The Joplin, Missouri Tornado 2011

    The Joplin Tornado 2011 

    When I was 5 years old, an EF5 tornado struck the town of Joplin, Missouri. The population of Joplin is about 50,000, and I had grown up spending almost all of my summers there. I don't remember much of this May, but I do remember how my parents dropped my dog and me off to stay with my Godparents while they drove to Joplin to help my grandparents. My grandparents lived in Joplin for over 40 years, and it had become my second home. Joplin is in the heart of Tornado Alley, which is a region in the central United States with a high frequency of tornadoes. To this day, the tornado is still a frequent topic of conversation in my family.

This frame grab from video shows a massive tornado on Sunday, May 22, 2011, outside Joplin, Mo. The tornado tore a 6-mile path across southwestern Missouri, killing at least 89 people as it slammed into the city of Joplin, ripping into a hospital, crushing cars like soda cans, and leaving a forest of splintered tree trunks behind where entire neighborhoods once stood. (AP Photo/tornadovideo.net)

Joplin Tornado Path (Joplin Local News)

Damage of Joplin (video taken by my mom)

     The Joplin tornado was one-half mile wide when it touched down, but grew to three-fourths of a mile wide as it traveled on the ground in Joplin for thirteen miles. It produced wind speeds exceeding 200 MPH and moved slowly through the town at an estimated speed of just 10 MPH. The high winds and slow movement of the tornado led to massive destruction and a high death toll. The tornado left the town to rebuild almost completely. It led to 161 deaths, more than 1,300 injuries, and nearly $3 billion worth of damage. To date, the May 22, 2011, tornado is considered the costliest in United States history (14 Years Later: Remembering the May 22, 2011, tornado in Joplin, Mo.). It generated an estimated 3 million cubic yards of debris, an amount large enough to cover a football field 120 stories high. Cleanup efforts involved demolishing structures, removing vehicles and appliances, and handling hazardous materials, with over 410 trucks a day transporting debris to landfills (Joplin tornado (wikipedia)).

    My grandparents lost over 100 trees that were 100-200 years old, but fortunately - not their home. Their house was in the direct path of this EF5, but somehow survived with very minimal damage to the house itself. They sustained a significant amount of damage to their property and trees on their 2.5-acre property behind their house. The storm came down 15th Street (my grandparents' street), destroying everything in its path, and then it turned and made a semi-circle and went behind their side of the street, destroying the 10 acres of woods behind their home. All of their iron fences were destroyed and had to be rebuilt. It took them over an hour to clean the debris off their back porch to get outside the house.  

    * An interesting fact from my grandmother is: "Before the tornado, our mailman’s route was 509 homes- after the tornado, only 9 homes were left on his route! We were one of the 9!"*

damage to my grandparents' house (left: one of their 100-year-old oak trees in their pool; right: a view of my grandmother's greenhouse, which had all the glass destroyed in it and had to be rebuilt)