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Devastating tornado strikes Joplin, Missouri


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Don't know if this has been posted yet, but the damage path of the tornado has been extended to 22.1 miles.

OK, so not nearly as short as we all first thought. Wasn't the initial estimate like 4 mi or something like that? We all couldn't believe such a strong tornado could be so short-lived. 22 mi makes a lot more sense.

Also, does anyone have a clear idea of the circulation's translational speed as it passed through Joplin? I had thought it was very fast-- that it barreled through at well over 40 mph-- but the big article posted above (several pages back) said it was more like 10 mph. Any thoughts, anyone?

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OK, so not nearly as short as we all first thought. Wasn't the initial estimate like 4 mi or something like that? We all couldn't believe such a strong tornado could be so short-lived. 22 mi makes a lot more sense.

Also, does anyone have a clear idea of the circulation's translational speed as it passed through Joplin? I had thought it was very fast-- that it barreled through at well over 40 mph-- but the big article posted above (several pages back) said it was more like 10 mph. Any thoughts, anyone?

According to the survey it crapped out pretty fast and was EF-0 for a long way, they are basing that on the high-res imagery that was taken.

http://www.crh.noaa.gov/sgf/?n=event_2011may22_survey

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OK, so not nearly as short as we all first thought. Wasn't the initial estimate like 4 mi or something like that? We all couldn't believe such a strong tornado could be so short-lived. 22 mi makes a lot more sense.

Also, does anyone have a clear idea of the circulation's translational speed as it passed through Joplin? I had thought it was very fast-- that it barreled through at well over 40 mph-- but the big article posted above (several pages back) said it was more like 10 mph. Any thoughts, anyone?

A speed of 10mph is quite puzzling and this must be an error. If you match NEXRAD scans with the 22 mi damage path, it looks like the center of couplet was over Newton RD just SW Joplin around 22:33:52 GMT. At 22:42:47 GMT, the circulation is distinguishable by an enormous debris ball. The couplet weakens and dissipates around 23:05:02 GMT roughly 10-12 mi ESE of Joplin. If we loosely estimate a touch down around 22:30 and dissipation at 23:00, that would gives us 22 mi traveled in 30 minutes, which is 44mph. Granted, this is a loose estimate. A more exact approximation with the NEXRAD scans and spotter reports might give us something at or just shy of 40mph, which I believe is the official speed documented by the NWS.

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Ok so I saw the tree with the hose in person today. It is for real. You can tell how the hose is twisted and and also squezzed at the edge of the tree on both sides. I didn't believe it either, until I saw it in person and pulled on the hose. But it does look to be in the weak part of the tree.

Doug, there is no possible way that was from a tornado. I am willing to bet cash you could shoot a rubber hose at a tree at 1000MPH and it still wouldn't imbed with feet sticking out the other side like that. Not doubting that the hose in the tree isnt for real, but I do doubt that a tornado did that.

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Am I reading this wrong? http://www.ok-tf1.org/

No, your reading it right. Here is a list of the 28 approved teams: http://www.fema.gov/.../locations.shtm

Perhaps a future TF they are building there. Baltimore has tried to develop MD-TF2 for years and its never worked, leaving us with the only TF in MD. LOCAL teams are not true USAR TFs and are not funded by the feds as one.

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No, your reading it right. Here is a list of the 28 approved teams: http://www.fema.gov/.../locations.shtm

Perhaps a future TF they are building there. Baltimore has tried to develop MD-TF2 for years and its never worked, leaving us with the only TF in MD. LOCAL teams are not true USAR TFs and are not funded by the feds as one.

Where in his quote does he state it was USAR TFs?

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Just received information that the death toll has climbed to 141 after 3 more people passed away in the hospital.

All the help and aid is appreciated but there are some things that are bothering me.

1. If you want to come and help, please do, but do it because you really want to help, not because you want some kind of fame or bragging rights.

2. Don't take smiling pictures of your 'group' in front of someone's destroyed house which used to contain all their belongings and/or family members, pets, etc This is a disaster area, not happy fun time..

3. There are still people that live here, please be courteous to them. They were here, they know what happened, you were not.

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Just received information that the death toll has climbed to 141 after 3 more people passed away in the hospital.

All the help and aid is appreciated but there are some things that are bothering me.

