Joplin tornado
 

Grandma lives in Joplin. It looks like her neighborhood, 15th and Range Line, is all but destroyed. My cousin Tess, who is going through cancer treatment lives in Joplin. My aunt Lyla, cousin Jamie, aunt Susie, and all their families, live in or near Joplin.

The Weather Channel is reporting many fatalities. St, John's hospital, where my grandfather died, sustained massive damage. The Walmart across the street from my grandmother's house was destroyed. Long John Silver's and all those little drive-thru restaurants you see next to the road were apparently reduced to their foundations.

On Twitter, I did a search for Joplin, and within the first few posts I found footage someone shot, holed up inside a convenience store with about a dozen other people when all hell breaks loose. Absolutely terrifying to watch.

My mom has only received a text from my Aunt Lyla (grandma's younger sister, my mom's age) that grandma (and her dog) are "with people," and that her house was damaged. Jeebus criminey. No word about any of my other relatives.

Phone lines are down, the local news websites aren't streaming live, but the taped aftermath footage is horrific.

This thread on Fark says that while the major cable news networks were showing their Sunday afternoon crap, the Weather Channel had a reporter there, who happened to be doing a piece on storm chasers, and lost it, on air, when witnessing multiple fatalities.

The tornado is being classified as an F5, reported as being a mile wide, and dropped medical records from St. John's over 75 miles away.

Although none of my relatives were followers of Harold Camping and his ilk, the coincidence of yesterday's jolly worldwide Rapture party, combined with the reality of what happened today to so many folks who live smack-dab in the buckle of the Bible belt, is more than a little disconcerting.

I'm horrified for my family and their neighbors, and I can't think of a single thing to do.

I am absolutely horrified reading your post, Gn2. I have a niece and great nieces in the area, and I am worried about them as well. Few things frighten me as much as a tornado- We got hit by a smallish one, and that was pretty scary. I've been through earthquakes, squalls, even a volcanic eruption- but that tornado scared the bejesus out of me. Let us know if there is anything we can do to help, okay? Be it Red Cross, or a more locally intensive fund or donation drive- I will gladly do what I can to help. Big hugs to you, mister.

My heart goes out to you and your family, Gn2Dlnd.

Gn2 - thinking of you and your family and hoping that everyone is okay.

That video was very upsetting.

Gn2Dlnd - That is absolutely horrible news. Please let us know if there's a local charity there that's helping out. You be strong for them - and we're here for you.

What a horrible situation, for your family and for everyone else out there. I hope the news gets better from here for them.

So sorry to hear. Thinking of you and your family and I hope they all check in soon

<<HUGS>> Hang in there.

I hope everyone is soon accounted for and doing well

It's just horrible.

Doesn't Sam (Scrooge) live in MI?

I know that very few here are fans of country music but the radio stations out here are doing a lot for the tornado victims in AL and now MI, setting up with already established community organizations to help. KFRG and GoCountry105. There is an organization called soles4soles that I linked to in the end of the world thread that is taking shoe donations.

They really should help in MO, where the storms happened.

My dad moved from Joplin just two weeks ago. I'm extremely relieved that he is okay, and my thoughts and prayers go out to everyone affected by this tragedy.

Thinking good thoughts for you, Gn2Dlnd

Sending happy thoughts to your Grandmother and everyone else affected by the storm.

Thinking positive thoughts.

I hope your family are all okay, though I now with as much damaged that occured, they will be in the very least affected in some way. My heart goes out to you and your family. It is very hard being hear and knowing that there is not a thing you can do.

I just got off the phone with Mom, everyone is accounted for. Yet, family crazy still overshadows nature's fury. I actually had to stop my conversation with my mom and pray for clarity so that I could explain to her that today, not 24 hours after their lives have been turned upside down, is not the day to bring up the long simmering resentments between she, her sister, and her mother. If she wants to go and help, then go. Don't wait for everyone to apologize and send a facebook invitation.


/still not on facebook

Elementary school fail.

I hope everyone is safe Commodore. Tornados are terrifying. Like WB, I went through one in VA. Fortunately for me, it roared past my house and took the top of a tree (and not the one under which was my car) but the rest of the destruction was scary as hell. HUGE trees that were venerable and stone fence.

Here's the Wal Mart across Range Line from my grandma's house on 15th. I believe the low brick building in the middle distance is the movie theater, and the pile of rubble in the foreground is probably Long John Silver's.

Here's a Flickr stream from Joplin. Oh em gee.

Thanks, everyone, for your kind thoughts. I'll keep you updated with what I know.

It amazes me, every time there is a natural disaster, just how must destruction can happen. We are simply powerless when it happens... the best you can hope for is to be in the right place at the right time.

Doppler radar, TV, Sirens, Radio, Internet, Reinforced buildings, Emergency planning, Rescue and recovery services. Without all that I'm sure the death toll would have been much greater. So while we are not perfect, we are also far from helpless.

*waves*

No... Mississippi (MS)

We's all 'bout the floodin', down heah! The tornados were last month.

I'm so glad to hear everyone's accounted for, Commodore!!!

I've been looking at photos and am both amazed and horrified. Glad everyone is OK.

Just talked to cousin Jamie (my age) and she finally knows where her 3 kids are! One was working at a yogurt shop, untouched, while the adjoining Mexican restaurant had a wall blown out and major damage. Jamie and her daughter Maddie have been planning a trip to California, first pre-empted by Tess' (Jamie's younger sister) cancer surgery, now by this. We should give them a proper DL swanking when they finally make it. Maddie's apparently obsessed with Johnny Depp, they were really hoping to make the Pirates premiere. We'll have to get one of those Johnny Depp-alikes to make an appearance. ;)

The destruction in Joplin made Al-Jazeera!

