I am from Joplin, I study at the University of Missouri right now. If I hadn't been in summer school then there was a good chance I would have been in Joplin...The images I see are heartbreaking. I see pictures of houses I've slept in, restaurants I've eaten in, places I've worked, places I learned and roads I've driven a thousand times. They all hold unique memories for me, which spring to mind every time I return home. But now? There is little left but broken trees and snapped 2x4s...Joplin will never be the same.
The tornado literally cut the city in half, running six miles from the westernmost part of the city through a small suburb called Duquense on the far east side. For perspective, Joplin has numbered streets that run east-west and start in the northern end of town at 1st street, and and near my house on 50th street. The tornado pretty much ran due east between 26th and 15th street and erased almost everything between them. It crossed all four main business causeways in town, Maiden Lane, Main, Connecticut, and Range Line. Much of the effected areas are residential, with commercial centers at the intersections of those streets. The early reports that 75% of the city was destroyed were inaccurate, but I don't think it is an exaggeration to say that 20% of the city was directly hit by the tornado, not to mention damage caused by strong winds that weren't cyclonic. Unfortunately, the 20% that was hit was obliterated.
I've seen a lot of people online asking if residents had access to basements or other safe locations. I can only speculate, but to the best of my knowledge, many of the residential areas that were hit did not. I have been inside a number of houses in those neighborhoods and many of them were single story, ranch style homes built between the late 1950's and 1970's. Most of the older houses in Joplin have basements, as do many of the newer ones, but many of these houses were just concrete foundations with some timber and drywall stacked on top, then garnished with some vinyl siding or faux brick. Definitely not the ideal place to ride out a strong tornado. Also, the part of town that got hit is almost completely flat. If the tornado had struck further north or south there would have been more natural barriers to protect people.
Thankfully, my close friends and family are all unharmed and accounted for, and my family was lucky that our home was spared; my aunt and uncle weren't so lucky, their house was in the middle of the tornado's path. I have heard harrowing accounts from friends who barely escaped with their lives. My roomate's brother left his apartment and took shelter under a concrete stairwell just seconds before the tornado hit, his entire apartment complex was leveled. Many of the other tenets weren't as lucky as he was. He was in shock as he recanted the story. His soul is his sole possession.
I am frantically trying to find out about those I knew who lived in the red zone, but cell phone service is spotty and landlines are toast. I'll be monitoring the situation until I can go home and help with the cleanup on Thursday. I plan on loading up on whatever supplies are most needed and bringing as much support to my hometown as I can. If anyone lives in the Columbia area, and would like to donate goods, contact me and I will pack as much as my car can hold. I'm worried though, tis the stormy season and Joplin could easily get hit again in the next week. In an ironic twist, many Joplin locals have always nervously joked about watching tornadoes hit all the small towns around it, but being spared in the city...I suppose we were due.
I will try to update the diary and respond to any questions about Joplin in the comments. I am a little disappointed in the DKos community right now, after similar disasters there were multiple diaries providing news updates or avenues for donation to charities operating in the disaster zone. We all share a love/hate relationship with politics, but in an absence of any meaningful political news, I feel like this story deserves more attention. I suppose this time the ball is in my court, since it is my town that has been devastated...however, I am not well versed in setting up a donation page or organizing other online means of providing aid and support. If someone could nudge me in the right direction, I would be very thankful.
It will be dark in a couple of hours and I fear that many are still trapped in the rubble. After another stormy day that hindered search and rescue efforts today, I am morbidly awaiting the press releases that inch the death toll higher. This is only the beginning of a long, painful recovery.
Update 1: Apparently a massive hail storm just blind-sided Joplin as all the national media outlets were about to go live with the story. Just rubbing salt in the wound...
Updated by sprint1745 at Mon May 23, 2011 at 03:38 PM PDT
My dad just informed me that 2000+ structures were destroyed, 120 confirmed deceased, driving across town is impossible, "it feels like the end of the world". My aunt's neighborhood was completely trashed, but her house was right on the edge of it, and other than a few cosmetic fixes, she still has a home. He also is mystified by the fact that some business on the main drag were blown away (wal-mart, home depot, among many others) while others across the street were untouched. "There is nothing really to see, its just rubble"
Updated by sprint1745 at Mon May 23, 2011 at 04:13 PM PDT
Just saw my representative Billy Long on teh televisions. How Joplin continues to send such talented politicians to Washington I'll never know.
Updated by sprint1745 at Mon May 23, 2011 at 04:20 PM PDT
Some good links have been provided in the comments, this one in particular is very useful: http://ozarksfirst.com/...
Also, I have been hearing from multiple sources that blood is in VERY high demand right now, those who passed no longer need our help, there are thousands who were wounded, and likely more to be found.
(Thanks to The Red Pen and Praxxus)
Updated by sprint1745 at Mon May 23, 2011 at 04:27 PM PDT
If you are an action oriented person, ignore my prattle and get moving, people are posting tons of useful links. I will try to organize the and get them to the top of the diary when there get to be too many comments to scroll through. Thank you everyone, this is my first time on the rec list, I only wish it were for a positive topic and not a catastrophe.