Joplin Mo

[ChrizJen]

I'm watching the coverage on TWC right now, and they just keep getting pounded with rain, making things very difficult for the rescue workers.

There was an interview with the sweetest elderly couple that just had me bawling. They've lost everything, and they were talking about how kind and helpful the rescue workers were with them. So sweet. I just want to hug them and bring them home.

 

[traces7]

I hate living in this area of the country in the Spring. I had the choice between living in Des Moines and Joplin and it was actually the lack of basements that caused us to choose Des Moines in addition to more job opportunities for me at the time.

This is the part I couldn't get at first. How so many people are killed in these tornadoes lately? We have tornadoes all the time in Wisconsin and rarely is anyone killed. I think it's mainly because we have basements. I would never live somewhere in a tornado prone area without a basement either, too scary!
My thoughts are with everyone affected by these tornadoes.

 

[dumplebugs]

I live south of Joplin. My DH is a Battalion Chief on the Joplin Fire Dept. I have heard from him only twice since this has happened. He has been the incident commander. I can't began to tell you the emotions I am having for him, the other rescuers, and survivors.

But this gets even better. My subdivision is flooding and we had to be evacuated. So my 2 daughters, 3 dogs, and I are at a friends house. Even though I know this is his job and he is helping others, I feel like a single married mother.

But wait, one more thing. We are suppose to leave for Disney World on Thursday and due to other events, he was going to join us on Friday. He is saying that he will probably not be going and he might see me 'in a week'.

I am not being selfish. I want him to be where he is needed, but why did it have to be this week?? I know you Disney fans will understand. Others, please no flaming!

 

[akhenaten]

It is just horrible... God be with everyone out there!!

My son put it in perspective today.. our town is one square mile... if this tornado had hit here 1/2 of our town would be gone...

You see the videos.. but you still can't believe it...

 

[Tabatha]

Saturday night (the night before Joplin was hit) I was in Reading Ks. Its a town of 231 people - total of .2 square miles- entire town destroyed by F3. Only one death, but in a town that is smaller than alot of others church or school communites its a major loss. Growing up in the midwest tornado warnings and going to the basement is as common as hearing Dorthy and Toto jokes, but its events like this that really wake you up to the dangers. Good news is that everyone and I mean everyone rolls up thier sleves and rebuilds as a community. No looting no violence, just compasion, help, and goodwill. Also, I never knew homes in MO didn'thave basements. Most all Ks homes do.

 

[happygirl]

Today was a good day they found 17 survivors

bad news it really storming here, and two police officers were hit by lighting and are in the hospital

 

[laurie31]

This is the part I couldn't get at first. How so many people are killed in these tornadoes lately? We have tornadoes all the time in Wisconsin and rarely is anyone killed. I think it's mainly because we have basements. I would never live somewhere in a tornado prone area without a basement either, too scary!
My thoughts are with everyone affected by these tornadoes.

It's that these are very huge, very powerful tornadoes. They are also pretty rare. I think only 6 F or EF 5 tornadoes have hit Alabama since they started keeping track of such things. (since the 1950's I believe).

http://www.spc.noaa.gov/faq/tornado/ef-scale.html

EF SCALE
EF Rating 3 Second Gust (mph)
0 65-85
1 86-110
2 111-135
3 136-165
4 166-200
5 Over 200

An EF 2 or 3 is bad, but survivable. An EF 5 will completely destroy even well-built brick buildings. Many people died in their basements when concrete walls caved in on them.

The death toll is so high because there is almost no place that is safe if you get a direct hit from an EF 5. Everything is completely destroyed.

Smaller tornadoes can still cause a lot of damage, and if someone is in a car or mobile home they can be killed, but they are usually safe in the basement or interior room of a well-built home. Not so with an EF 5.

ETA - this is from wikipedia, but the pictures really illustrate the differences in damage levels for the different EF levels.

I can't get it to copy, but here is the link. Scroll down to see the illustrations. Witih an EF 5, nothing is left.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enhanced_Fujita_Scale

 

[ChrizJen]

This is the part I couldn't get at first. How so many people are killed in these tornadoes lately? We have tornadoes all the time in Wisconsin and rarely is anyone killed. I think it's mainly because we have basements. I would never live somewhere in a tornado prone area without a basement either, too scary!
My thoughts are with everyone affected by these tornadoes.

This was my first thought. We had a EF4 (same intensity as the one in Joplin) tornado in the St. Louis metro area in April that resulted in 0 fatalities. But that must be the big difference. I don't know of many homes in the metro are that don't have basements. In the more rural areas and smaller towns, many of the homes are modular type homes that are built on a slab foundation.

Again, I pray for all of the victims, families, and rescue workers. I also pray that more people are found and rescued. I can only imagine the helplessness of not knowing where loved ones are in the midst of all of this.


ETA: Laurie, the last I had heard, they were calling the Joplin storm an E4. But now I see that it will likely be upgraded to an E5. So you're right. That's another major reason for the difference. It's likely that had the storm in St. Louis been an E5, we would have seen casualties.

 

[laurie31]

Cullman, AL was hit by an EF 4 on April 27, and also had 0 fatalities, which is really amazing when you see the devastation, but people in inner rooms and basements were safe.

I just heard Joplin is under a tornado watch. I pray nothing else happens to them.

 

[Deb in IA]

This is the part I couldn't get at first. How so many people are killed in these tornadoes lately? We have tornadoes all the time in Wisconsin and rarely is anyone killed. I think it's mainly because we have basements. I would never live somewhere in a tornado prone area without a basement either, too scary!
My thoughts are with everyone affected by these tornadoes.

I think it is a combination of BIG storms (EF 4 and 5) are hitting large metropolitan areas - Birmingham, AL and Joplin, MO.

In the past, it seems a lot of the most dangerous tornados would often hit farmland and other open, uninhabited areas.

But not this year . . .