1493 replies to this topic

[codfishsnowman]

Jeff has been storm chasing for like 35 years. On his Joplin DVD, it shows them following the parent supercell across KS into MO (which was north of Joplin) and it was pretty ragged and not producing much so they went farther south. They also followed just behind the tornado until they couldn't go any farther due to damage, it was then they pulled down Iowa street and started search and rescue.

On the vid, they black part of it out when he is pulling someone from a house, and there's another part where a lady comes and tells him that 'there's a dead man over there'. He tells her he knows and that there's nothing they can do for him, they just have to help the survivors. He was also making phone calls to the Tulsa NWS to tell them to relay information and get as much help to Joplin as possible. When help doesn't arrive, they go and look for help and find a Carthage Fire Department truck down the road, and they bring them back down that street to start search and rescue farther down the block.



Despite it being 11 months since the tornado I still remember it like it was yesterday.

The HRRR did really well on this day. It doesn't always get things right though. I remember I was looking at it before the tornado and saw that it was developing additional storms across SE KS, NE OK. I thought at the time, these storms would interefere with the big main supercell so I expected a 'cluster' of thunderstorms with high winds, hail and heavy rain. I actually felt a bit better when I saw those additional cells developing on the HRRR. Nothing really different from what we get all the time anyway. I went outside and started moving some of the lawn ornaments and stuff up closer to the house so they wouldn't blow away or get damaged. I never really expected the tornado though. In fact, just 10 days earlier on May 12th there was a storm that showed signs of rotation just west of here. I actually saw it but it was elevated and it had the look of a mesocyclone that was collapsing. It didn't produce anything as it moved to basically the NW of Joplin.

I did notice one thing that did freak me out though on the HRRR other than the crazy helicity, both the LFC and LCL height was the same and it was very low in a very localized area along I-44 from Joplin on a bit northeast. This meant that pretty much any storm would be surface based and low to the ground.

Once the parent supercell that had been in SE KS produced an outflow boundary, and the new strong updrafts in NE OK/SE KS latched on, Joplin's goose was cooked.

So some good signs were on the HRRR but not the whole package I assume. The other thing I have noticed is that sig. tornadoes have affected some portion of the Joplin metro area not only in 2011 but also in 2003 and in 1971. Three times in forty years sure seems like an awful lot. I would imagine there have been numerous other funnel clouds and a few F0s in the mix as well over the years.

[JoMo]

So some good signs were on the HRRR but not the whole package I assume. The other thing I have noticed is that sig. tornadoes have affected some portion of the Joplin metro area not only in 2011 but also in 2003 and in 1971. Three times in forty years sure seems like an awful lot. I would imagine there have been numerous other funnel clouds and a few F0s in the mix as well over the years.

There have been numerous tornadoes in the area over the years, they were even noted in the late 1800's and early 1900's as well. The Picher, OK tornado in 2008 passed just south of Joplin and would have probably been headed for Joplin if it wasn't turning right. I remember a gustnado in the late 90's that hit south Rangeline, destroyed a gas station but left the 2 liters in tact on the shelf and damaged the roof of one of the hotels. We get a lot of the overnight MCS activity from western Kansas, which typically results in a spin-up tornado threat but mostly just straight-line winds. May 22nd was by far the strongest to ever hit Joplin other than the F3 back in the 70's I believe.

The damage from the May 22nd storm was just so incredible and widespread.

[andyhb]

So some good signs were on the HRRR but not the whole package I assume. The other thing I have noticed is that sig. tornadoes have affected some portion of the Joplin metro area not only in 2011 but also in 2003 and in 1971. Three times in forty years sure seems like an awful lot. I would imagine there have been numerous other funnel clouds and a few F0s in the mix as well over the years.

Compare that to areas like the Oklahoma City, Birmingham/Tuscaloosa and Little Rock metros and it doesn't seem like a lot, although what matters is that Joplin got the big one just like Birmingham and OKC have gotten...

[codfishsnowman]

Compare that to areas like the Oklahoma City, Birmingham/Tuscaloosa and Little Rock metros and it doesn't seem like a lot, although what matters is that Joplin got the big one just like Birmingham and OKC have gotten...

Birmingham/Tuscaloosa...havent they had like multiple f4s and f5s over the years?? Dixie seems just as dangerous as Tornado Alley in the middle of the country imo.

