Joplin Missouri Hammered Hard by tornadoes!

Rainbow and lightening

Hi guys.
Haven't read through the thread yet, so I don't know if this has been posted yet. I will be going back to read after I post this, it was just so very cool I thought everyone might like to see it.

Probably be back later after some reading.

Love and best wishes to anyone out there, or with loved ones in the area.

I just keep sitting here glued to this thread, it is truly a disaster of monumental proportions. I feel for our Members out there doing what they can for search and rescue as well as all of the members who have been personally affected by this tragedy.

Weather you are sitting warm and cozy on another side of the world, I know that we are here together on this and that there is no distance between us when something like this happens.

ATS is truly a microcosm of our shared planet and there is such vital information collected here that cannot be found anywhere else on the web or through the media.

This is not the first time nor will it be the last.

As my good friend said back in 85, "Think Locally, Act Globally"

Today it is the Midwest USA, tomorrow who knows?

reply to post by antar


I work for the company that used to own St Johns before they were sold to the mercy system. There is still a lot of contact between employees, and we heard today that the building was knocked off it's foundation by the tornado. This is a 6 story concrete building. We were also told their backup generators were cartwheeling in the parking lot, and if you've seen one of those you know they are neither small nor light. Crazy.

My boss relocated to Kentucky when St Johns was sold and he was rushing back last night to help with clean up. I have not heard back from him yet but apparently his family is okay.

Holy crumb! 20 minutes warning, that is absolutely insane. More storms possible...I am at a loss for words.

Antar, you are right, this could be anywhere in the USA, all areas seem to be getting their fair share of disaster lately. This is just so sudden, 20 minute warning, just WOW.

reply to post by dreamseeker


The hill will help a lot, but the hospital they keep showing used to be 1 to 5 stories taller! it isn't intact. some sections lost 5 stories, and the whole thing lost at least 1 story.

Not to scare you, LOL! Being in the side of a hill will help a bunch!

Originally posted by pop_science
Deadly Tornados Strike Again


The link above hold some tragic photos of the damage and the people who have been effected.

I couldn't help but cry while looking at them.
My heart hurts and aches for them and I wish there was something I could do.
I just can't take the suffering of others anymore.

I just don't know what to say, My heart goes out to them and that they find some hope or peace after this event.

Thanks for that Pop Science...Really heartbreaking.

But I'm here to bring to the attention of all here:

Check out photo #23.

If that isn't a HAARP cloud formation I'll eat my hat!

If it IS a Haarp formation, then what's going on here is GENOCIDE!

reply to post by getreadyalready


My family and I have never experienced such a devastating situation first hand. I can not even begin to imagine how it would feel to go through something like this.

I really have no idea what to say in a situation like this. It seems like no words can even begin to make anything better. The only thing I have is a heart and thoughts full of love for the women, men, and children in that area.

But I do want to take a minute to thank those like Antar (i hope i spelled that right), Getreadyalready, Clouds, and the others for taking the time to try and keep information flowing for everyone else.

It may seem terrible to read and watch such detailed accounts of what has happened, but it may help others in the future know what to do and what to expect if this ever happens to them. Sometimes a person just can not fathom the sheer size and impact of a disater until they have lived through it or have seen it with their own eyes via the documentation of someone else.

The information which you all are providing now is not only helping people in this current situation, but also could very well save a life in a future one.

My heart goes out to the people of Joplin, and the other tornado-hit areas. It makes me everlastingly grateful all I have to worry about in Northern Michigan is the occasional Ice storm or a snowstorm. Damn am I lucky.

Thank you God.

Here is a rough idea for those not in this area. The Hospital is in the lower left, near 32nd. In the middle of the Map is Joplin High school, and on your far right (US 71/Rangeline) is where the Walmart and Home Depot were.

The area inside the lines has heavy damage. Areas outside are also damaged, but structures are still standing. This is NOT AN OFFICAL MAP or description of damage, as there are houses inside the red that are intact.

This is to ONLY SERVE as a visual guide to see the extent of damage sustained. Total distance is about 5-7 miles from left to right give or take.

Freman Hospital is just across the street from St. Johns Regional (lower left).

Large map, scroll left to right to see entire picture. Last I heard its like a 30 block radius.

NOT OFFICAL - VISUAL GUIDE ONLY

Originally posted by dreamseeker
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.

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

Here are several tips from an experienced tornado survivor

#1. always be aware of the weather, especially during the spring or any hot muggy mornings. it could be the only thing that saved your life if unaware
#2.never trust anything other than a full underground tornado shelter or cellar. Basements do not provide overhead coverage, because large tornadoes can pull your house off the foundation and suck you and your family out of the basement.

#3. If you do not have a personal storm shelter, go find the largest building you can that's open to the public 24/7 and has a steel and concrete re-enforced basement, like a major hospital, and head to their basement in the center of the building as quickly as you can get there. i always try to get there 30 minutes before a storm moves in, so I'm not placing myself in jeopardy by not giving myself enough time.

#4. spend your spring in new mexico

reply to post by Xcathdra


TY Xcathdra this helps greatly! My husband is just stunned...He had to travel out there at least 3 times & the hotel his company put him up in was in the line of destruction. Thankfully he didn't have to be there while this went down. He's worried about all the wonderful people he met out there....Again, I can't thank you all enough for the info you are providing us & PLEASE stay safe!

reply to post by getreadyalready


the entire building that was St. John's is still there. there are no floors missing! The pictures that people see online of St. Johns are a little deceiving. all the pictures are either from the north side of the building or the northwest corner of the building where its looks smaller than it is. If you can find pictures of St. John's taken from the south side of the building looking north you will see it is just as tall as it was before. Well minus a few sections of the Roof which are missing.

