JoMo

Great story in the Joplin Globe today about the first people that have rebuilt and moved back into their homes in the tornado zone. I know what they mean when they talk about how eerie it is without street lights but the electric company has been working on getting them replaced and I noticed I've been taking pictures of them and was really happy to see them, it's almost like Christmas. http://www.joplinglo...in-tornado-zone They feel the wind now. It howls across a stark landscape of concrete foundations, utility poles and empty streets. Tamara Comer, who has returned to the 2300 block of Kentucky Ave., said that when the wind isn’t blowing, they’re struck by the contrast. “It’s so quiet. It’s like you are living out in the country, but you are in a city.’’ Gone are the sounds of children playing in the street in front of her house. Gone are all of her neighbors, but one. It can be depressingly bleak at times, they say, but these new Joplin pioneers — some of the first to return to rebuild in their old neighborhoods after May 22 — remain hopeful. Some Quotes: -“It’s harder at night. It’s dark. There are no lights. All you can see is the shine off of broken glass in the dirt. It’s eerie. It’s the new new,’’ said Comer. “A street light before was no big deal. When we got ours, we just stood there and looked at it.’’ -“I think it was because of those Tuscaloosa interviews that I saw where people survived in their bathrooms and closets. I never thought that I was going to die.’’ -“We were standing on the back porch, my husband asked: ‘Do you hear that? Is that a train or a tornado?’ It was this black thing. It was too big to tell it was a tornado.’’

Yeah, you can really see how dark it got. That was the strangest thing, I've never seen it that dark, and it seemed like the entire storm was on the ground or very low to it. The school district is going to put the $62 million bond on the ballot in April. They have released the preliminary drawings for East Middle + Elementary, Irving Elementary and Joplin High School. East Middle + elementary (basically in the same place): Irving (on the south end of the St. Johns hospital campus): Joplin High School. (a creek will run through the middle of the campus, the school had to be moved up out of the flood plain which is down towards Indiana) The story for the new JHS can be found here: http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/x2063986325/-A-creek-runs-through-it-concept-posed-for-new-JHS

Big news will be announced tonight at the Kansas/Missouri basketball game. The Governor's Joplin Challenge will be announced which will partner Missouri's sports teams and NASCAR up with Joplin Habitat for Humanity to build 35 houses in Joplin. KC Royals, KC Chiefs, St. Louis Blues, St. Louis Cardinals, St. Louis Rams, Univ of Missouri, Kansas Speedway. http://joplinchallenge.mo.gov/ The information: That was the message Gov. Jay Nixon shared when he launched the 2012 Governor’s Joplin Habitat Challenge. The challenge, in partnership with Joplin Area Habitat for Humanity and Missouri’s major athletic organizations, aims to build 35 new homes in the heart of Joplin during 2012 to provide continued aid to the city’s recovery. The EF-5 twister that hit Joplin on May 22, 2011, damaged or destroyed more than 7,700 households, and thousands of Joplin residents continue to live in temporary housing or with family or friends. The 2012 Governor’s Joplin Habitat Challenge will address the need for permanent housing by partnering with Joplin Area Habitat to build 35 homes this year and to set the stage for more to follow. Joplin Area Habitat for Humanity builds new, safe, and affordable homes which are then sold to families in need of better housing. Families pay back the 0% interest loan over 20 years and work a number of “sweat equity” hours towards their home. Gov. Nixon’s administration will provide a $3.6 million Community Development Block Grant to support construction and organizational management, as well as pave the way for future builds. The 35 homes will be divided into seven different neighborhoods, with each neighborhood assigned a sponsor from among the seven Missouri athletic organizations. Players, coaches, alumni, broadcasters and front office staff from each organization will visit their neighborhood on several occasions to serve alongside volunteers and professional builders in assisting with the construction, including framing, siding, painting and landscaping.

