Joplin MO Tornado

Gretad08 · May 23, 2011

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=cQnvxJZucds

This video was taken during the tornado last night. You really can't see anything, but the audio is pretty unbelievable. So far, the death toll in Joplin is at 89. The tornado hit the hospital and, while it wasn't leveled, it's pretty destroyed.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/43132174/ns/weather/?GT1=43001

These storms are scary. I just had my kids in the basement for the 3rd time in less than 24 hours. The storm last night was producing funnel clouds and a cloud wall (which I've never heard of) all over my county, but we avoided a tornado. Joplin wasn't so lucky.

Don · May 23, 2011

Good luck to everyone in the midwest. We've been running from Florida to Michigan, and we've had to adjust plans continually to avoid the worst of the storms. It's crazy out there this spring.

Cranky · May 23, 2011

Don said:
Good luck to everyone in the midwest. We've been running from Florida to Michigan, and we've had to adjust plans continually to avoid the worst of the storms. It's crazy out there this spring.

It's been pretty bad so far this year. We've been very lucky where we are, and should continue to be. My city is in a bit of a bowl.

Gretad08 · May 23, 2011

Don said:
Good luck to everyone in the midwest. We've been running from Florida to Michigan, and we've had to adjust plans continually to avoid the worst of the storms. It's crazy out there this spring.

I used to love storms, but they're starting to scare me now...and piss me off. They always seem to happen when it's time for my kids to sleep. An hour ago, our sirens were going off, just in time for naps. My son had been asleep for about three minutes and I had to haul his crying self down to the basement. I shouldn't be complaining, b/c clearly, it could be way worse.

CACTUSWENDY · May 23, 2011

Not to derail, but I was wondering last night if a country as large as say.... Russia has this type of storms? I don't ever remember reading or hearing about them in other countries. Is it something that only happens here in the states?

It's so sad how this is the start of summer with the chance of so many more storms. My heart goes out to them.

ETA: I googled Russian tornadoes and found that they do indeed get them.

Xelebes · May 23, 2011

North America gets the worst of them because of the broad and shallow waters of the Gulf of Mexico and the draw of the Arctic wind between the Appalachians and the Rockies. Other spots that get cyclonic activity will only get the bad ones in a sea cyclone (typhoon, cyclone.)

stormie · May 23, 2011

My heart goes out to any of you directly or indirectly affected by the tornadoes.

Jean Marie · May 24, 2011

I've been Googling and finally found a few places that will take clothes and other supplies. I'd rather send them to MO than to places around here. They're needed in lots of places, but it's a matter of triage at this point.

It's shocking what's going on. My heart goes out to all, as well.

Please pm me if you've a solid address to send things. Thanks.

Gretad08 · May 24, 2011

I've seen the death toll reported between 116-118 depending on the source. It's the deadliest tornado since 1953.

I have some friends driving down with supplies on Friday. I'll keep my eyes and ears out on FB for anyone that has a direct address to send things.

GlobalWolf · May 24, 2011

I don't remember it, but my dad says that my family may have gone through Joplin on the way out to Kansas when I was younger. My prayers go out to the people of Joplin and to the families of those who lost loved ones during the tornado. Hopefully they'll be able to rebuild and start their lives over as normally as possible.

Gretad08 · May 24, 2011

http://www.news-leader.com/article/20110523/NEWS01/105230356/How-you-can-help-Joplin-relief-efforts

Here's a link with multiple ways to give for the relief on Joplin. More storms coming their way tonight and tomorrow.

Silver King · May 24, 2011

Similar discussion here in Office Party.

bettielee · May 24, 2011

a terrible record to break....

MattCardin · May 26, 2011

I grew up an hour from Joplin and lived my whole life in southwest Missouri until just a couple of years ago, so I'm very familiar with the town and its people, and the tornado disaster has really hit me and my family hard as we've watched it from Texas.

Not to be apocalyptic, but weather patterns across southwest MO have been visibly and rapidly changing over the past 10 and 20 years, and an increase in severe storms and tornado outbreaks is part of it (along with savagely harsher winters). I have this sneaking suspicion that the spectacle of towns and cities around the U.S., and around the world, being brought to their knees by large-scale natural disasters that overwhelm their coping abilities is going to become more common in the years directly ahead.

Xelebes · May 26, 2011

MattCardin said:
I grew up an hour from Joplin and lived my whole life in southwest Missouri until just a couple of years ago, so I'm very familiar with the town and its people, and the tornado disaster has really hit me and my family hard as we've watched it from Texas.

Not to be apocalyptic, but weather patterns across southwest MO have been visibly and rapidly changing over the past 10 and 20 years, and an increase in severe storms and tornado outbreaks is part of it (along with savagely harsher winters). I have this sneaking suspicion that the spectacle of towns and cities around the U.S., and around the world, being brought to their knees by large-scale natural disasters that overwhelm their coping abilities is going to become more common in the years directly ahead.

This year is a La Niña so there are more bands of severe storms with the warm moist air from the south meets the funneled cold air from the north. Also consider that with urban sprawl (Minneapolis, OKC, Birmingham, St. Louis), the chance of tornados hitting homes increases. There have only been a couple direct hits on urban areas: Joplin, Tuscaloosa.

MattCardin · May 26, 2011

Xelebes said:
This year is a La Niña so there are more bands of severe storms with the warm moist air from the south meets the funneled cold air from the north. Also consider that with urban sprawl (Minneapolis, OKC, Birmingham, St. Louis), the chance of tornados hitting homes increases. There have only been a couple direct hits on urban areas: Joplin, Tuscaloosa.

