Joplin Missouri Hammered Hard by tornadoes!

Hoping someone can help me here. There is a manufacturing plant called Cliffstar. I believe it's on Enterprise ave. in Joplin. My husband has been there many times to work on the machinery & his company tried contacting everyone affiliated with the company today to see how they fared & were not able to get anyone at all....Any news at all on This company...Thanks to anyone that can help

Just throwing in a link again for those who may not have it handy for the Joplin police scanner online:

Click here for police scanner in Joplin

They've been getting hit by storms and, yes, a police officer was struck by lightning.

And here's the link to the local radio station:
(EDIT TO ADD... apparently the radio feed is now re-routed to some other broadcast)

USTREAM live emergency feed from Joplin

Originally posted by j.r.c.b.
Hoping someone can help me here. There is a manufacturing plant called Cliffstar. I believe it's on Enterprise ave. in Joplin. My husband has been there many times to work on the machinery & his company tried contacting everyone affiliated with the company today to see how they fared & were not able to get anyone at all....Any news at all on This company...Thanks to anyone that can help

Cliffstar is fine. I used to work there! I just confirmed with a friend, it was far enough North to not be affected. Cliffstar is more in Webb City than Joplin.

What company did he work for? If it was US Bottlers, then I am certain I worked with him many times.

reply to post by getreadyalready


whew! good to hear. The hubs flies out from NJ. Garvey corp.....Thank you

I got to about page 19 and I just decided to go ahead and post. They are reporting about the Joplin tornados here in Kansas City. Channel 5 has a whole special about the Joplin Tornados. If you live in Kansas City,Mo or Ks tune into KCTV channel 5 for more info.
Tommorrow the meteorlogist here are calling for possible overnight tornados here in Kansas City,MO. I know after what happened in Joplin,Mo I am scared. Does anyone who has been through a tornado have any tips for me?
My sister is going to spend the night with my one year old nephew I just feel like if this happens to me I don't want to make a fatal mistake for their sake.
My heart goes out to those in Joplin because it could very well be me tommorrow.
By the way if a tornado comes through KCMO tommorrow I may not be able to post righ away but will start a post about it when I can. I think this is very important to keep track of these type of storms because I believe our climate is voilently changing. We will see more voilence in our future so we need to know how to survive and what to do etc.

Dont know what to say or do at this point. Just checking in and still only on page 15, trying to catch up on the thread and the dire situation in Joplin and surrounding areas.

Trying to prepare as best I can for my family here as we are expecting severe storms tomorrow that could be even more intense than what we saw last night.

Am hoping the scanner links are still up and running but I suppose they are probably offline so as to keep the situation silent from public ears.

Thanks to everyone who is bringing the latest "real" news to our humbled forum.

God Bless

THIS IS SO SAD AND TOTALY INSANE THAT THIS HAPPEND

reply to post by dreamseeker


If you hear the roar of a train, or feel the house or floor start to rumble, cover up immediately. Interior room without windows is best. Under a staircase, in a bathtub, put a blanket or a mattress over you. You can even turn a couch upside down and hide in the little tunnel it forms. Take a whistle, a flashlight, and maybe a bottle of water if you have time to collect that stuff up. A whistle and flashlight can help you get rescued and a bottle of water might keep you alive an extra day or two.

Most important things are stay away from doors and windows, cover up with whatever you can find, blanket, coat, mattress, whatever.

If you take a direct hit from one this strong, your only hope is really prayer, but direct hits from extremely powerful tornadoes are so rare, that you shouldn't really worry. I have been through hundreds of tornado warnings, and dozens of tornadoes in very close proximity and it has always been kind of fun. Something like what hit Joplin is so very rare, you just can't really waste time worrying about that.

TN warning west of OKC, its not over by a long shot.

www.kfor.com...

reply to post by dreamseeker


While I was typing that reply, my buddy said they just found his grandpa. He was fine, he sat in the middle of his living room, in a dining room chair, with a blanket over him, and his entire house just lifted off and flew away! He was sitting there in the chair and when it got quiet, he uncovered and he didn't have a scratch.....or a house?

Tornadoes are so unpredictable. He also told me that two of his buddies were working in a pizza place and when the sirens went off they went outside to watch. Two others from the crew went and hid in the cooler as instructed. When it got really bad, the two outside couldn't get away fast enough, so they just hunkered down and held onto one another. They came through with just a few cuts, they ran back to look for their coworkers, and the big cooler was just gone. They have no idea if their coworkers are ok or not, but they are thinking probably not.

I haven't read the posts from after i went to bed this morning But I'll give an update on the information i have heard this afternoon.

Current Death toll is confirmed at 116
7 people have been rescued today despite the rounds of severe weather that has target Joplin again today.
The initial estimate of the strength of the tornado is an EF4 with 190-198 MPH winds. the nation weather service is saying they may increase the strength to an EF-5 tornado after they review all the damage.
Initial estimate of the size of the tornado is 1/2 to 3/4 mile wide.
the tornado ripped a 6 mile long path of destruction through the city.
as for lead time warning we got about 20 minutes warning.
The local school district has cancelled school for the rest of the school year.
first responders came from as far away as Kansas City last night. they were on scene in Joplin by 9PM
265 members of the missouri nationl guard are currently in the city of joplin with another 450 members on ready stand by.
There has been some looting in the damaged areas, local law enforcement is quickly putting a stop to any looting! part of the 265 members of the mo guard in joplin are MP's they are assisting local law enforcement secure properties. And i agree with the Governor of Missouri we will not tolerate looting!
president Obama declared a federal disaster area early this morning. the assist director of FEMA is in Joplin surveying the damage and FEMA will have boots on the ground by tomorrow morning assisting the city of Joplin with anything they need to aid in the search and rescue efforts.