There are more than 100 houses being built by non-profit organizations and other groups. Thanks to the warm winter we've had so far, a lot has been getting done but I expect it to really pick up again in the Spring and Summer as those organizations get students volunteering to help. Convoy of Hope was the most recent and has pledged at least 18 houses. These houses will be 'green' Insulated Concrete Form houses that are capable of withstanding 200 MPH winds. (but I would also want a shelter due to the windows) A breakdown of the organizations that have built or pledge to build houses: *Habitat for Humanity (10 built, 5 Under Construction, 10 slated for Spring) *Convoy of Hope (18 but probably more) *Extreme Makeover (7 built) *Samaritan’s Purse (20 houses in all) *Homes of Hope (20 houses in all, 3 for sure under construction) *Catholic Charities of Southern Missouri (8 houses, 2 of those finished already) *United Methodist Church (Unknown #) *Relief Spark (was going to build 50 but problems with contractor has limited them to 2) *Community Foundation Joplin Relief fund (taking bids now.. at least 25 houses) http://www.joplinglo...ts-other-groups An article talking about Joplin's business recovery: According to Joplin Area Chamber President Rob O’Brian, Joplin residents didn’t wait for outside assistance; they got busy themselves, clearing debris from their homes and roads and helping out their neighbors. The flurry of activity in Joplin prompted FEMA officials to ask O’Brian, “Does everyone in Joplin own a chainsaw?” http://bclc.uschambe...-tornado-joplin And Mercy/St. Johns has made a video that chronicles their progress, there's some video from inside the destroyed hospital and some stories from workers who were there when the tornado hit.

Decent turnout at St. Johns going away party today, media was there as well. The employees got little marble paperweight crosses with St. Johns 2011 printed on them made from a part of St. Johns and the public got granite ones. And here's a pic as the sun goes down on St. Johns with the wrecking ball in place. And here's a shot post-wrecking ball hit. You can see the damage to the outside of the building about 3 floors up. I think they're gonna need a bigger wrecking ball. It took about 7 hits before a piece fell off. The weather channel has a slideshow: http://www.weather.com/outlook/weather-news/news/articles/joplin-hospital-slideshow_2012-01-29

St. Johns hospital demolition and groundbreaking on Mercy Joplin will begin today in a few hours. Mike Bettes from the weather channel will be at the ceremony. They are going to use a wrecking ball to take down the west tower and some type of grappling equipment on the east tower since they fear an implosion will cause problems with the nearby mine areas. I have a lot of memories of St. Johns, mostly bad memories since it's a hospital of course, but it's going to look pretty weird not having it standing there. I'm probably going to get lost since it is the largest building in the tornado zone and easiest to find. CNN wrote a great article yesterday: http://www.cnn.com/2...nado/index.html * In all, five buildings across 47 acres at the hospital site will be demolished and cleared, according to a statement from Mercy, St. John's parent company. *Three time capsules were recovered -- one buried when the current hospital was built in 1968, one when the east tower was completed in the 1980s and a third that marked St. John's 100th anniversary in Joplin in 1996. * Steel, aluminum and copper from the buildings is being salvaged and recycled, hospital officials said. Concrete and asphalt will be crushed into small pieces and used as backfill to ready the site for redevelopment.

Updated 11:33 PM Eastern. Busy day today. *Payless shoe store at 1502 Rangeline reopened. *Academy Sports and Outdoors reopened. *Homes of Hope broke ground on the 3, 3 bedroom homes they are going to build. *Joplin Habitat for Humanity will announce that they are building 10 homes in March-April. Academy actually had a $100 shopping spree for 40 kids from Irving Elementary that were affected by the tornado, yesterday: http://www.joplinglo...head-of-opening You may remember Payless from the Silver Lining tours? video or the police/fire audio of the officer saying his wife was trapped in there. The officers wife is still recovering from her injuries. Here's aerial footage of Payless that night, the vid starts right before they zoom in on the store: Payless story and interview with a survivor still recovering from her injuries (the officer's wife): http://www.koamtv.com/story/16620432/payless-shoesource-reopens School district is facing major funding problems. Read this to see how confusing this FEMA stuff is: http://joplin.school...l?pageid=256857

It always shocks me to go back and look at Google Street Map and see that I already forgot what an area looks like after seeing it destroyed. Before: After (maybe August?) And Jan 23rd. The first house on the left is an insulated concrete form house I believe, or something like that.

I saw a lot of volunteers and people stop to take a picture of this little house after the tornado. It says "I survived Thank You Jesus!" on the side. This is what it looked like on August 21st. This is what it looked like on Jan 23rd. The concrete remained intact and the message can still be found inside the grey doors which I think are now being used for storage. The roof has some shingles peeling away, so I think the contractor may have hired some bad roofers or something since that shouldn't happen in 40 MPH winds. This is probably the last picture I'll take of this house as it looks as though it is almost finished.