Don't we have a smiley that shows an entire midwest town's heads exploding?

I believe that Al-Jazeera has multiple branches and don't all wish Death to America. Much like Fox.

And now some heads will explode that Al-Jazeera and Fox were used TWICE in the same sentence.

Picture of Grandma's house after the tornado.

Wow - looks like Grandpa did do a good job.

Wow! Glad the place is rock solid and windows can be replaced.

Good news Commodore!

I'm so glad everyone is safe and that your Grandfather was Practical Pig! Brick in mid-West = great. Brick on the West Coast = bad.

I'm so glad to hear your family members are safe! My Mom said they had a tornado warning in Iowa but no tornado, thank goodness.

Glad to hear good news, and it's a very nice looking house, even under the circumstances. Hope the damage is minimal and the return to a comfortable, safe and happy routine comes quickly.

No, but we do have a Commodore smilie -->

Thanks. :)

Oh my. I'm glad all your peeps are safe and accounted for. I stayed away from this thread because I've been getting Joplin horrors on the 'net that I'm shell-shocked from. Had no idea there was something more personal going on. Yikes.

I just watched footage from Today's twister in OK. Damn.

Just got off the phone with my aunt Lyla (Grandma's younger sister, mom's age, Jamie and Tess' mom). She and her husband Leroy were waiting in a line to get IDs that would allow them to move about town w/o being stopped as looters.

She described the experience of coming over a rise in the road to scenes of utter devastation. She talked about how complete strangers, more than likely from out of town, were in their front yard helping to move trees, and of the driver that stopped, asked if they needed water or food, and handed over 2 flats of bottled water and several dozen snack bars. She told me that St. John's will have to be imploded. Cousin who's an ambulance driver expects to lose his job, cousin who's a nurse may be able to work at Freeman or another hospital further away. Lyla's father-in-law, Papa Louie, who survived a flaming bomber crash in WWII and the deaths of his first and second wives, rode out the tornado sitting in his car in the garage as the house was being destroyed around him. Lyla described him as "grinning like a possum" when they found him. She said donations were pouring in, their church was full of supplies and diapers, and generators were being sent from everywhere.

My grandma was taken to my aunt Susie's house, like I said before, but, it turns out, Susie and her family are likely at WDW. No one seems to be sure. I talked to my grandma yesterday, and, of course she mentioned none of this, so, I'm going to try calling her again today, find out what the real situation is, and beg my mom to swallow her pride, make things at least temporarily right with her sister, and offer to go back and help. There was some roof damage to my grandma's house, along with the windows, so insurance papers and repair people are going to need to be dealt with. Totally up my mom's alley.

Also up my mom's alley, yesterday she adopted a 5 week old puppy from some kid on the street, which makes her unavailable to be taken out to lunch for her birthday tomorrow, and, of course, would make leaving for Joplin all that much more complicated.

No, I've never subconsciously further complicated an already complicated situation to avoid potential conflict, why do you ask?

For those of you (maybe just KatieSue) who like country CMT will be holding a televised relief concert in the next week or so. Traditionally the money raised has gone to an established community organization in a position to help. They raised a lot of money to help the TN floods (and donated a lot of their own money too).

From CNNThis is a link heavy article, so here's a link to the article itself, instead of copying and pasting for the next hour and a half. I don't know which of the agencies are using the most dollars donated for direct relief, but I know I'll sure be happy to see the Red Cross tent when the 9.5 hits SoCal.

If my cousin Jamie seems to think there are local agencies that can use the help more directly, I'll post that here as well.

I'm putting together what I can spare to send to the local JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation). A Mom from my Diabetic Parent message board rode out the storm in a closet with her three toddlers. Their roof came off. One of her son's is diabetic. She's trying to coordinating getting insulin, meters, strips etc to local Type 1 families.

I found out this morning that my brother had a layover in Dallas last night. One of the tornadoes went right over his hotel. Everyone had been evacuated to the basement before it hit, and everyone is ok. He was supposed to fly out today, but the airport is closed. More tornadoes are expected in the Dallas-Fort Worth area today.

I haven't told any of this to my mother. Probably not a good idea right now.

Good choice, katiesue! :snap:

It's also a reminder to me (and hopefully others) to have and evacuation plan. We do get earthquakes and fires here. I need to make sure I grab all Maddie's supplies etc. You'd hope you'd be able to replace them if needed but what if it takes days? Without insulin she doesn't have days.

I've got an emergency kit of her stuff, I also use it for travel, that I can just grab along with all the pods, lancets, strips and insulin I can carry. Hopefully I'll never need to use them.

My friends posted pictures of the tornado less than a half mile from their house. WTF were they doing NOT being in the basement?

He's still there. Weather conditions are unsafe for flying.

Also, several planes were damaged by hail last night.

If I were in the area of a tornado and Lani wasn't there to force the issue, i'd probably outside taking pictures when the 2x4 when through my gut.

For those who missed GN's Tweet with the before and after street view.

So, have the religious nutjobs taken credit for the storms yet?

Or blamed The Gays

But why is God punishing the areas with high populations of Christians and anti-gay sentiment while not destroying Vegas or SF?

A sense of humor?

I hear he has a sick one.

I watched a chicken coop get obliterated by a tornado when I was a lot younger. Damn I wish I had a camera then.