1. If you want to come and help, please do, but do it because you really want to help, not because you want some kind of fame or bragging rights.

2. Don't take smiling pictures of your 'group' in front of someone's destroyed house which used to contain all their belongings and/or family members, pets, etc This is a disaster area, not happy fun time..

3. There are still people that live here, please be courteous to them. They were here, they know what happened, you were not.

is there a website you can go to to volunteer?

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Jamie McMurray, NASCAR driver, returned to Joplin this week w/ the race at Kansas City, his childhood home lost the roof and some of the exterior walls.

I suspect he'll be donating generously to the relief. He also visited his old school, Joplin High.

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Jamie McMurray, NASCAR driver, returned to Joplin this week w/ the race at Kansas City, his childhood home lost the roof and some of the exterior walls.

I suspect he'll be donating generously to the relief. He also visited his old school, Joplin High.

I gave $20 for the Reading tornado victims to our hospital here in Emporia where I work. I sent $25 through Red Cross to the Joplin but may send a little bit more through Salvation Army around another $25 when I get paid Thursday. I wish I could send a huge donation but I am not exactly rich. God bless them people in Joplin.

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Doug, there is no possible way that was from a tornado. I am willing to bet cash you could shoot a rubber hose at a tree at 1000MPH and it still wouldn't imbed with feet sticking out the other side like that. Not doubting that the hose in the tree isnt for real, but I do doubt that a tornado did that.

I don't know, it looked pretty real to me. I have seen this happen before in the past. You have to remember the tree pulls apart, it isn't like it just pushes through. I can't say it 100%, but once I saw it in person it is hard not to believe it. A hole couldn't have been drilled, it was closed back on it. Like I said I can't say forsure but I have seen this before with other tornadoes.

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Jeff Piotrowskii's video and the aftermath as the pulled up at 20th and Iowa. The new footage begins at 3:50 or so. Not sure why there's a slowdown. At around 4:40 you see the remains of Franklin Tech.

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Jeff Piotrowskii's video and the aftermath as the pulled up at 20th and Iowa. The new footage begins at 3:50 or so. Not sure why there's a slowdown. At around 4:40 you see the remains of Franklin Tech.

When they come up on the Iowa and 20th area no words can describe what they saw.

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This video makes me feel uncomfortable

They need to do something different with the sirens as people aren't really getting what they mean. I mean, they blow when there is a tornado warning, but some people think that when they stop going off then it's an 'all clear'. I don't know if they could change the tones or make an 'all clear' signal or what, but it's currently pretty confusing for people.

And it was dark outside, I was right under that black area.

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They need to do something different with the sirens as people aren't really getting what they mean. I mean, they blow when there is a tornado warning, but some people think that when they stop going off then it's an 'all clear'. I don't know if they could change the tones or make an 'all clear' signal or what, but it's currently pretty confusing for people.

And it was dark outside, I was right under that black area.

Sirens can make several different tones depending off if they are computerized or mechanical. The sirens in Joplin are mechanical, so they can make three tones:

Steady

Up and down

Fast up and down

Steady is an old cold war tone meaning "alert", you know, be on alert something is possible... such as if a tornado warning is issued based on radar per se, then "steady" should be "attention everyone"

Up and down, or fast up and down, which during the cold war meant "attack", or an attack is imminent or occurring. So, if a tornado is spotted or reported the "attack/up and down" tone should be sounded on the sirens. Merrill Wisconsin does this apparently, in all the videos of the tornado from May 2011, or maybe April, whenever that MDT/PDS watch "busted" in WI, that city of Merrill did a steady tone when the warning went out, then as the tornado was moving into the city they did the up and down tone.

Computerized sirens have a wide variety of tones, maybe six or more, plus voice capabilities. Sometimes in cities with talking computer tornado sirens it will be a high-low tone followed by a message "tornado warning seek shelter immediately" it's pretty creepy.

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I have been working on raising funds though my church this week. I put together some of the pictures and video that I found here and else where. I used the accounts of Jomo and Joplinmet (with their permissions) to put together a short video.

We take a special offering for disasters. during my presentation, my wife and my daughter witnessed a lady who took a $10 bill out of her wallet and after the presentation she put back the $10 bill and pulled out $100 bill. the biggest reaction I received was for the before and after pictures of the apartment complex.

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