Morose thoughts after the Alabama outbreak

There was horrendous (207 at last count) loss of life in Alabama yesterday.  The storms were forecast very well and hours in advance: in fact, many schools in the affected areas closed in the morning itself.  The media were transmitting footage and updated warnings all day. So, the number of people who died is simply inexplicable. The property damage is immense, but can not be completely avoided. However, I'd thought that such loss of life would not happen in this day and age.

On the left:  The azimuthal product created in real-time from WSR-88D data is a product of the research done by our group at NSSL.  Two of my graduate students are working on projects to improve this product further. But, on a day like this, I wonder:

What is the point of our research and warnings if, ultimately, the public doesn't take heed?