St. Johns hospital demolition will begin Sunday with a ceremony. They are going to use a wrecking ball on the west tower and some kind of grappling equipment on the east tower since they fear an implosion will cause nearby mines to collapse. They will start at the south end of the campus and work their way north, the hospital itself will be demolished last. After the demolition, work will begin on building Irving Elementary on the south end of what was the campus. The 'volunteer house' where thousands of people that came to Joplin wrote messages to Joplin is being preserved and moved to Schifferdecker Park until a more permanent place can be found. It's got a structure built around it and will be wrapped in plastic. The paint had started to peel. More photos Thanks to KZRG: http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10150564838235209.407492.93286195208&type=1

Ok, reposted this with more information and pictures. Homes of Hope (http://homesofhopejoplin.org) purchased 1.07 acres on a street in the tornado zone not too far away from here. This non-profit organization won $100,000 from the Oscar Meyer Good Neighbor online contest, they also have a thrift store. They are going to divide this land into 3 lots and build 3 'energy efficient, cost effective, small carbon footprint homes.' They hope to build 20 homes in all and the owners of the homes will contribute to the cost of building the homes. It's nice seeing more homes built, this immediate area experienced at least 4 deaths. This is what the area looked like before the tornado: This was 2 days after the tornado: This was today, imagine the camera farther left towards the street shooting the same direction:

This 'article' makes me want to stab a kitten. (that's a saying, I love kittens) Did Global Warming Destroy My Hometown? Last May, a massive tornado leveled Joplin, Missouri. Was it chance, or a warning of things to come? http://www.popsci.co...town-0?page=all

Mike Bettes sounding off on the "tornado tour" flap on TWC: http://www.weather.com/weather/videos/on-tv-43/open-mike-399/open-mike-tornado-tours-25749 *The City will receive a $45.2 million block grant, this is from $400 million set aside by Congress for communities affected by disasters. Activities eligible for the grant include construction, property acquisition, infrastructure improvements, down payment assistance, tenant-based rental assistance and social services and economic development. *As of Dec 1st, 400 of the 523 businesses damaged or destroyed in the tornado have reopened. You can find a lot of information about Missouri's response to the tornado in a new publication (PDF): http://www.sema.dps.mo.gov/newspubs/publications/AfterTheStorm_Missouri%27sCommitmentToJoplin.pdf *CART(Citizens Advisory Recovery Team) met last night and ratified the plan for moving Joplin forward based on community ideas at meetings they held. http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/x1456422828/Road-map-for-Joplins-recovery-endorsed The visions and goals for the plan are here: http://joplinareacart.com/vision-and-goals/ *The school board is wanting to float a bond issue, which I'm sure won't go over too well. They had insurance and are getting FEMA support but think they will come up $62 million short. http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/x1296862219/School-board-contemplating-amounts-for-bond-issue-proposal

Here's the great news. The city will probably break even when it comes to paying for the cost of the tornado. The city gets to count the donated materials and donated time from volunteers towards the cost of the cities share of the cleanup and rebuilding/replacement of what was lost. *Damage costs minus the cleanup costs were $24 million. *The total for all the donated goods/volunteers will be around $17.7 million. The rest will be paid by insurance, FEMA, State Emergency Agency and the Federal Highway Administration. *Debris cleanup cost was $94 million *$82 million was incurred when FEMA was paying 90% of the cost of cleanup. *After that, $3 million was how much it cost inside the EDR, while it cost $9 million outside the EDR. *Mutual-Aid assistance was received from 435 agencies (police/fire/ambulance) *80 agencies asked for reimbursement for labor and equipment costs which amounted to $1.5 million. http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/x1267396629/Volunteers-donations-saved-city-17-7-million Building permits have topped $268 million since the tornado. Before the tornado, Joplin was issuing around $2.1 million in building permits a month. http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/x2019126111/Joplin-building-permits-top-268-million-since-May-22

Crystal Whitely? Yeah she had the thousand-yard stare going on. You see that in a lot of people when they tell their stories, almost like they are reliving it at that very moment. The show was recorded in October so it had only been 5 months since she had lost 2 of her 3 kids. The shelters they have are Kevlar shelters, these are usually built inside the house as a reinforced closet or room, I'm not sure why they put them in the garage other than it saved time on the building process. The EMHE homes are drawing crowds: http://ozarksfirst.com/fulltext?nxd_id=587472 The 'Tornado Tours' story is starting to go National as USA Today picked it up and MSNBC may do a story on it, a radio station in Birmingham has also inquired about an interview with the Facebook group leader against the tours. http://travel.usatoday.com/destinations/dispatches/post/2012/01/new-tornado-travel-map-causes-a-stir-in-joplin-mo/604937/1