Dozens of shelters are open to anyone affected by yesterday's tornado.
People are lining up at north park mall to donate blood. O negative blood is in high demand.
the Carthage high school class of 2011 just donated all the money they collected for their project graduation to help the people of the City of Joplin
donations and condolences are pouring in from across the country.
the Governor of Alabama called the Governor of Missouri this morning offering any assistance he can. the Mayor of one of the hardest hit cities in Alabama Called a local radio station her in Joplin live on the air to express his condolences and an offer of any assistance he could give as well.
the Governors of Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas have also offered to help the city of Joplin in any way they can.
The state of Missouri is expediting and waving fees for over sized load permits for any trucking company that is hauling in heavy equipment for use in the city of joplin.

As for the current weather here in Joplin. we have had several rounds of storms today which have slowed search and rescue operations but have not stopped them.
we are currently under a flash flood warning until wednesday.
the storm prediction center in Norman Oklahoma just upgraded the risk of severe storms for the Joplin area from Moderate to HIGH. and they are predicting another outbreak of sever storms and possibly tornado's again Tuesday.

Right now in Joplin the community is coming together, it is neighbor helping neighbor and together we will get through this very difficult time. we will rebuilt our great city

the tornado yesterday lifted debris 18,000 feet into the air and carried it anywhere from 60-100 east of Joplin.
The National weather service doppler radar in Springfield detected the debris cloud as soon as the tornado struck.

A witness who saw the tornado touchdown west of town yesterday said as soon as the funnel cloud touched down the tornado just exploded in Strength and size.

Originally posted by Cloudsinthesky
reply to post by getreadyalready

 

Just giving an update...........It’s a major search and rescue this AM...............A friend of the family son was driving back from graduation with his father........His dad was on the phone with his wife when they ran into the tornado......their hummer was tossed hundreds of yards……….the father is in surgery..........the son is missing........

There are countless stories like this.....................I have two employees that are not accounted for yet.......

edit on 23-5-2011 by Cloudsinthesky because: (no reason given)

Oh My God, I am so sorry to hear this.

reply to post by dreamseeker


Surviving the one that jsut came through Joplin, do not panic. Be sensible and listen to the weather reports. If you here sirens, take cover lowest point in your house. If you dont have a basement, find an interior room, no windows, and use blankets, towels, cushions etc to help shield you.

If you make it through and are not serisouly injured, do not go to the Hospital, as they will be inundated with people. Try to assist your neighbors and get head counts. This helps first responderrs when they go through house to house in affected areas.

Stay off the roads so emergency services can get around.

Check about getting bottled water and some non perishable food items. We are under a boil order here. When houses get destroyed, it breaks the water connections, causing a loss of pressure in the system. If power is out, water pumps the companies use also go down, so water can be contaminated. When in doubt, boil the water before use.

Get a radio that does not need electricty to keep up to date.

If you have LEO/EMS/First responder skills check with emergency operations center as they usually ask for assistance from trained persons.

Other than that, just remain calm, dont panic and you will do ok.

reply to post by NorthStargal52


We have heard in this thread how some people do not recall any warning sirens going off and others state that they did at least twice before it hit.

One thing discussed which is very important is that for many people who live in the midwest they have become desensitized by the warnings and often do not take serious heed and rather stand out on their porches to watch as the tornadoes roll in, this is dangerous because as we learned in yesterdays disaster, the tornadoes can be wrapped in rain and therefore not even seen until it is too late.

With all of the new storms cropping up over the next 48 hours it is imperative to take extreme cautions and keep abreast of the storms, have your safe place planned out now. It is far better to take shelter and then return home after the all clear is sounded than to be tossed into peril by ignoring the most basic of safety precautions.

Originally posted by Cloudsinthesky
reply to post by getreadyalready

 

My worker just left the office letting me know that her aunt an uncle and her 6 year old step son was lost.......along with his mother who was 8 months with a little girl.........

A couple of hours ago on the emergency radio, I heard the say a woman at 32months broke her water and she had another child with her. They were trying to get her to the hospital. I did not here exactly where it was. Hopefully it turns to good news for you.

The Kansas City affiliate KCTV-5 just reported two police officers were struck by lightning in Joplin a few minutes ago.

The weather forecast isn't looking good for the Joplin area again tomorrow either.

They just can't get a break at the moment.

reply to post by antar


I can verify that the tornado sirens inside the city of Joplin were sounded twice before the tornado hit. the first time the sirens went off was about 20 minutes before the tornado hit. then again about 5 minutes before it hit.

I live on the northeast side of Joplin and i could hear the sirens in Joplin, Webb City both going off atleast 20 minutes before the tornado.
---------------------------

ETA. anyone wondering about the warning system in Joplin after the tornado. The city of Joplin will test the tornado sirens the first chance they get when there aren't any storms in the area.

Also the tornado sirens in Joplin and not connected to the power grid. they use Marine batteries as their power source. during the spring and summer the sirens inside the city of Joplin are tested every monday weather permitting. any siren that doesn't operate during the test is repaired before the next test.

City Officials said earlier today that yes a few sirens were destroyed but there is enough overlap in the placement of sirens that we should still be able to hear the sirens if god forbid they need to be used again.

reply to post by getreadyalready


Thank you for your advice and assurance. More than likely it wont be that bad in KC but you never know.

reply to post by Xcathdra


My apartment is in the basement and the walls are concrete and brick about 6 inches thick. There are windows only on one side. On the other side is a concrete retaining wall to hold back the hill. My apartment is basically built until the side of a hill.
When I looked through the photos at Joplin I noticed that most of the major damage was to small homes or buildings. I am in a three story building so I should be ok.
I noticed that the hospital in Joplin is actually still standing windows are just blown out.