In fact I think in one of those major cities there was a small overlap from major tornadoes last year and the year before where for a couple blocks an area that was just starting to get back on its feet from a 2010 storm got wiped out again last year. That is just insane!!

I hope the insurance companies work well with folks out there.

And another thing that really is upsetting: Homes not being able to have basements like in Joplin bc of high water table and Joplin is in a sweet spot for tornadoes, seems like going forward there has to be a way around this, engineers must be able to come up with something. Will insurance companies going forward pay for houses to have storm shelters built on the properties??

[JoMo]

And another thing that really is upsetting: Homes not being able to have basements like in Joplin bc of high water table and Joplin is in a sweet spot for tornadoes, seems like going forward there has to be a way around this, engineers must be able to come up with something. Will insurance companies going forward pay for houses to have storm shelters built on the properties??

It's a lot more costly (due to the rocky soil) and prone to flooding but there are houses with basements being built. I've seen a few basements with storm shelters built inside them as well. Also, a lot of the houses that are being built back do have storm shelters inside them if they don't have basements. It does increase the value of the house.

[JoMo]

NBC Nightly News report on the Joplin Prom. (little known fact, Brian Williams lived in Joplin and worked at KOAM, which is Joplinmet's station)
http://video.msnbc.m...150686#47150686

The house of the cupcake woman featured in the above video is being rebuilt. She no longer lives there though.




The tornado changed the landscape forever. Before:


And today:

[JoMo]

St. Paul's started rebuilding earlier this month or maybe it was last month.

Here's St. Paul's 2 days after the tornado:


Taken Oct 21st 2011 after it was torn down:



And today:




Got to end this update with the geese. We were headed for the same area, they stopped and were acting all casual and after I crossed, they decided they'd cross behind me.

[JoMo]

A couple of hours ago I discovered that the Jasper County GIS website has updated aerial imagery of Joplin. Based on the level of demolition at the High School, I'd say this new imagery is about 1 1/2- 2 months or so old. The website has 2009 imagery, post-tornado imagery and now 2012 imagery. You can see the new construction with the 2012 imagery and toggle all 3 levels so you can see what it looked like before, right after, and now nearly a year after the tornado. I thought about screenshotting before and after pics but you lose a lot of detail when you do that and that sounds like a lot of work.

Instead, I wrote up some instructions on how to get on the website and how to view it like you would on Google Maps or Bing maps.

Step 1: Go to http://beacon.schneidercorp.com/
Step 2: Select "Missouri" in the "All States" box and then select "Jasper County, MO" in the other box on the next screen.
Step 3: Keep "Property Search" checked and press the "Enter" button.
Step 4: On this screen, Go to the "Address Search" section and type in "2426 Porter" and then the "Search>>" button right beside it. (This is city owned property right by Cunningham Park)
Step 5: Now you should see a Summary of this property, in the upper center of the screen right under the logo is a "Map" tab, click on that to take you to the map screen.

Step 6: This will take you to a zoomed in view of the address above. I would UNCHECK everything on the left except maybe "Major roads" and "Local Roads" and of course leave "2012 Aerial Photography" checked. (optionally you can check the "Tornado Destruction path" to see the path of the tornado but it puts a red film over everything)
Step 7: Zoom out a bit, and on the top of the map itself is a toolbar. The 4th button from the right says "Toggle Map Size" when you put your mouse over it. This will make the map fullscreen so you can see everything easier.
Step 8: On the fullscreen map, you can click on the ">>" on the bottom left of the screen to pull out the "Overview" which is where you unchecked mostly everything. From here you can check/uncheck the various aerial photography on the bottom of the Overview to see the before/during/after the tornado.

Personally, I check 2009 Aerial Photography, then check/uncheck 2012 aerial photography to compare what it looks like now vs what it looked like in 2009. You can scroll left or right on the map until you stop seeing damage or until you see no change in the imagery. If you get lost, you can check "Tornado Aerials" to see the damage.

