Four Picayune Fire Department firefighters traveled to Louisville, Miss. to help our fellow Mississippians after a tornado destroyed parts of the small town.

As of Tuesday afternoon, it was reported 12 people died as a result of Monday’s storms.

It’s always great to see that in the aftermath of tragedy people who stand up to offer help.

We’ve seen it after Hurricane Katrina, Hurricane Sandy and the tornados that destroyed Joplin, Mo. and parts of Alabama.

It’s inspiring that both individuals and groups will help, usually through their own personal endeavors.

In the past, entire towns and cities banded together to collect food, clothes and other necessary items to send to places in need.

Volunteers with the Red Cross drop everything to contribute to rescue and aid efforts across the country and world when disasters strike.

It is inspiring when our local emergency responders do the same.

Electrical companies from across the country will also send crews to help other areas in need.

During the winter storms in late January and early February, Coast Electric sent crews to northern Mississippi to help companies restore power to customers quickly.

Although the southern region was also affected by the storms, the northern region had a greater need.

On an individual level, it is important to help others in need, whether it’s after a natural disaster, through volunteering, or even in small ways, because for those seeking help, it makes all the difference.

As the author Charles de Lint once said, “Every time you do a good deed you shine the light a little farther into the dark. And the thing is, when you’re gone that light is going to keep shining on, pushing the shadows back.”