All the damage to St. John's is the windows were blown out. and fires broke out after the tornado.

And to whoever said the tornado knocked the hospital off its foundation you are sadly mistaken. it was not knocked off its foundation. if it would have been knocked off its foundation none of the hospital would be standing after the tornado. and the death toll at St. John's would have been higher than 5 patients killed at the hospital.

reply to post by getreadyalready


Yes I just looked up a picture of ST John's hospital before it was taller. I don't know why more apartment complexes don't have severe storm shelters. I wonder after this diaster will the cities pass a law that all apartment complexes and mobile homes must have tornado shelters. How many do we have to lose before this lesson is finally learned?

reply to post by dreamseeker


What others have said so far is the best advice. Have your safe place planned out, and if possible, have a bottle or two of water with some non-perishable food. A radio that runs off of batteries, a flashlight, and a small/basic first aid kit are also must haves. Another thing to consider is to have important documents like your birth certificate and social security card in your safe place ahead of time if you know that a severe storm is coming. That way, if god forbid your house is destroyed, the odds are higher that your will still have those documents.

I personally have a small box with things that are very important to me ready to go if I need it. Things like some pictures of my family and my class ring from high school. Just a few things that are easy to carry and that do not take up much space. I also have three cats, so all three have their own carrier that I can stuff them into if we have to take shelter. They don't like it, but I don't really care. I'd rather have them in a safer place than blown away by a storm.

Above all, if something does happen, try and remain calm. If you only have time to do one thing before a storm hits, then run to your safe place. Don't worry about the things I have listed unless you have the luxury of time to do so.

reply to post by Mercenary2012


The stories coming in and out are pretty sketchy, but the news was reporting one story gone, and my buddy's girlfriend, who was there that night, said 5 stories were missing. I didn't really believe 5 stories could come off with only 5 fatalities, but she was adamant about it, and she was there that night, so I can't really dispute her account.

They are also saying the structure is a total loss, so it is a lot more damage than just windows.

reply to post by Mercenary2012


The death count at the Hospital is more than 5, the 8th and 9th floors are structureally compromised, and there is structeral damage in the basement. My info is first hand.

There are no windows left.. There are partial collapses of walls inside the structure. The Hospital as a whole is still standing, but not able to be occupied by anyone.

Check out this Stunning Rainbow after Joplin Tornado: www.youtube.com...

i only heard 5 patients died. i haven't heard of any staff deaths but I'm sure the total number of fatalities at the hospital will be higher.

MY info about the size of the hospital is first hand as well. I should have said that the entire outside of the building was still there minus the windows and a few sections of the roof.
I'm not a first responder so i could not enter the hospital. but a first hand account from a joplin firefighter that was in St. Johns was only portions of the 9th floor collapsed down to the 8th floor. the 8th and 9th floors are not patient floors they are offices for out patient services.
Also only the west tower has 9 floors not the entire hospital..

it took the first responders 90 minutes to evac the hospital they removed all 189 patients that were in the hospital when the tornado hit at last report from the hospital officials.

yes the structure is a total loss and St. Johns will have to rebuild.

reply to post by Mercenary2012


It was a mess... There is a patient section on one of the upper floors, and they were evacuated just before the tornado hit. There is a partial collapse on those 2 floors, and we have been restricted from entering by the Fire Marshall (as of last night). There is internal damge throughout the Hospital, and some of the lower floors had celiling collapses / debris breakthroughs.

Emergency services did several walkthroughs of each floor to ensure they were cleared out. Death toll at the Hospital was more than 5 people (inside and parking lot area).

Either way, its bad. In addition to that damage, the mass storage tanks of Oxygen was compromised on the outside of the main hosptial and one of the support buildings. We had several cars thrown into the loading docks or tossed across the parking lot.

Ignoring the media view they keep showing, if you are on campus looking at the South main entrance, look up to the patient tower and you can see the failure on the 8th and 9th floors. You can also see the compromise on the 5th floor as well.

After going through the place I am amazed the count was as low as it was. Hospital staff did an amazing job stabalizing and removing patients in the manner they did. The number who volunteered to go to the other hospitals to assist with the increase in patient load was amazing as well. Freeman had over 100 volunteers.

Originally posted by anumohi

Originally posted by dreamseeker
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.

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

Here are several tips from an experienced tornado survivor

#1. always be aware of the weather, especially during the spring or any hot muggy mornings. it could be the only thing that saved your life if unaware
#2.never trust anything other than a full underground tornado shelter or cellar. Basements do not provide overhead coverage, because large tornadoes can pull your house off the foundation and suck you and your family out of the basement.

#3. If you do not have a personal storm shelter, go find the largest building you can that's open to the public 24/7 and has a steel and concrete re-enforced basement, like a major hospital, and head to their basement in the center of the building as quickly as you can get there. i always try to get there 30 minutes before a storm moves in, so I'm not placing myself in jeopardy by not giving myself enough time.

#4. spend your spring in new mexico

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

Thanks for the heads up on these nifty tips! I know what you mean about those hot, muggy, humid mornings. While I've never dealt with a tornado before, I've faced some nasty storms just short of that-that happened later in the day of said mornings.