![]() Special correspondent Matt Pearce contributed from Joplin.The Commerce Department's National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) released a report today on the impacts of the tornado that struck Joplin, Mo. Photos: Tornado hits reported from Joplin, Mo., and Muskal from Los Angeles. “The lights are on, the radio’s still going.”Īn empty child seat, spattered with mud, was in the back. “Somebody was probably still in that one,” he said. “I hope to God nobody was in these cars,” he said. In the parking lot dozens of destroyed cars lie massed on each other in pyramids.Ĭavin Cowan, 45, looked on quietly. It’s now half-collapsed, with a row of ceiling supports sticking out like an exposed ribcage. Joplin’s Wal-Mart store used to be on a slight incline overlooking the city’s business district. “There’s not going to be a place to put everybody.” “What scares me is that there’s so much devastation here,” he said. His father, Kevin Moe, said he worried about the aftermath. He described the sound of the storm’s approach as a deep growl, “like a train.” “It felt like forever, but I wouldn’t be surprised if it lasted more then 30 seconds,” he said. Ryan Moe, 28, said he hid in a 4-by-6-foot pantry with four other relatives when the tornado hit. One family, the Moes, picked through the valuables in their home as rain poured into what once was their living room. A confetti of broken limbs, roof shingles and household items littered lawns, and power lines lay across streets. Trees that weren’t uprooted were shredded by the force of Sunday night’s winds. The South has also been dealing with massive flooding that killed one person and has caused billions of dollars in damage to property and crops.Īs rain fell in Joplin, families picked through the widespread ruins. At least one person was killed in Minneapolis.īut Missouri was by far the hardest hit in a season that has seen more than 300 people killed by tornadoes in the South last month. The tornado that hit Joplin was one of 68 reported across seven Midwest states, from Oklahoma to Wisconsin, over the weekend, according to the National Weather Service’s Storm Prediction Center. A local nursing home also took a direct hit, city officials said. The roof was blown off the hospital, and most patients were evacuated. An unknown number of people were injured, and many were treated in makeshift shelters in churches, Colbert-Kean said. Perhaps 30% of the city, about 160 miles from Kansas City, was damaged. More than 2,000 structures were damaged, including a major hospital, St. Most agreed that the weather warning system worked, going off about half an hour before the brunt of the storm hit.īut the tornado was traveling so fast, Colbert-Kean said, that the danger was on the city before most had a chance to deal with the threat. It was the piercing keen of sirens that shook the city of 50,000 at about 6 p.m. “We’re waiting to see if the siren goes off again.” The weather was worsening, with severe thunderstorms expected, she said. We’re praying it wouldn’t climb too high.” “While we haven’t heard, it is expected to rise drastically,” she said. ![]() The number of deaths stood at 89, but Mayor Pro Tem Melodee Colbert-Kean told reporters that the toll was likely to rise. “This is a developing situation,” the governor said, “but we believe that there is a significant potential for saving lives.” Interstate 44 was shut down, and streets were clogged with emergency vehicles and the wreckage of buildings. ![]() Nixon said communications equipment was crucial in coordinating the rescue and relief efforts, which are being complicated by transportation difficulties. More than 40 agencies were involved in the search-and-rescue effort, which was racing against the arrival of the next storm. Speaking on television, Nixon said it was good to speak directly with the president and that Missouri would welcome all of the help available. Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Craig Fugate will head to Joplin to coordinate federal disaster relief, said White House spokesman Nick Shapiro. ![]() President Obama expressed his condolences in a telephone call to Nixon from Ireland, where Obama is visiting, the White House said. He warned that another storm was on the way, complicating rescue efforts. Jay Nixon told reporters, describing the disaster. “We still believe there are people to be saved in the rubble,” Missouri Gov. Debris was a constant danger and a barrier to search teams. Would-be rescuers conducted door-to-door searches, avoiding downed power lines that had ignited fires fueled by leaking gas.
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