2011 Joplin
Chais Lindbergh
Honors Geology
Tornado

Location Map and Video
 http://

www.tripline.net/trip/Path_of_the
_Joplin_Tornado-0424207775021003A
D43C13C53060EBC
 http:// www.weather.com/video/surveillancevideo-of-joplin-tornado-28609 Description
A

tornado struck Joplin, Missouri on May
22, 2011 at around 5:40 pm.
 With a population around 50,559, it killed 161 people and injured approximately 1,100 people.
 The cost was an estimated $2.8 billion in damage.  Making it the deadliest tornado since
1950, which was when modern recordkeeping began.

Description





Since it was an EF5 tornado, it destroyed everything in its path. The city was ruined with only piles of debris left.
It was a half-mile wide when it hit Joplin and grew to three-quarters of a mile wide.
It destroyed nearly 7,000 homes in Joplin and damaged hundreds more. It covered over 1,800 acres of land.

Community Effort




Not only was this a community effort, but people from all over the U.S. came to help.
More than 126,800 individuals from across the
U.S. put in about 755,300 hours of community service in the Joplin area in 2011-2012. Their efforts in clean-up and repairs in construction was a huge help for the Joplin residents.
A new project called the Citizens Advisory
Recovery Team (CART) is a group of people that live in Joplin that have a plan for the type of community that they want to be.

Warnings
 Jasper

County Emergency Operations
Center (JCEOC) claims that the first siren went off at 5:11 pm.
 Saw the tornado coming.
 Media coverage: local electronic media switched to wall-to-wall coverage. Warnings
 National

out:

Weather Service sent this



Reasons for the number of fatalities:
1. Magnitude of the tornado
2. Its path through a heavily populated area 3. Desensitized attitude toward tornado warnings. Many were used to warnings from severe weather.
4. Lack of safety facilities
5. Mistake by the National Weather Service

A Huge Mistake
The Joplin tornado warning was sent out at
5:17. Because the National Weather
Service had said the tornado was going to miss the town, the decision was made not to sound the sirens a second time.
 Many people reacted to the second siren which went off at 5:38.
 The first risk signal for the severe weather threat came through the local community siren system for most people.


Recovery
 Much

of the city has been cleaned up. No more debris, the streets are clear, and new homes are up.  10 schools were destroyed or damaged and in
2014 a high school, middle school, and elementary school will be reopened.
 American taxpayers were expected to supply about $500 million in recovery money in the form of federal