[JoMo]

Mike Smith has a new book coming out about the Joplin tornado, or that has already came out called: "When the sirens were silent: How the warning system failed a community."
http://www.amazon.co...35975689&sr=8-1

I hope this is just a play on words as there were 2 siren activations before the tornado, one when the first tornado warning was issued and one when the tornado was on the ground. I expect him to mention siren 'misuse'. Joplin's siren policy was/is winds greater than 75 MPH, or a tornado warning for the Joplin area. I can't remember a time (although I'm sure it happened, just not a lot), other than May 24th of last year that the sirens were sounded for 75 MPH winds though. Joplin receives a lot of tornado warnings per year. According to this graphic from Patrick Marsh, we average 3 tornado warnings per year since 2002. http://www.patricktm...es/tor_poly.png
When you get that many tornado warnings per year, many of which don't produce a tornado, people don't take the sirens as seriously as they should.

--

Joplin has put up a website about the 1 year anniversary that shows events, etc.
http://www.joplintor...nniversary.com/

Included is a really cool (pdf) fact sheet with a ton of information about the tornado and the response.
http://www.joplintor...m/factsheet.php

[JoMo]

I decided I'd go ahead and put together the 3 different aerial images of some areas since I found an easy way to do it. Each animated image is around 1 meg. You can get a better view by going to the Jasper County GIS, 2 posts above.

The images are 2009, right after the tornado (last May-June), and 2012 (Feb-March).

On the left side of this image you can see the pond where Will Norton was discovered. On the far right center, the Elk's Lodge is visible. The tornado was producing EF-4 winds in this area.




This image shows St. Johns hospital in the lower left, Greenbiar Nursing home is the green roofed building(s) on the right in the center. The new EMHE houses can be seen on the last image at the top center. The tornado was producing EF-5 winds.

[JoMo]

Continuation from above:

This was a heavy residential area. Old South Middle school is visible in the upper left portion, Irving Elementary on the bottom left and Joplin High School on the upper right. The tornado continued to produce EF-5 winds.




This area had a lot of apartments, most of what is on here is apartments. Hampshire Terrace apartments can be seen just left of center with the "V" shape parking area, to the left of that was Dillions supermarket. Still producing EF-5 winds.

[JoMo]

Joplin is Jeopardy! famous as this aired last Monday:





Story about how fast the businesses have come back on Rangeline:
http://www.koamtv.co...rkable-recovery


Story about how hard it is to find affordable rental property in Joplin after the tornado:
http://fourstateshom...t?nxd_id=279402


Around 800 students from 60 Missouri High Schools came and planted trees in Joplin. They replaced an estimated 1,200 trees or 10% of what was lost in the tornado.
http://www.joplinglo...throughout-city

3 Joplin tornado documentaries are finished and will be shown soon.The trailers can be found at this link:
http://www.joplinglo...e-documentaries

[Disc]

3 Joplin tornado documentaries are finished and will be shown soon.The trailers can be found at this link:
http://www.joplinglo...e-documentaries

I would love to see these documentaries, but it looks like the only way to see them is to go to one of their viewings. Think they will release DVDs that will be able to purchased later on in the year?

[JoMo]

I would love to see these documentaries, but it looks like the only way to see them is to go to one of their viewings. Think they will release DVDs that will be able to purchased later on in the year?

I think Heartland and Joplin, Missouri hope to have DVD's available sometime in the future. Not sure about Deadline as that one really didn't interest me that much.

[JoMo]

This is an awesome story. 3 years ago (2008), Joplin came together and had a fundraiser and donations so a local rescue dog ('Unsinkable' Molly Brown) could get a much needed pacemaker. Medtronic donated the pacemaker and the rest of the money went towards vet bills and the surgery itself. Molly Brown paid Joplin back doing search and rescue for 8 days after the tornado.

http://fourstateshom...t?nxd_id=279932


I mentioned Mike Smith's new book on a previous post. This article or blog entry or whatever explains how the system failed Joplin. It mentions that the tornado was rain-wrapped, that Springfield NWS misreported the tornado location 3 times, the siren policy, and Springfield NWS issuing too many tornado warnings.

According to Smith..... over the last 4 years, the county just SW of Joplin has been hit by 2 tornadoes and had 7 tornado warnings (from Tulsa NWS), but Jasper county (the county Joplin is in) has had 2 tornadoes but 34 tornado warnings (Springfield NWS)

http://blogs.kansas....oplin-last-may/

[JoMo]

This aired on CBS News this Morning I believe.

