Memory, risk, and regional identity: Assessing the socio-cultural impacts of tornadoes in Oklahoma, USA

Abstract

Tornadoes are often seen as a way of life in the Great Plains region of the United States, with many stories of deadly storms originating before the 20th century. Because of this historic connection between people and their environment, residents of states such as Oklahoma develop distinctive sociocultural relationships to extreme weather, particularly associating tornadoes with social memory and regional identity. In this paper, I assert that shared memories of historic tornadoes are impactful to Oklahomans’ regional identity as it relates to residents’ relationships with risk. Multiple qualitative methods, including interview and archival research were used in order to identify the importance of this relationship to Oklahomans as a social group. Much importance is also placed on connecting the present to the past, and many Oklahomans have adopted tornadoes as a symbol of strength. While memories of these tornadic events do not negate the risks of living in a potentially dangerous environment, they also do not imply that risks should be avoided. Rather, facing these risks is seen as a practice in endurance that many Oklahomans believe they were built to face.