But the devastation in Missouri was the worst of the day, reminiscent of the tornadoes that killed more than 300 people across the South last month.Īmong the worst-hit locations in Joplin was St. The Joplin twister was one of 68 reported tornadoes across seven Midwest states over the weekend, from Oklahoma to Wisconsin, according to the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center. People were forced to weather the assault in bathrooms and bathtubs.

Closer to the tornado zone, it simply looked as if the town had been chewed up in a blender and spit out across miles.įire chief Mitch Randles estimated that as much as one-third of the city was damaged, and said his own home was among the buildings destroyed as the twister swept through this city of about 50,000 people some 160 miles south of Kansas City.įormer Mayor Gary Shaw said Joplin looked like a war zone.Įmergency sirens went off 20 minutes before the tornado hit, but many of the homes in the area, built in the 1960s, do not have basements. To one observer approaching the town Monday, evidence of the wreckage began with obvious debris amid an eerie calm on the outskirts of town. One man retrieved a file cabinet from a crawlspace that opened to reveal a treasure chest of personal papers. Some survivors searched for what could be salvaged from homes that seemed totally destroyed. Heavy equipment helped move some debris while volunteers wearing gloves picked through more fragile scenes of destruction. The search was on for survivors Monday, with more than 1,500 volunteers helping police, firefighters and other first responders.

Even people who've lived here for years and years are having trouble finding their way around because the street signs are gone and nothing looks familiar.

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