Interview with some of the people in the gas station video, a year after the tornado.

http://www.cbsnews.c...ch/?id=7408388n


EDIT: Also the new Mercy (St. John's) modular hospital:

[JoMo]

Heads-up... The documentary... "Witness: Joplin tornado" will premiere Monday, May 21st at 9 PM (central?) on the National Geographic Channel. I think this is the series that uses actual footage from people for most of, if not, all the show.

The Gov. of Missouri is giving Joplin Schools $2.8 million for the construction of safe rooms.
http://www.koamtv.co...-joplin-schools


Still trying to cut through all the red tape in order to get new street signs:
http://www.koamtv.co...o-damaged-areas


The local hospitals learned some important lessons from the tornado about where to store supplies, to have generators in storm hardened buildings and the new Mercy hospital (St. Johns) sounds like it will be so much more prepared:
http://www.koamtv.co...lessons-learned

[JoMo]

We're getting close to the 1 year mark. I've noticed a lot of people being more emotional the closer we get.

Pres. Obama will be at JHS graduation on May 21st.

Joplin City Manager Mark Rohr's new book looks like it's been released on Amazon.com. He wrote it on his days off and vacation. He talks about his experience with saving people after the disaster and having to take the leadership role and make a plan on how to deal with the disaster.

http://www.amazon.co...37223982&sr=1-1


Joplin School District has released the FEMA report on the schools:
http://joplin.schoolfusion.us/modules/groups/homepagefiles/cms/2035746/File/Announcements%202012/JoplinHighDraftEAFinalVersionWithCover05-10-2012.pdf

Joplin Chamber of Commerce has reported that 80% of the businesses have returned so far:
http://www.newstalkk...e-Retu/13144138

Lots of people now buying storm shelters:
http://www.joplinglo...-storm-shelters


Eight people have been indicted for fraudulently receiving federal disaster benefits, there will probably be more:
http://www.koamtv.co...ornado-benefits


A group decided to paint the remains of a tree near the old Dillons Supermarket location
http://www.joplinglo...in-tornado-zone


Desiree Morris, the pregnant woman trapped under rubble at Dillons Supermarket wants to thank the people that helped save her life. She also wants people do be weather aware.

[JoMo]

Incredible footage of inside St. John's hospital as the tornado hit. This is from the Emergency room waiting area. The doors to outside are located in the top right. All hell breaks loose at 50 seconds.




United Arab Emirates has donated $5 million to Mercy (St. Johns) for a NICU at the new hospital.
http://www.koamtv.co...-mercy-hospital


Also an excellent look back at May 22nd 2011 by Jim Morgan D.O. EMS Medical Director

http://www.emsworld....-joplin-tornado

[Hoosier]

Hard to believe it will be 1 year. I think we knew that it was serious based on the initial reports but I never imagined it would be as bad as it was.

[JoMo]

There's going to be a bazillion articles about Joplin over the next few days. I'm not sure I can find them all. This one was really interesting though:
http://www.google.co...29fca66e53896a3


JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- The cost of 30 manhole covers that got sucked away: $5,800. A new concession stand at the destroyed high school: $228,600. Shelter and care for more than 1,300 homeless pets: $372,000.
The tornado that tore through Joplin a year ago already ranks as the deadliest twister in six decades. Now it carries another distinction -- the costliest since at least 1950.
*

During the cleanup, 14 fire hydrants and curbs and gutters at 111 locations were damaged by heavy equipment. And tires were punctured on about 125 vehicles, costing almost $57,300.

*The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals said it spent $1.2 million providing shelter and veterinary care for 1,300 homeless pets after the tornado.

EDIT 10:41 PM :

The county coroner tells his story for the first time......

The hardest call: The Joplin tornado through a coroner’s eyes

*A pickup truck wheels into the lot. A woman’s body lies in the truck bed.
“We found her at the house,” the middle-age man says calmly. “In the window.”
She is his mother. When he went to check on her after the storm, he found her folded over a window sill.
Looks like the tornado sucked her halfway out of the house, he tells the coroner.


http://www.kansascit...in-tornado.html


EDIT 11:30 PM:

Graduating Senior Lydia McAllister writes about twhat she learned after the tornado:
http://schoolsofthou...-after-tornado/


EDIT: 12:30 AM

USATODAY article I believe:
http://www.usatoday....sary/55085962/1

[JoMo]

This is an article by the Joplin Globe. It is an extremely long article that describes in great detail a lot that happened at St. Johns, Freeman hospital and surrounding areas that night. I'm pretty sure they will probably win an award.

I copied the first part of it below because the entire thing is much too long to copy on here, the rest can be found at:
http://www.joplinglo...-time-of-crisis

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — It is 7 a.m. when Shilo Cook clocks in at St. John’s Regional Medical Center, the start of a 12-hour nursing shift that begins ordinarily enough on this Sunday morning — taking vitals, drawing blood, tending to a patient with stroke-like symptoms who needs an EKG.

The one thing that Cook, a registered nurse who is four-months pregnant, is not paying attention to is the weather. A few co-workers pick up on a tornado watch broadcast by The Weather Channel, but no one is alarmed. It’s routine for the Four States this time of year.

***

Like Cook, Rod Pace also isn’t supposed to be at St. John’s this day. But an out-of-state death of a relative means a funeral in a few days so the MedFlight director stops by the hospital to do payroll; later, he wants to meet up with his son for a workout at Powerhouse Gym. At 5 p.m., as he’s wrapping up, he notices the darkening sky, rain beginning to fall.

Weather is critical for Pace and his flight crew. Their safety and the safety of the patients being transported depends on knowing the weather in their 75-mile service radius.
Pace decides to wait it out at the hospital — no use getting wet. Besides, he isn’t in a hurry. Pilots Jack Ball and Bob Dutton also are watching the weather.
The forecast indicates the worst of the storm will pass north of Joplin, near the airport, which is where they normally shelter MedFlight’s BK117 helicopter if storms are expected near the hospital. It’s a five-minute flight.
“There’s going to be hail at the airport, and we don’t fly into hail,” Pace says to his pilots, who agree.
The rule book and common sense tells them to stay put.

***
During his rounds this day, Dr. Alan Buchele has seen some 30 to 35 patients at St. John’s. Nearly half of the 367 beds are full.
Ready for a break, the trauma surgeon decides to head home to Carl Junction to see his family for a few hours, with plans to return to the hospital after supper.

He and his wife are eager to see a video of their eldest daughter’s school play. They settle down in front of the television.

***

ER Manager Sandy Woods is at home with her husband, a Joplin paramedic. It’s Sunday in Southwest Missouri. They fire up the grill.
They live on the south side of the county, two miles from St. John’s. Their barbecue is called off, however, when the weather radio advises that severe storms are rolling into Jasper County.
***
Like Shilo Cook, Dr. Frank Veer, an emergency room physician at Freeman Health System, has been on duty all day. Around 5 p.m. — after a 10-hour shift — he is wrapping up.
His wife is driving home from her parents’ house, and they are going to head to a barbecue planned by his resident physicians.
Veer decides to wait for her at the hospital.

***

It has been a perfect day so far, thinks Del Camp, vice president for clinical operations at Freeman’s Ozark Center in Joplin. He has the day off. After his wife makes a run to Home Depot at 4 p.m., they take their kids to the banks of Shoal Creek for a picnic.

As the weather takes a turn for the worse, they decide to head home.

***

Kelli Perigo, too, is noticing the weather.

She is out in the yard of her Neosho home, watering plants, when her husband steps outside.

“You probably need to come inside,” he tells Perigo, the director of retail and contract pharmacy services at Freeman. “There’s a storm coming.”

In addition to this, Tulsa World has an entire section dedicated to the tornado today:


Joplin One Year Later: Revisiting the ruins he used to call home
http://www.tulsaworl...11_ULNSal387946

Joplin One Year Later: A new beginning after the death of his wife and infant son
http://www.tulsaworl...11_CUTLIN219483


Joplin One Year Later: Tulsans build a little blue house ... and hope
http://www.tulsaworl...11_CUTLIN819002


Joplin One Year Later: Joplin Globe staff persevered and kept delivering the news
http://www.tulsaworl...10_CUTLIN839410


Destroyed hospital helped lead Joplin recovery with optimism
http://www.tulsaworl...837336&allcom=1


Joplin Pastor Remembers Year Since Tornado:
http://newsok.com/jo...article/3676963

LA Times also has an article:
http://www.latimes.c...0,3927701.story


EDIT: 12:48 PM..

A "Then and Now" photo comparison has been posted by stltoday.

http://www.stltoday....1a4bcf6878.html

EDIT:
In tornado-weary Joplin, graduates eager to move on despite Obama visit
http://www.reuters.c...E84J0AW20120520

[JoMo]

Another day, more articles and vids.

An update on Mason Lillard and Lage Grisgsby. Two youngsters that are doing well despite nearly dying on the Home Depot parking lot. Lage had a severe skull injury and it was thought he would die. Mason was pierced by a metal rod going through her body pinning her in her grandparents truck.
http://www.joplinglo...ornado-injuries

This was on CBS News on Sunday? About Lantz Hare, a teenager killed.



Part 2 of the 3 part story from the KC Star about the Jasper County Coroner, including the mistake that was made with the identity of a victim.
http://www.kansascit...bout-being.html

Part 1 is here:
http://www.kansascit...in-tornado.html

Wall Street Journal article I don't have access to. I'm assuming it has to do with the rebuilding problems in neighborhoods.
http://online.wsj.co...cleTabs=article

News story from OK about a couple of the people in St. Johns.
http://www.newson6.c...-joplin-tornado

[JoMo]

Pres. Obama will speak at the Joplin High School graduation tonight. It should start around 7 PM (central) tonight.

You can catch it on: http://fourstateshomepage.com/

Also, tonight... The National Geographic Channel will have "Witness: Joplin tornado" at 9 PM I believe. There should be a lot of footage of the tornado/aftermath on there.

Mike Bettes from The Weather Channel wrote a reflection back to the tornado:
http://www.weather.c...bettes-20120517

CNN article:
http://www.cnn.com/2...ater/index.html

Joplin Globe sports writer remembers going through the tornado at his house:
http://www.joplinglo...uickly-last-May


EDIT: 11:54 AM.

Time Photojournalist pics of Joplin
http://newsfeed.time...-home-in-joplin


Guardian.uk article:
http://www.guardian....y-town-rebuilds

[JoMo]

Quinton Anderson graduated with honors tonight. He lost his mother and father in the tornado.
http://www.cbsnews.c...a-year-of-loss/

From rubble to rebuilding: A year in Joplin, Mo

http://www.foxnews.c...r-in-joplin-mo/

[Amped]

This is an article by the Joplin Globe. It is an extremely long article that describes in great detail a lot that happened at St. Johns, Freeman hospital and surrounding areas that night. I'm pretty sure they will probably win an award.

I copied the first part of it below because the entire thing is much too long to copy on here, the rest can be found at:
http://www.joplinglo...-time-of-crisis

[/color]

First paragraph deceptive. One of the goriest articles Ive read. If I had been there I probably would have vomited.

[andyhb]

Good lord, there were some brutal images going through my head reading that, horrifying...

[JoMo]

It's been a year since the tornado. It doesn't seem like it's been that long at all though. I still remember everything like it happened yesterday. I remember the feelings I got and I remember how I reacted. I frequently hear the loud rumble of the tornado in my head, rolling thunder will make my heart race a little if it doesn't stop within a few seconds. Even if I know there is no chance of a tornado, my mind will tell me there is one. Pretty much everyone in the area still freaks out when we have thunderstorms. I know of several people that start crying hysterically when it thunders. They say it's PTSD.

I remember the devastation, thinking how everything just looked like a giant landfill as far as the eye could see. The debris was everywhere but thanks to AmeriCorps, FEMA, and the volunteers that came, they were able to get it cleaned up pretty quickly. Most of the loose debris was cleaned up within 3 months. Volunteers were still coming to Joplin and they helped by cleaning up/raking the loose debris out of people's yards.

Rebuilding is still going pretty strong. I count new houses going up every day in the tornado zone. It's just going to take time for the entire tornado area to fill in. A large section of housing was rental housing or housing that didn't have insurance. Some people moved away, some moved to other houses in Joplin since starting over on a patch of dirt isn't for everyone. I think we all miss the trees. The only problem and pretty much the only thing that has held Joplin back, has been the lack of up-to-date residential zoning codes. People don't want to take the risk of building an expensive house then having someone build a less expensive house next to it, thus ruining the property value. It has been a wait and see game which has kept some areas barren.

The business recovery has been astounding. There are a couple of reasons for that. The City of Joplin had a hands-off approach when it came to rebuilding, while this has hurt residental rebuilding, it has caused businesses to rebuild in record time. Joplin is also the largest city in the area and it swells from it's 50,000 population to 270,000 during the day as people from nearby communities come to shop and work.

Joplin's success comes from the local/state/federal governments, the community response and the volunteers who are still coming to Joplin. The government agencies worked really well together. We have many many churches in Joplin and they used their resources and outreach to pull in volunteers from across the country. Other volunteers simply came because they felt the need to help. There are many heroes in Joplin who pulled others from rubble that night. They did it on instinct. I'll always remember that a FEMA official said “Does everyone in Joplin own a chainsaw?" when he first arrived.

I'm proud of my community. I'm proud of the citizens of Joplin and the neighboring communities. I'm proud of our city leaders.

May the 161 people that died rest in peace, may their families find comfort and tranquility.


Taken from Pres. Obama's commencement speech to Joplin High School:

"Some of life's strongest bonds are the ones we forge when everything around us seems broken. And even though I expect some of you will ultimately end up leaving Joplin, I'm convinced that Joplin will never leave you. The people who went through this with you; the people you once thought of as simply neighbors or acquaintances; classmates or even friends - the people in this auditorium tonight - they are family now."

[andyhb]

Can't believe it's been a year, although once it is around 5:30 PM central, it'll really start to hit...

At the time of the tornado, I was watching the supercell on radar over Joplin and I posted on the alabamawx blog, "Very strong hook echo with debris ball over the Joplin, Missouri area right now, hopefully everyone is alright."

Little did I know how bad it really was...although the signature on radar made my heart sink.

[SluggerWx]

It's been a year since the tornado. It doesn't seem like it's been that long at all though. I still remember everything like it happened yesterday. I remember the feelings I got and I remember how I reacted. I frequently hear the loud rumble of the tornado in my head, rolling thunder will make my heart race a little if it doesn't stop within a few seconds. Even if I know there is no chance of a tornado, my mind will tell me there is one. Pretty much everyone in the area still freaks out when we have thunderstorms. I know of several people that start crying hysterically when it thunders. They say it's PTSD.

I remember the devastation, thinking how everything just looked like a giant landfill as far as the eye could see. The debris was everywhere but thanks to AmeriCorps, FEMA, and the volunteers that came, they were able to get it cleaned up pretty quickly. Most of the loose debris was cleaned up within 3 months. Volunteers were still coming to Joplin and they helped by cleaning up/raking the loose debris out of people's yards.

Rebuilding is still going pretty strong. I count new houses going up every day in the tornado zone. It's just going to take time for the entire tornado area to fill in. A large section of housing was rental housing or housing that didn't have insurance. Some people moved away, some moved to other houses in Joplin since starting over on a patch of dirt isn't for everyone. I think we all miss the trees. The only problem and pretty much the only thing that has held Joplin back, has been the lack of up-to-date residential zoning codes. People don't want to take the risk of building an expensive house then having someone build a less expensive house next to it, thus ruining the property value. It has been a wait and see game which has kept some areas barren.

The business recovery has been astounding. There are a couple of reasons for that. The City of Joplin had a hands-off approach when it came to rebuilding, while this has hurt residental rebuilding, it has caused businesses to rebuild in record time. Joplin is also the largest city in the area and it swells from it's 50,000 population to 270,000 during the day as people from nearby communities come to shop and work.

Joplin's success comes from the local/state/federal governments, the community response and the volunteers who are still coming to Joplin. The government agencies worked really well together. We have many many churches in Joplin and they used their resources and outreach to pull in volunteers from across the country. Other volunteers simply came because they felt the need to help. There are many heroes in Joplin who pulled others from rubble that night. They did it on instinct. I'll always remember that a FEMA official said “Does everyone in Joplin own a chainsaw?" when he first arrived.

I'm proud of my community. I'm proud of the citizens of Joplin and the neighboring communities. I'm proud of our city leaders.

May the 161 people that died rest in peace, may their families find comfort and tranquility.


Taken from Pres. Obama's commencement speech to Joplin High School:

"Some of life's strongest bonds are the ones we forge when everything around us seems broken. And even though I expect some of you will ultimately end up leaving Joplin, I'm convinced that Joplin will never leave you. The people who went through this with you; the people you once thought of as simply neighbors or acquaintances; classmates or even friends - the people in this auditorium tonight - they are family now."

JoMo - a year ago today a lot of us on here were worried the worst had happened after your final post as the couplet approached. Through the interwebs, we tried to track down your location to see if you were in the path, hoping to give some inclination that we had not lost one of our fellow weather fans. We feared the worst and hoped for the best. It's amazing to remember that I was combing through google maps a year ago tomorrow night trying to identify if you survived...I still can't believe that's what we were doing - looking for your location to see if it was in the worst damage path - for any sort of idea of your well-being.

This likely pales in comparison to what you were going through a year ago tomorrow night - I can only try to understand through the amazing first hand account you've shared with us over the past year. JoMo Survived!!

The moment first word broke that you were ok - I remember yelling out to my wife 'He's okay!' She knew exactly what I was talking about...cried a little bit at that time -out of joy/relief (I'm sorry if that's weird - maybe it is, but it was so uplifting to see that in such a moment of tragedy, this community of enthusiasts had a member that made it). I'm a grown adult man, but at that time - it was a glimmer of hope in the shroud of unspeakable tragedy we had only begun to understand.

I've never met you, but I do want you to know that my thoughts and prayers were with you then, and they will continue to be with you and your fellow neighbors of Joplin as you relive this experience one year later.

Glad you're alive, my friend.

-Ryan

[andyhb]

Here it is, as it was happening...

http://www.americanw...t/page__st__455

And the thread on alabamawx:

http://www.alabamawx.com/?p=47919#comments

[JoMo]

JoMo - a year ago today a lot of us on here were worried the worst had happened after your final post as the couplet approached. Through the interwebs, we tried to track down your location to see if you were in the path, hoping to give some inclination that we had not lost one of our fellow weather fans. We feared the worst and hoped for the best. It's amazing to remember that I was combing through google maps a year ago tomorrow night trying to identify if you survived...I still can't believe that's what we were doing - looking for your location to see if it was in the worst damage path - for any sort of idea of your well-being.

This likely pales in comparison to what you were going through a year ago tomorrow night - I can only try to understand through the amazing first hand account you've shared with us over the past year. JoMo Survived!!

The moment first word broke that you were ok - I remember yelling out to my wife 'He's okay!' She knew exactly what I was talking about...cried a little bit at that time -out of joy/relief (I'm sorry if that's weird - maybe it is, but it was so uplifting to see that in such a moment of tragedy, this community of enthusiasts had a member that made it). I'm a grown adult man, but at that time - it was a glimmer of hope in the shroud of unspeakable tragedy we had only begun to understand.

I've never met you, but I do want you to know that my thoughts and prayers were with you then, and they will continue to be with you and your fellow neighbors of Joplin as you relive this experience one year later.

Glad you're alive, my friend.

-Ryan

Thanks so much. It has been a year I'll never forget. I never thought I'd see something like this. I thought I'd share it with all.

[JoMo]

This is what it looked like about 6 blocks to my SW.





Part 3 of the Jasper County Coroners story.... heart breaking towards the end.
http://www.kansascit...in-remains.html

Part 1 is here:
http://www.kansascit...in-tornado.html

Part 2 is here:
http://www.kansascit...bout-being.html


Yahoo takes a look back at some of the photos then, and now.
http://news.yahoo.co...-now-slideshow/

The White House looks back:
http://www.whitehouse.gov/joplin


"Today" show segment:
http://www.msnbc.msn...09#.T7u4i0VSQ9Z


CBS article (one of those blue balloon things actually landed in my backyard today, lol)

http://www.cbsnews.c...deadly-tornado/


There are a lot of articles and information out there, I'm feeling a bit overloaded and will have to take the rest in on a day by day basis.

[Indystorm]

These commemorative articles and postings are informative and hopefully cathartic,JoMo. It is truly hard to believe that it has been a year and you have done a magnificent job preserving this record for posterity.

[JoMo]

Estimated 10,000 people at Cunningham Park.

Yes, this is a real Hot Air Balloon.