Devastating tornado strikes Joplin, Missouri

[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.com/article/2012/05/20/us-tornado-joplin-anniversary-idUSBRE84J0AW20120520

[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.joplinglobe.com/local/x915984592/Young-cousins-still-healing-from-tornado-injuries

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

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Jivw3cLHU8

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.kansascity.com/2012/05/20/3619904/joplin-coroner-its-about-being.html

Part 1 is here:

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/05/19/3618823/the-hardest-call-the-joplin-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.com/article/SB10001424052702303879604577412443106857810.html#articleTabs%3Darticle

News story from OK about a couple of the people in St. Johns.

http://www.newson6.com/story/18567621/hospital-workers-share-harrowing-accounts-of-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.co.uk/world/2012/may/21/joplin-tornado-anniversary-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.kansascity.com/2012/05/21/3621640/in-joplin-pain-remains.html

Part 1 is here:

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/05/19/3618823/the-hardest-call-the-joplin-tornado.html

Part 2 is here:

http://www.kansascity.com/2012/05/20/3619904/joplin-coroner-its-about-being.html

Yahoo takes a look back at some of the photos then, and now.

http://news.yahoo.com/photos/joplin-s-tornado-then-and-now-slideshow/

The White House looks back:

http://www.whitehouse.gov/joplin

"Today" show segment:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/47518809#.T7u4i0VSQ9Z

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

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-201_162-57439190/joplin-commemorates-anniversary-of-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.

[andyhb]

What a contrast in the weather...

[BeauDodson]

Wow - just Read Mike Smith's new book about the Joplin, MO tornado. A damninnnnnnnnngggggg assessment against the Springfield, MO NWS. I don't think it could have been any more stinging than what is written in that book. Ouch.

Has anyone else read the new book? Took me about an hour to read it - was surprised to see just how sharp the negative comments were towards the NWS.

The book made a lot of mention that the NWS got the path-cast wrong - on more than one occasion/statement. Also mentions that their private service was more accurate.

[AtticaFanatica]

Wow - just Read Mike Smith's new book about the Joplin, MO tornado. A damninnnnnnnnngggggg assessment against the Springfield, MO NWS. I don't think it could have been any more stinging than what is written in that book. Ouch.

For what?

[hm8]

Just took a look at Joplin on Google Maps...I'm not sure when the image was updated but you can still pretty clearly see a scar from the tornado across the southern side of the city...as well as zoom in and see just the blocks and blocks of devastation.

[JoMo]

For what?

Basically this:

http://meteorologicalmusings.blogspot.com/2012/05/joplin-was-essentially-blindsided-by.html

[andyhb]

Got a feeling that may be taken the wrong way...

That said, everyone knows about SGF's over-warning problem, its been highlighted several times over the past number of years. Then again, they have had several major events there since 2000; 5/4/03, 3/12/06, 1/7/08, 5/10/08, Joplin, etc...

[isohume]

Basically this:

http://meteorologica...ndsided-by.html

Haha...that's retarded. You could take any tor track and disect the differences between it and the pathcast in the warning. No matter tho, at issuance time (5:17 LT) the tornado was moving northeast. At the first SVS (5:30 LT), the tor was moving east as was stated in the SVS. Also, Joplin was mentioned in every product for that storm.

[Solak]

I just want to add my thanks and gratitude to everyone who has contributed to this obviously unique thread, and especially to MoJo, who I only know through the postings. All of the reflections, memories, updates, and the renewed spirit of moving forward have really been an eye opener - a good one.

[JoMo]

Haha...that's retarded. You could take any tor track and disect the differences between it and the pathcast in the warning. No matter tho, at issuance time (5:17 LT) the tornado was moving northeast. At the first SVS (5:30 LT), the tor was moving east as was stated in the SVS. Also, Joplin was mentioned in every product for that storm.

My only complaint was with the SVS that mentioned it being 6 miles NE of Galena. They were keying in on the rotation to the north and they combined the warning to the north and south in that SVS.

[isohume]

My only complaint was with the SVS that mentioned it being 6 miles NE of Galena. They were keying in on the rotation to the north and they combined the warning to the north and south in that SVS.

Which SVS said that?

[JoMo]

Which SVS said that?

5:42

AT 538 PM CDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A TORNADO NEAR

JOPLIN...OR 6 MILES NORTHEAST OF GALENA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

http://www.americanwx.com/bb/index.php/topic/18858-devastating-tornado-strikes-joplin-missouri/page__st__595__p__721723#entry721723

[isohume]

5:42

AT 538 PM CDT...TRAINED WEATHER SPOTTERS REPORTED A TORNADO NEAR

JOPLIN...OR 6 MILES NORTHEAST OF GALENA...MOVING NORTHEAST AT 45 MPH.

http://www.americanw...723#entry721723

That was for a different tornado warned for, not the Joplin tor. It was for a tor box north of the Joplin tor boxes.

[JoMo]

That was for a different tornado warned for, not the Joplin tor. It was for a tor box north of the Joplin tor boxes.

There was no tornado where they indicated. The trained spotters were indicating the tornado that was in the southern box, the actual Joplin tornado. It was quickly corrected.

[isohume]

There was no tornado where they indicated. The trained spotters were indicating the tornado that was in the southern box, the actual Joplin tornado. It was quickly corrected.

The spotter reported it 6 miles NE of Galena moving NE at 45 mph at 5:38 LT.

The the first issuance of the Joplin tor was based on radar at 5:17 LT.

[BeauDodson]

The book goes into complete detail as to who made the reports and how the reports were either ignored or misrepresented in future warning/statements.

The book did raise one question - which is significant. Does the NWS have a problem with their pathcast system/algorithm? I noticed my local office issued a warning earlier this year and said a storm was moving northeast. The storm was actually moving east. I pointed this out to them and their response was along the lines of "oh that is probably just a product of the computer software"

Hmmm - is this a problem? Mike raises the question in the book. I have no idea if this is a bigger problem (as he mentions) or if he is incorrect. It did make me remember the incident earlier this year in my local region. If it is a problem then it is a fairly serious issue. If media is telling people a storm is moving northeast and the storm is actually moving east then that is a problem.

Of course anyone with any radar skills can determine for themselves what direction a storm is moving (talking about on-air mets here). However - should on-air mets be telling people something different from the NWS (and in the heat of battle would they even notice - or would they trust the NWS)? Obviously I already know the correct answer to the question.