://www.carthagepress.com/features/x1796494846/Tornado-damage-near-Joplin-High-School

7) Video: If you are able, shoot video of the damage, interview affected citizens using something as simple of an iPhone camera or a Flip camera and YouTube.

There are just a few best practices for storm coverage. If you have more, please share.