He's backpedaling now and says there were no tours planned but they are telling people who are calling where to go. http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/x1929698287/CVB-director-says-tornado-tourism-report-inaccurate You wouldn't get the cold shoulder at all, people know there are others coming to view the now historical tornado path. I've seen people stopping to take pictures, I've seen volunteer buses touring the area after they volunteer. I've talked to several people asking me to give them the best route to see the most damage. The EMHE houses have cars going by almost all the time, heh. People became angry that the city wanted to provide bus tours and exploit the situation, basically making it into some kind of side show. They don't have a problem with people coming here on their own, but to have the city encourage and support it seems really tacky. I'd say the saddest place is 20th street since there is barely anything there, a building or two here and there but most of it is just treeless flatland. It's a big waiting game to see who or what rebuilds there. Most are waiting to see if Dillons Supermarket rebuilds back, and the Hampshire Terrace Apartments should be rebuilt back since MHDC approved the project for tax credits. 84 apartments would be built... sometime. The houses over by me on the west side are being finished so everyone is pretty excited and happy about that. Here's some pics of the map:

Yeah, EMHE had to cram a lot into 2 hours. TLC aired a show called "World's Smallest Storm Chaser" tonight about Sam Hall. I believe she's from the UK and she suffers from a skin condition where any small bump will cause her skin to blister. She was on the supercell that would eventually produce the Joplin tornado but they didn't follow it into Missouri. I haven't seen the TLC show but there is a documentary that was aired in the UK called "The Butterfly and the Tornado". The Youtube link below shows her just as she gets into Joplin to check out the damage. http://youtu.be/cAx4mlYuqc0?t=50m35s This should be an interesting flashpoint for the City of Joplin over the next week or so..... Tornado Tourism? http://www.ky3.com/news/ky3-story-stormmap-011312,0,6307345.story Apparently the Joplin Convention and Visitors Bureau has printed up maps that guide sightseers to TV famous locations destroyed in the tornado, they are also working on an app and this Spring they are going to offer guided bus tours. There's a lot of people that aren't really happy about that from looking at Facebook posts and a group that has sprung up that doesn't want the tornado tours. It seems really tacky and disrespectful to me. --------- This article states that the City may actually come out $130,000 in the good after the FEMA expenses and the state expenses are paid and insurance is collected on the $24 million dollars damage to the city. http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/x1267394602/Joplin-council-to-hear-report-on-costs-of-tornado-damage The cost of the Expedited debris removal was $94 million to FEMA. The city is going to award a contract for the Demolition of 118 properties that were abandoned by their owners.

The Joplin Globe has a story about a business rebuilding. I've left out the part about the people they found that didn't make it from the original article, but thought the rest of the story was kind of chilling: http://www.joplinglo...finding-closure They drove over debris to get to their store. When they got there, they found blood inside their building and bloody handprints on a bathroom wall, but there was no one there. The Logsdons were haunted by the memory of the bloodstains in their business. Search dogs found nothing. Whose handprints were they? About three months after the tornado, Logsdon was tinting the windows of a 1939 Willys coupe. A red convertible pulled up on the lot next to his business and a man got out. “He was just standing there. This guy didn’t look like a gawker,’’ Logsdon said. “He came over and asked me if I was the owner. I told him I was. He told me his psychiatrist had told him to come here to get some closure.’’ The young man told Logsdon that he and his girlfriend and her 2-month-old baby were traveling on Main when they realized they were in a tornado. This is something that’s difficult to explain to people. How do you drive into a tornado? Many people did. It must have been so big and so disguised by rain that people did not realize what was happening until it was too late. When a cement block slammed into their windshield, the man and his girlfriend realized they had to seek shelter. They got out of their vehicle and found their way inside of Logsdon’sbusiness. The blood came from the woman who was hit by debris. Logsdon had a molded image of the face of Jesus in his business. He had found it a few years ago and decided to hang it on a wall. Said Logsdon: “When they came inside, they saw Jesus on the floor. The guy told me: ‘I knew I was in the right place when I found Jesus.’’’ All three survived in the bathroom. “We worried about what had happened for a long time — three months. We’re glad he decided to get some closure. It gave us closure, too,’’ Logsdon said. ------------------- Teachers, Adminstrators, Parents have been going around the country to find out what they like best when it comes to school design and how to rebuild the schools: http://www.joplinglo...s-visit-schools Joplin is being used by college students and professors all over the US to study the effects of PTSD, urban planning, etc.. http://www.joplinglo...effects-of-PTSD

yeah, it was a sad episode in some ways but happy in others. They had to rush everything in order to fit it into 2 hours. The Howard family (firefighter) didn't want to be on the show and said no thanks several times because they thought it should go to someone that needed it more. Eventually ABC convinced them though. It's available online if you missed it but want to see it.: http://abc.go.com/watch/extreme-makeover-home-edition/SH559052/VD55163148/joplin-family-part-1 http://abc.go.com/watch/extreme-makeover-home-edition/SH559052/VD55163134/joplin-family-part-2