That's an excellent point, of course. What I'm talking about -- and this doesn't contradict what you said, it just complements it -- is a measurable change in the frequency, number, and intensity of severe weather events that has occurred in recent years. For example, in the past six and eight years Southwest Missouri and Northwest Arkansas have been repeatedly crippled by devastating winter ice storms. A milder version of these storms happened every few years as I grew up (I'm 40 years old), so it's not like they're unheard of. But the Katrina-level storms that have literally shut down, say, Springfield, Missouri repeatedly with multiple inches of ice, requiring help from rescue and electrical crews coming from multiple neighboring states, and occurring one after another, year after year, and causing some people to go without electricity not just for a day or a week but for five and six weeks at a time, are a new phenomenon. Lots of Ozarkers are talking about it and noticing the mutating winter patterns. This change is in fact one of the reasons why my family and I relocated. I've seen where the possible connection between climate change and this year's tornadoes has become a live issue in the media, with commentators predictably lining up on both sides, and with conservative and liberal groups and publications each offering their own takes. Me, I'm just going on a hunch.

Gretad08 · May 26, 2011

MattCardin said:
That's an excellent point, of course. What I'm talking about -- and this doesn't contradict what you said, it just complements it -- is a measurable change in the frequency, number, and intensity of severe weather events that has occurred in recent years. For example, in the past six and eight years Southwest Missouri and Northwest Arkansas have been repeatedly crippled by devastating winter ice storms. A milder version of these storms happened every few years as I grew up (I'm 40 years old), so it's not like they're unheard of. But the Katrina-level storms that have literally shut down, say, Springfield, Missouri repeatedly with multiple inches of ice, requiring help from rescue and electrical crews coming from multiple neighboring states, and occurring one after another, year after year, and causing some people to go without electricity not just for a day or a week but for five and six weeks at a time, are a new phenomenon. Lots of Ozarkers are talking about it and noticing the mutating winter patterns. This change is in fact one of the reasons why my family and I relocated. I've seen where the possible connection between climate change and this year's tornadoes has become a live issue in the media, with commentators predictably lining up on both sides, and with conservative and liberal groups and publications each offering their own takes. Me, I'm just going on a hunch.

The winters in Springfield have been unusually harsh the last 5 years or so. We have a house at Tablerock (I'm sure you're familiar, being from the area). Although ours is a summer home, my aunt and uncle live next door year round. In the last five years they've been iced in, snowed in, stormed in, and flooded in quite a bit more than usual. They called us a few summers ago and said "well, we can fish from your front porch right now and we can't get out of our neighborhood because all the roads are flooded."

Don't get me wrong, I don't necessarily feel that this is an indication of anything that shouldn't be happening naturally. But, it sure is a pain in the ass.

benbradley · May 31, 2011

I'm on a list of piano technicians (another of my many interests) - there are two who went through the Joplin tornado, one wrote of losing his house but he and his family were safe, and he told of another who didn't fare as well. This video is of that other man, standing in front of what remains of his house, telling what happened during and after the tornado (may be too intense to watch/listen to at work or in public):

http://videos.kansascity.com/vmix_hosted_apps/p/media?id=90675751

ETA: Darian and Joshua Vanderhoofven Memorial Fund

Dommo · May 31, 2011

I don't think its so much that this storm year is worse than past ones, but that our luck finally ran out. Statistically it was an inevitability that major populated areas would get wrecked, and it finally happened.

The other aspect I think is that in the south, homes are of inferior quality than up north. They often lack basements, and they aren't built as strong most of the time (northern homes often have to support the weight of a lot of snow). As an engineer who oversees a lot of construction here, I'm amazed at how poor the building quality is here, versus what I used to see up in the upper midwest.

I'm just dreading the day a tornado strikes dallas or something during the middle of rush hour.

blacbird · May 31, 2011

Dommo said:
The other aspect I think is that in the south, homes are of inferior quality than up north. They often lack basements, and they aren't built as strong most of the time

This, exactly. An EF-5 tornado takes entire houses away. You are unlikely to survive a direct hit from one above ground. Most places I've been in the south simply have houses built on concrete slabs, no basement. The slab is pretty much all that's left after an EF-5 tornado strikes.

But this year has been unusually severe, by any standard. An EF-5 tornado doesn't happen every year. In the previous decade-plus, there have been three, one in Oklahoma City in 1999, I believe, one that obliterated the small town of Greensburg, Kansas a few years ago, and one that struck a couple of small Iowa towns about two or three years ago. All with fatalities, but nothing compared to what we've seen this year. This year we've had three tornadoes given EF-5 status, one in Smithville, Mississippi, one in Tuscaloosa, Alabama (those on the same night), and now the one that hit Joplin, Missouri.

The overall death toll for tornadoes in 2011 is the highest since the U.S. weather people began keeping formal records more than half a century ago. And the tornado season is only about half-way along.

Joplin MO Tornado

Gretad08

Don

All Living is Local

Cranky

Gretad08

CACTUSWENDY

An old, sappy, and happy one.

Xelebes

Delerium ex Ennui

stormie

storm central

Jean Marie

calm waters ahead

Gretad08

GlobalWolf

Gretad08

Silver King

Megalops Erectus

bettielee

I'm a sparkly fairy princess!

MattCardin

Xelebes

Delerium ex Ennui

MattCardin

Gretad08

benbradley

It's a doggy dog world

Dommo

On Mac's double secret probation.

blacbird