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Yet alongside that awareness was a quieter pride. This was a town that did not look away. When faced with fear, it responded with action. When confronted with uncertainty, it chose persistence. People showed up without being asked, stayed longer than expected, and refused to surrender to despair. That refusal mattered. It became the difference between a story of loss and one of survival.
Officials later acknowledged the role that collective vigilance played in the outcome. Tips were shared quickly. Search efforts were coordinated with urgency and care. No single person could claim responsibility for the result, and that, in itself, was the point. It was a shared effort, a reminder that outcomes are often shaped not just by authority or expertise, but by ordinary people choosing to care enough to act.
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