Extreme Makeover Home Edition was awesome. Looks like a lot of people cried through the entire episode from what I'm seeing on twitter and Facebook.

Joplin Extreme Makeover Home Edition is airing tonight on ABC. 8 Eastern. One of the families selected was a Vietnam prisoner of war that survived 11 years in a communist prison camp. His house was destroyed in the tornado. http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/x1770108420/Ex-prisoner-of-war-says-Extreme-Makeover-gave-him-his-life-back *Brady Connell, one of the two executive producers of the show, said it was the biggest project the show took on during its nine seasons. It involved 21 builders and attracted about 13,000 volunteers from around the world. “We were just so moved by the volunteers and the spirit in Joplin,” Connell said. “It was truly incredible. It was the best experience in my entire 25 years (in reality television shows).” Connell said it is hard to see the show’s episodes end. While it is a television show, “Ultimately what the show is about is stepping up to help a neighbor,” he said. “Everyone knows that’s what America is all about.” He actually wrote this as well: For 199 episodes, Ty Pennington and his design team have led a television phenomenon that has helped deserving families in all 50 states. This Friday, January 13, at 8/7c, the 200th episode and series finale of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition airs on ABC. To all who have ever cried or laughed watching an episode of this series over the last 9 years, I hope you will set aside the two hours to watch what I believe is the most impressive feat of non-fiction television in a long while. From my experience, no factual television series has attempted to accomplish so much, by so many, for such a good cause, in one single episode. The day after a massive F5 tornado hit the heart of Joplin, Missouri on May 22, 2011, George Verschoor and I asked the EM:HE team to commit to helping the people of Joplin however we could, as much as we could, as soon as we could. After all, Extreme Makeover was known for rebuilding lives, and here was a town in the heartland of America that was terrorized by one of the most devastating tornados on record. 8,000 residential dwellings were destroyed leaving 9,200 people to be displaced. 162 lives were lost. We knew we couldn’t help just one family. So along with Sam Clifton, a builder who had helped us before from Springfield, MO, we challenged ourselves with something we had never done: 7 HOMES FOR 7 FAMILIES IN 7 DAYS. The logistics and casting began immediately. Of the seven families chosen (all of whom lost their homes completely), 2 lost children… literally ripped from the mothers’ arms while they tried to protect their families in their bathtubs. We knew the effort would be an emotional challenge as well as a physical challenge. During the clean up of Joplin (prior to the build), 90,000+ volunteers came from all over the country to clear 3 million cubic yards of debris, to help families get into temporary housing, and to help over a thousand pets reunite with their original owners or find new homes. We were afraid that the people and businesses of Joplin might not be ready for another massive volunteer effort… would they come out to help seven of their neighbors when so many were still grieving, pulling their lives back together? During the 7 days in October when we built the new homes, an astonishing 13,000 volunteers arrived to make the impossible happen. It was the greatest volunteer effort I have ever witnessed, and it was not only a testament to the spirit of the people of Joplin and the surrounding towns, it was a reaffirming tribute to the nature of Americans… when we get knocked down, we do what it takes to get up and come back stronger than ever. Neighbors helping neighbors is truly what America is all about, and it was displayed with infinite solidarity and humility that week in Joplin, MO. The coordination was massive… the skilled workers, the materials, the transportation, the media, the food. Thanks to the generosity of the people of Missouri, to numerous non-profits and church organizations, to our steadfast partners Sears and CVS Pharmacy, and thanks to the stellar builders and volunteers who stepped up in incomprehensible ways, not only was the build successful and on time, but many additional inspiring deeds occurred that week: over 2,000 emergency kits were distributed to Joplin residents; each high school senior residing in the city of Joplin received a $1,000 scholarship to college; a stunning volunteer memorial was created; a new basketball court and play structure were constructed at the city park; a mobile art studio was created to help children deal with the trauma of the tornado through innovate art programs; each of the families was given a dependable storm shelter to provide solace and security; and $1,000,000 -- that’s one million dollars, a cash amount that drives entire seasons of hit shows -- was pledged to help additional Joplin families affected by the storm. After a terrific trip to Walt Disney World (thank you for 9 faithful years WDW!), the seven families came back to Joplin and stood behind 7 different buses. When the buses moved, not only did the families see seven new, distinctive, affordable homes, they saw a new beautiful neighborhood with pristine sidewalks and aesthetic landscaping. These families, although humble, are pioneers -- all of them desired to return to the center of Joplin to spearhead the rebuilding efforts that still lie ahead. Despite what they have been through, they all look forward to helping others rebuild lives, and helping Joplin restore its glow as one of the great small towns in America. From ABC, Endemol, Ty and the design team, and the entire 200+ staff and crew of Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, a public THANK YOU to the city and people of Joplin, to the thousands of volunteers who came from as far away as Alaska and Australia, to the local universities and organizations, to the amazing build teams, and most of all to the families who allowed us to tell their stories so that millions will be inspired by their strength, character, and gratitude.

Thanks, foster Kobe Bryant, and some of the Chiefs will make guest appearances on EMHE as well. Ply Gem, a sponsor of the show, has uploaded pics of the destroyed houses of some of the families picked for the show. http://www.facebook.com/PlyGem The Howard family house post-tornado: The Nevins family house pre-tornado: And after the tornado:

Don't forget to watch or set your DVR for Extreme Makeover Home Edition tomorrow (Fri 13th) on ABC! EMHE article: http://www.nypost.com/p/entertainment/tv/most_extreme_yet_Gdzr19eJ46Xme10dNqT3MI Home Depot opened up, well actually they open up at 6 AM today, I believe 7 people lost their lives in Home Depot. There's a plaque that reads " “In remembrance of the lives lost and to a future of rebuilding in their memory.” http://www.joplinglo...iness-in-Joplin And a local business decided to get a large storm shelter to protect its employees. The cost was $86,000. Pretty cool article. http://www.joplinglo...otect-employees Samaritan's purse is building 20 homes in Joplin. The first is actually pretty close to me. http://www.newstalkk...s/11969966.php?

Don't forget to set your DVR or watch Extreme Makeover Home Edition on Fri, Jan 13th! Home Depot will reopen this Wednesday, they are donating $500,000 to the Joplin Tornado Relief fund as well. http://www.kspr.com/...0,7449031.story A story about how a specific contractor from California took homeowners money but didn't fulfill his end of the bargain. It seems there are a lot of these stories around from people I've talked to. Out of state contractors coming in and taking advantage of people. Always choose a local contractor that has been in business in your area for years, or go with your local Home Builders Association! http://www.joplinglo...-California-man And I miss the trees, Joplin is very urban forest with trees that provided a canopy over most areas. The tornado killed 98% of the trees along it's path. The trees that looked like they were going to come out of it and turned green after the tornado pretty much all had to be cut down due to missing bark and other damage that would have eventually killed them. It's really weird being on the edge of the tornado, you can look one way and see trees and houses and everything looks normal, then you look the other way and you see nothing but sky and dirt. http://www.stltoday....28e94b0c3f.html Also there has been a small drop at the FEMA housing area.. 586 units were occupied. Now that number has dropped to 523. More about Home Depot reopening: http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/x608926469/Home-Depot-preparing-for-reopening-of-store

Thanks Indystorm. Catching up on some things here......... *Don't forget the Joplin Episode (and final episode) of Extreme Makeover Home Edition is on Jan 13th!!! The video says the final 2 episodes start Jan 6th, but Jan 6th is Iowa. *St. Johns is going to break ground on the new hospital and start demolition of the old at the end of January. They hope they will have the site cleared of the old hospital by the anniversary of the tornado. *Both St. Johns and Joplin high School received FEMA money for rebuilding, I don't know if this is the initial payment or what since the high school is eligible for 75% off the new school. But Mercy/St. Johns will get $20 million and Joplin High School will get $2 million http://www.joplinglo...ornado-recovery A couple of articles about the recovery and road ahead: *Joplin recovery still has long road ahead http://www.tulsaworl...19_ULNSoc939802 *Relying on the kindness of strangers http://www.nytimes.c...-strangers.html Edit: Stories from people in a neighborhood SE of me. http://www.voxmagazi...-starting-over/ And Academy Sports will be back soon: After the tornado: This is what it looks like now: