2011 Joplin tornado
Encyclopedia
The 2011 Joplin tornado was a devastating EF5
multiple-vortex tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri
, USA
late in the afternoon of Sunday, May 22, 2011. It was part of a larger late-May tornado outbreak sequence
and reached a maximum width of in excess of 1 miles (1.6 km) during its path through the southern part of the city. It rapidly intensified and tracked eastward across the city, and then continued eastward across Interstate 44
into rural portions of Jasper County
and Newton County. This was the third tornado to strike Joplin since May 1971. Along with the Tri-State Tornado
and the 1896 St. Louis-East St. Louis tornado
, it ranks as one of Missouri's and America's deadliest tornadoes and is also the costliest single tornado in US history; the cost to rebuild Joplin could reach $3 billion. It was the first F5 or EF5 tornado in Missouri since the Ruskin Heights tornado struck south of Kansas City in 1957. It is also only the second F5 or EF5 tornado in Missouri history dating back to 1950. The May 2011 tornado was the deadliest tornado to hit the United States since 1947 - the seventh-deadliest single tornado in U.S. history, and 27th-deadliest in World history. As of July 8, officials reported that at least 159, and possibly as many as 162 people died from the tornado, with another killed by a lightning strike during cleanup operations the next day.
The insurance payout is expected to be $2.2 billion—the highest insurance payout in Missouri history and higher than the previous record of $2 billion in the April 10, 2001 hail storm (which has been billed as the costliest hail storm in history as it swept along the I-70 corridor from Kansas to Illinois). Estimates earlier stated Joplin damage could be $3 billion. Through July 15, 2011, there were 16,656 claims.
office in Springfield, Missouri
, began on May 23. The initial survey confirmed a violent tornado rated as a high-end EF4. Subsequent damage surveys, however, found evidence of more intense damage, and so the tornado was upgraded to an EF5 with estimated winds over 200 mi/h, peaking at 225 to 250 mph (362 to 402 km/h).
The tornado initially touched down just east of the Kansas state line near the end of 32nd Street (37.056958°N 94.588423°W) at 5:34 p.m. CDT (2234 UTC) and tracked just north of due east. Damage was minor in the rural areas southwest of Joplin, with only minor tree damage. As the tornado tracked into the southwest corner of Joplin near Twin Hills Country Club, damage was generally moderate with some severe damage. Many houses sustained significant damage in the area, including total roof loss. Damage in that area was rated EF2 to EF3.
The tornado intensified greatly as it entered a more densely populated portion of the city at about 5:41 p.m. CDT (2241 UTC) and damage became very widespread and catastrophic as it entered residential subdivisions in southwest Joplin. In addition, St. John's Regional Medical Center
(37.060554°N 94.530938°W) in the same area was heavily damaged with many windows and the exterior walls damaged and the upper floors destroyed. Several fatalities were reported there. While it has been reported that the entire hospital was shifted 4 inches (101.6 mm) off its foundation, the hospital's president has been unable to confirm this as fact. Virtually every house in that area near McClelland Boulevard and 26th Street was flattened, and some were blown away in the area as well. Trees sustained severe debarking
, a nursing home and a church school in southwest Joplin were also flattened and several other schools were heavily damaged. At and just north of St. John's is the beginning of the EF5 damage corridor, with EF4 damage elsewhere in the area.
As the tornado tracked eastward, it intensified even more as it crossed Main Street between 20th and 26th Streets. Virtually every business along that stretch was heavily damaged or destroyed and several institutional buildings were destroyed. It tracked just south of downtown, narrowly missing it. More houses were flattened or blown away and trees continued to be debarked. Two large apartment buildings were destroyed, as well as Franklin Technology Center and Joplin High School
. No one was in the high school at the time and the high school graduation
ceremonies held about 3 miles (4.8 km) to the north at Missouri Southern State University
had concluded shortly before the storm. It approached Range Line Road, the main commercial strip in the eastern part of Joplin, near 20th Street. Damage in this area was rated as a low-end EF5.
The tornado peaked in intensity as it crossed Range Line Road. In that corridor between about 13th and 32nd Streets (37.05528°N 94.478452°W), the damage continued to be very intense and the tornado was at its widest at this point, being nearly 1 miles (1.6 km) wide. As the tornado hit the Pizza Hut
at 1901 South Range Line Road (37.070451°N 94.477272°W) store manager Christopher Lucas herded four employees and 15 customers into a walk in freezer. Since the door could not be shut Lucas wrapped a bungee cable holding the door shut around his arm until being sucked into the tornado where he died. Some of the many severely affected buildings include Walmart Supercenter #59, a Home Depot store, and numerous other restaurants, all of which were flattened. Engineers later criticized the tilt up construction practice in the Home Depot in which all but two of its walls collapsed in domino effect
after the tornado lifted the roof—killing seven people in the front of the store although 28 people in the back of the store survived when those walls collapsed outwards. The Walmart and nearby Academy Sports had a different concrete block construction and their walls survived although they lost their roofs. Three people died in the Walmart but 200 survived. Home Depot officials said they disagreed with the study published by The Kansas City Star
and said they would use the tilt up practice when they rebuild the Joplin store. Heavy objects, including concrete bumpers and large trucks, were tossed a significant distance, as far as 1/8 mile (200 m) away from the parking lots along Range Line. Many fatalities occurred in this area. Damage in this area was rated as a high-end EF5.
Extreme damage continued in the area of Duquesne Road in southeast Joplin. Many houses and industrial and commercial buildings were flattened in this area as well. The industrial park near the corner of 20th and Duquesne was especially hard hit with nearly every building flattened. One of the many warehouses affected was a Cummins
warehouse, which was a concrete block and steel building which was destroyed. Damage in this area was mostly rated EF4, with the EF5 damage area ending in the western part of the industrial park.
It then continued on an east to east-southeast trajectory towards Interstate 44
where it weakened; nonetheless, vehicles were flipped and mangled near the U.S. Route 71
(Exit 11) interchange. The weakened tornado continued to track into the rural areas of southeastern Jasper County
and northeastern Newton County where damage was generally minor to moderate. The tornado lifted east of Diamond
at 6:12 p.m. CDT (2312 UTC) according to aerial surveys. The tornado's total track length was at least 22.1 miles (35.6 km) long. A separate EF2 tornado touched down near Wentworth
from the same supercell about 25 miles (40.2 km) east-southeast of Joplin.
Many people were reported to have been trapped in destroyed houses. Seventeen people were rescued from the rubble the day after the tornado struck.
According to the local branch of the American Red Cross
, about 25% of Joplin was destroyed, but the town's emergency manager stated that the number was between 10% and 20%, with roughly 2,000 buildings destroyed. According to the National Weather Service, emergency managers reported damage to 75% of Joplin. Communications were lost in the community and power was knocked out to many areas. In total, nearly 7,000 houses were destroyed (most of which were flattened or blown away) and over 850 others were damaged.
The catastrophe and risk modeling firm Eqecat, Inc. has estimated the damage at one billion to three billion USD, but noted that the true damage is not yet known, since the firm does not have access to data on uninsured losses.
The Missouri Emergency Management Agency reported more than 990 injured. Out of 146 sets of remains recovered from the rubble, 134 victims had been positively identified on June 1. Due to the horrific injuries suffered by some victims, some different sets of remains were from a single person. On June 2 it was announced that four more victims had died. It was the deadliest U.S. tornado since that of April 9, 1947 in Woodward, Oklahoma
and surrounding locations, and the seventh deadliest tornado in U.S. history. It was also the first single tornado since the June 8, 1953 tornado in Flint, Michigan
, to have 100 or more associated fatalities.
Six people were killed when the hospital was struck by the tornado. Five of those deaths were patients on ventilators who died after the building lost power and a backup generator did not work. The sixth fatality was a hospital visitor.
The Joplin Globe reported that 54 percent of the people died in their residences, 32 percent died in non-residential areas and 14 percent died in vehicles or outdoors. Joplin officials after the tornado announced plans to require hurricane ties or other fasteners between the houses and their foundation (devices add about $600 to the construction costs). Officials rejected a proposal to require concrete basements in new houses. Officials noted that only 28 percent of Joplin's new homes had basements as of 2009 compared with 38 percent two decades before.
In addition to the deaths directly attributed to the tornado a Riverside, Missouri
police officer assisting in the response was killed on May 23 a day after when he was struck by lightning.
Officials said they rescued 944 pets and reunited 292 with owners.
On 10 June 2011, it was announced that a week after the tornado, a rare fungal infection, Zygomycosis, has been noted to cause at least eight serious cases of wound infection among the injured survivors, confirmed by reports to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
declared a state of emergency
for the Joplin area shortly after the tornado hit, and ordered Missouri National Guard
troops to the city. By May 23, Missouri Task Force One
(consisting of 85 personnel, four dogs, and heavy equipment) arrived and began searching for missing persons. Five heavy rescue teams were also sent to the city a day later. Within two days, numerous agencies arrived to assist residents in the recovery process. The National Guard
deployed 191 personnel and placed 2,000 more on standby to be deployed if needed. In addition, the Missouri State Highway Patrol
provided 180 troopers to assist the Joplin Police Department
and other local agencies with law enforcement, rescue, and recovery efforts which also included the deployment of five ambulance strike teams, and a total of 25 ambulances in the affected area on May 24.
With communications down, temporary cell towers had to be constructed. By May 24, three towers owned by AT&T and Sprint
had been restored.
East of Joplin, a Risk Management Plan facility released 3000 to 5000 lb (1,360.8 to 2,268 kg) of anhydrous ammonia
; it was contained within two days.
President Barack Obama
toured the community on May 29, flying into Joplin Regional Airport
and speaking at a memorial at the Taylor Performing Arts Center at Missouri Southern State University
about two miles (3 km) north of the worst of the devastation. Obama had been on a state visit to Europe at the time of the storm. Members of the controversial Westboro Baptist Church
were also scheduled to protest the same day in Joplin, but they did not show up. There was a massive counter protest that was organized in response to the Westboro protest, in which thousands of protesters showed up holding signs saying, "God Loves Joplin" and "We Support You Joplin."
On June 1 Home Depot said it would have a new temporary 30000 square feet (2,787.1 m²) building built and operational within two weeks. In the meantime, it had opened for business in the parking lot of its demolished building. On June 20 it opened a temporary 60000 square feet (5,574.2 m²) building constructed by Home Depot’s disaster recovery team.
More than 17,000 insurance
claims had been filed by mid-June. The impact on the insurance industry is not so much the number of claims, but the cumulative effect of such a large number of total losses. More than 2500 local people employed in insurance have been involved in some capacity. It is assumed that State Farm
will assume the largest share of these losses, having market share of 27% for homeowners insurance and 21% for automobile insurance.
Enhanced Fujita Scale
The Enhanced Fujita Scale rates the strength of tornadoes in the United States based on the damage they cause.Implemented in place of the Fujita scale introduced in 1971 by Ted Fujita, it began operational use on February 1, 2007. The scale has the same basic design as the original Fujita scale:...
multiple-vortex tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri
Joplin, Missouri
Joplin is a city in southern Jasper County and northern Newton County in the southwestern corner of the US state of Missouri. Joplin is the largest city in Jasper County, though it is not the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 50,150...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
late in the afternoon of Sunday, May 22, 2011. It was part of a larger late-May tornado outbreak sequence
Tornado outbreak sequence
A tornado outbreak sequence is a period of continuous or nearly continuous high tornado activity consisting of a series of tornado outbreaks over multiple days with no or very few days lacking tornado outbreaks....
and reached a maximum width of in excess of 1 miles (1.6 km) during its path through the southern part of the city. It rapidly intensified and tracked eastward across the city, and then continued eastward across Interstate 44
Interstate 44
Interstate 44 is a major highway in the central United States. Its western terminus is in Wichita Falls, Texas at a concurrency with US 277, US 281 and US 287; its eastern terminus is at the Illinois state line on the Poplar Street Bridge over the Mississippi River in St...
into rural portions of Jasper County
Jasper County, Missouri
Jasper County is a county located in the US state of Missouri. It is included in the Joplin, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. The 2010 total population of Jasper County was 117,404. It is the ninth most populous county in Missouri. Its county seat is Carthage, making it one of the few...
and Newton County. This was the third tornado to strike Joplin since May 1971. Along with the Tri-State Tornado
Tri-State Tornado
The Tri-State Tornado of Wednesday, March 18, 1925, was the deadliest tornado in U.S. history. With 695 confirmed fatalities, the tornado killed more than twice as many as the second deadliest, the 1840 Great Natchez Tornado...
and the 1896 St. Louis-East St. Louis tornado
St. Louis-East St. Louis Tornado
The 1896 St. Louis – East St. Louis tornado is a historic tornado event that occurred on Wednesday, May 27, 1896, as part of a major tornado outbreak across the Central United States on the 27th, continuing across the Eastern United States on the 28th. One of the deadliest and most...
, it ranks as one of Missouri's and America's deadliest tornadoes and is also the costliest single tornado in US history; the cost to rebuild Joplin could reach $3 billion. It was the first F5 or EF5 tornado in Missouri since the Ruskin Heights tornado struck south of Kansas City in 1957. It is also only the second F5 or EF5 tornado in Missouri history dating back to 1950. The May 2011 tornado was the deadliest tornado to hit the United States since 1947 - the seventh-deadliest single tornado in U.S. history, and 27th-deadliest in World history. As of July 8, officials reported that at least 159, and possibly as many as 162 people died from the tornado, with another killed by a lightning strike during cleanup operations the next day.
The insurance payout is expected to be $2.2 billion—the highest insurance payout in Missouri history and higher than the previous record of $2 billion in the April 10, 2001 hail storm (which has been billed as the costliest hail storm in history as it swept along the I-70 corridor from Kansas to Illinois). Estimates earlier stated Joplin damage could be $3 billion. Through July 15, 2011, there were 16,656 claims.
Impact
A preliminary survey of the tornado damage by the National Weather ServiceNational Weather Service
The National Weather Service , once known as the Weather Bureau, is one of the six scientific agencies that make up the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration of the United States government...
office in Springfield, Missouri
Springfield, Missouri
Springfield is the third largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri and the county seat of Greene County. According to the 2010 census data, the population was 159,498, an increase of 5.2% since the 2000 census. The Springfield Metropolitan Area, population 436,712, includes the counties of...
, began on May 23. The initial survey confirmed a violent tornado rated as a high-end EF4. Subsequent damage surveys, however, found evidence of more intense damage, and so the tornado was upgraded to an EF5 with estimated winds over 200 mi/h, peaking at 225 to 250 mph (362 to 402 km/h).
The tornado initially touched down just east of the Kansas state line near the end of 32nd Street (37.056958°N 94.588423°W) at 5:34 p.m. CDT (2234 UTC) and tracked just north of due east. Damage was minor in the rural areas southwest of Joplin, with only minor tree damage. As the tornado tracked into the southwest corner of Joplin near Twin Hills Country Club, damage was generally moderate with some severe damage. Many houses sustained significant damage in the area, including total roof loss. Damage in that area was rated EF2 to EF3.
The tornado intensified greatly as it entered a more densely populated portion of the city at about 5:41 p.m. CDT (2241 UTC) and damage became very widespread and catastrophic as it entered residential subdivisions in southwest Joplin. In addition, St. John's Regional Medical Center
St. John's Regional Medical Center (Missouri)
St. John's Regional Medical Center is a hospital in Joplin, Missouri, USA.-History:The hospital was founded on October 24, 1896, by the Sisters of Mercy. The facility was expanded in 1968 to include two connecting buildings of seven and nine floors....
(37.060554°N 94.530938°W) in the same area was heavily damaged with many windows and the exterior walls damaged and the upper floors destroyed. Several fatalities were reported there. While it has been reported that the entire hospital was shifted 4 inches (101.6 mm) off its foundation, the hospital's president has been unable to confirm this as fact. Virtually every house in that area near McClelland Boulevard and 26th Street was flattened, and some were blown away in the area as well. Trees sustained severe debarking
Debarking
Devocalization is a surgical procedure applied to dogs and cats, where tissue is removed from the animal’s vocal cords in order to permanently reduce the volume of their vocalizations...
, a nursing home and a church school in southwest Joplin were also flattened and several other schools were heavily damaged. At and just north of St. John's is the beginning of the EF5 damage corridor, with EF4 damage elsewhere in the area.
As the tornado tracked eastward, it intensified even more as it crossed Main Street between 20th and 26th Streets. Virtually every business along that stretch was heavily damaged or destroyed and several institutional buildings were destroyed. It tracked just south of downtown, narrowly missing it. More houses were flattened or blown away and trees continued to be debarked. Two large apartment buildings were destroyed, as well as Franklin Technology Center and Joplin High School
Joplin High School
Joplin High School is a public high school in Joplin, Jasper County, Missouri, USA. The first high school was founded in 1888 and was located where the current Memorial Hall now stands on 8th and Joplin Ave. In 2010, JHS had a student population of 2,223 students in grades 9-12...
. No one was in the high school at the time and the high school graduation
Graduation
Graduation is the action of receiving or conferring an academic degree or the ceremony that is sometimes associated, where students become Graduates. Before the graduation, candidates are referred to as Graduands. The date of graduation is often called degree day. The graduation itself is also...
ceremonies held about 3 miles (4.8 km) to the north at Missouri Southern State University
Missouri Southern State University
Missouri Southern State University is a public, state university located in Joplin, Missouri. Missouri Southern State University was formerly Missouri Southern State College and is also known as Missouri Southern, MSSU, or MoSo for short. Established in 1937 as Joplin Junior College, Missouri...
had concluded shortly before the storm. It approached Range Line Road, the main commercial strip in the eastern part of Joplin, near 20th Street. Damage in this area was rated as a low-end EF5.
The tornado peaked in intensity as it crossed Range Line Road. In that corridor between about 13th and 32nd Streets (37.05528°N 94.478452°W), the damage continued to be very intense and the tornado was at its widest at this point, being nearly 1 miles (1.6 km) wide. As the tornado hit the Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut is an American restaurant chain and international franchise that offers different styles of pizza along with side dishes including pasta, buffalo wings, breadsticks, and garlic bread....
at 1901 South Range Line Road (37.070451°N 94.477272°W) store manager Christopher Lucas herded four employees and 15 customers into a walk in freezer. Since the door could not be shut Lucas wrapped a bungee cable holding the door shut around his arm until being sucked into the tornado where he died. Some of the many severely affected buildings include Walmart Supercenter #59, a Home Depot store, and numerous other restaurants, all of which were flattened. Engineers later criticized the tilt up construction practice in the Home Depot in which all but two of its walls collapsed in domino effect
Domino effect
The domino effect is a chain reaction that occurs when a small change causes a similar change nearby, which then will cause another similar change, and so on in linear sequence. The term is best known as a mechanical effect, and is used as an analogy to a falling row of dominoes...
after the tornado lifted the roof—killing seven people in the front of the store although 28 people in the back of the store survived when those walls collapsed outwards. The Walmart and nearby Academy Sports had a different concrete block construction and their walls survived although they lost their roofs. Three people died in the Walmart but 200 survived. Home Depot officials said they disagreed with the study published by The Kansas City Star
The Kansas City Star
The Kansas City Star is a McClatchy newspaper based in Kansas City, Missouri, in the United States. Published since 1880, the paper is the recipient of eight Pulitzer Prizes...
and said they would use the tilt up practice when they rebuild the Joplin store. Heavy objects, including concrete bumpers and large trucks, were tossed a significant distance, as far as 1/8 mile (200 m) away from the parking lots along Range Line. Many fatalities occurred in this area. Damage in this area was rated as a high-end EF5.
Extreme damage continued in the area of Duquesne Road in southeast Joplin. Many houses and industrial and commercial buildings were flattened in this area as well. The industrial park near the corner of 20th and Duquesne was especially hard hit with nearly every building flattened. One of the many warehouses affected was a Cummins
Cummins
Cummins Inc. is a Fortune 500 corporation that designs, manufactures, distributes and services engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission control and electrical power generation systems...
warehouse, which was a concrete block and steel building which was destroyed. Damage in this area was mostly rated EF4, with the EF5 damage area ending in the western part of the industrial park.
It then continued on an east to east-southeast trajectory towards Interstate 44
Interstate 44
Interstate 44 is a major highway in the central United States. Its western terminus is in Wichita Falls, Texas at a concurrency with US 277, US 281 and US 287; its eastern terminus is at the Illinois state line on the Poplar Street Bridge over the Mississippi River in St...
where it weakened; nonetheless, vehicles were flipped and mangled near the U.S. Route 71
U.S. Route 71
U.S. Route 71 is a north–south United States highway. This original 1926 route has remained largely unchanged by encroaching Interstate highways. Currently, the highway's northern terminus is in International Falls, Minnesota at the Canadian border, at the southern end of the Fort...
(Exit 11) interchange. The weakened tornado continued to track into the rural areas of southeastern Jasper County
Jasper County, Missouri
Jasper County is a county located in the US state of Missouri. It is included in the Joplin, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area. The 2010 total population of Jasper County was 117,404. It is the ninth most populous county in Missouri. Its county seat is Carthage, making it one of the few...
and northeastern Newton County where damage was generally minor to moderate. The tornado lifted east of Diamond
Diamond, Missouri
Diamond is a city in Newton County, Missouri, United States near Joplin, Missouri. The population was 902 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Joplin, Missouri, Metropolitan Statistical Area...
at 6:12 p.m. CDT (2312 UTC) according to aerial surveys. The tornado's total track length was at least 22.1 miles (35.6 km) long. A separate EF2 tornado touched down near Wentworth
Wentworth, Missouri
Wentworth is a village in Newton County, Missouri, United States. The population was 151 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Joplin, Missouri Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:Wentworth is located at ....
from the same supercell about 25 miles (40.2 km) east-southeast of Joplin.
Many people were reported to have been trapped in destroyed houses. Seventeen people were rescued from the rubble the day after the tornado struck.
According to the local branch of the American Red Cross
American Red Cross
The American Red Cross , also known as the American National Red Cross, is a volunteer-led, humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief and education inside the United States. It is the designated U.S...
, about 25% of Joplin was destroyed, but the town's emergency manager stated that the number was between 10% and 20%, with roughly 2,000 buildings destroyed. According to the National Weather Service, emergency managers reported damage to 75% of Joplin. Communications were lost in the community and power was knocked out to many areas. In total, nearly 7,000 houses were destroyed (most of which were flattened or blown away) and over 850 others were damaged.
The catastrophe and risk modeling firm Eqecat, Inc. has estimated the damage at one billion to three billion USD, but noted that the true damage is not yet known, since the firm does not have access to data on uninsured losses.
Casualties
As of September 15, 2011, the official death toll from the tornado is 162 known deaths directly linked to the tornado. In addition to the tornado deaths, a policeman was struck by lightning and killed while assisting with recovery and cleanup efforts the day after the storm. Shortly after the tornado, authorities had listed 1,300 people as missing, but the number quickly dwindled as they were accounted for.The Missouri Emergency Management Agency reported more than 990 injured. Out of 146 sets of remains recovered from the rubble, 134 victims had been positively identified on June 1. Due to the horrific injuries suffered by some victims, some different sets of remains were from a single person. On June 2 it was announced that four more victims had died. It was the deadliest U.S. tornado since that of April 9, 1947 in Woodward, Oklahoma
Woodward, Oklahoma
Woodward is a city in and the county seat of Woodward County, Oklahoma, United States. It is the largest city in a nine-county area. The population was 12,051 at the 2010 census....
and surrounding locations, and the seventh deadliest tornado in U.S. history. It was also the first single tornado since the June 8, 1953 tornado in Flint, Michigan
Flint, Michigan
Flint is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and is located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit. The U.S. Census Bureau reports the 2010 population to be placed at 102,434, making Flint the seventh largest city in Michigan. It is the county seat of Genesee County which lies in the...
, to have 100 or more associated fatalities.
Six people were killed when the hospital was struck by the tornado. Five of those deaths were patients on ventilators who died after the building lost power and a backup generator did not work. The sixth fatality was a hospital visitor.
The Joplin Globe reported that 54 percent of the people died in their residences, 32 percent died in non-residential areas and 14 percent died in vehicles or outdoors. Joplin officials after the tornado announced plans to require hurricane ties or other fasteners between the houses and their foundation (devices add about $600 to the construction costs). Officials rejected a proposal to require concrete basements in new houses. Officials noted that only 28 percent of Joplin's new homes had basements as of 2009 compared with 38 percent two decades before.
In addition to the deaths directly attributed to the tornado a Riverside, Missouri
Riverside, Missouri
Riverside is a city in Platte County, Missouri, United States. The population was 2,979 at the 2000 census.The town on the edge of the Missouri River has a long history of racing and gambling. It formally incorporated in 1951....
police officer assisting in the response was killed on May 23 a day after when he was struck by lightning.
Officials said they rescued 944 pets and reunited 292 with owners.
On 10 June 2011, it was announced that a week after the tornado, a rare fungal infection, Zygomycosis, has been noted to cause at least eight serious cases of wound infection among the injured survivors, confirmed by reports to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.
Response
Immediately following the disaster, emergency responders were deployed within and to the city to undertake search and rescue efforts. Governor Jay NixonJay Nixon
Jeremiah Wilson "Jay" Nixon, Sr. is the 55th and current Governor of the U.S. state of Missouri. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as Missouri's Attorney General before his election in 2008.-Political career:...
declared a state of emergency
State of emergency
A state of emergency is a governmental declaration that may suspend some normal functions of the executive, legislative and judicial powers, alert citizens to change their normal behaviours, or order government agencies to implement emergency preparedness plans. It can also be used as a rationale...
for the Joplin area shortly after the tornado hit, and ordered Missouri National Guard
Missouri National Guard
The Missouri National Guard consists of the:*Missouri Army National Guard*Missouri Air National Guard-External links:* compiled by the United States Army Center of Military History...
troops to the city. By May 23, Missouri Task Force One
Urban Search and Rescue Missouri Task Force 1
is a Federal Emergency Management Agency based in Boone County, Missouri. MO-TF1 is sponsored by the Boone County Fire Protection District and is designated as the Weapons of Mass Destruction Response Team for the state of Missouri.-Overview:...
(consisting of 85 personnel, four dogs, and heavy equipment) arrived and began searching for missing persons. Five heavy rescue teams were also sent to the city a day later. Within two days, numerous agencies arrived to assist residents in the recovery process. The National Guard
National Guard
The term National Guard originally referred to a French citizen militia . The term is now used in many countries. Depending on the country in question, "national guard" may refer to an organized militia, a military force, a paramilitary force, a gendarmerie, or a police force:- Americas :* National...
deployed 191 personnel and placed 2,000 more on standby to be deployed if needed. In addition, the Missouri State Highway Patrol
Missouri State Highway Patrol
The Missouri State Highway Patrol is the highway patrol agency for Missouri and has jurisdiction anywhere within the state.State laws pertaining to the Highway Patrol including its creation, powers, structure, mission and duties are specified in...
provided 180 troopers to assist the Joplin Police Department
Joplin Police Department
The Joplin Police Department is the principal law enforcement agency responsible for serving the city of Joplin, Missouri-Department Structure and History:...
and other local agencies with law enforcement, rescue, and recovery efforts which also included the deployment of five ambulance strike teams, and a total of 25 ambulances in the affected area on May 24.
With communications down, temporary cell towers had to be constructed. By May 24, three towers owned by AT&T and Sprint
Sprint Nextel
Sprint Nextel Corporation is an American telecommunications company based in Overland Park, Kansas. The company owns and operates Sprint, the third largest wireless telecommunications network in the United States, with 53.4 million customers, behind Verizon Wireless and AT&T Mobility...
had been restored.
East of Joplin, a Risk Management Plan facility released 3000 to 5000 lb (1,360.8 to 2,268 kg) of anhydrous ammonia
Ammonia
Ammonia is a compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula . It is a colourless gas with a characteristic pungent odour. Ammonia contributes significantly to the nutritional needs of terrestrial organisms by serving as a precursor to food and fertilizers. Ammonia, either directly or...
; it was contained within two days.
President Barack Obama
Barack Obama
Barack Hussein Obama II is the 44th and current President of the United States. He is the first African American to hold the office. Obama previously served as a United States Senator from Illinois, from January 2005 until he resigned following his victory in the 2008 presidential election.Born in...
toured the community on May 29, flying into Joplin Regional Airport
Joplin Regional Airport
Joplin Regional Airport is a public airport located four miles north of the central business district of Joplin, a city in Jasper County, Missouri, USA. The airport covers and has three runways. It offers commercial airline service subsidized by the Essential Air Service program...
and speaking at a memorial at the Taylor Performing Arts Center at Missouri Southern State University
Missouri Southern State University
Missouri Southern State University is a public, state university located in Joplin, Missouri. Missouri Southern State University was formerly Missouri Southern State College and is also known as Missouri Southern, MSSU, or MoSo for short. Established in 1937 as Joplin Junior College, Missouri...
about two miles (3 km) north of the worst of the devastation. Obama had been on a state visit to Europe at the time of the storm. Members of the controversial Westboro Baptist Church
Westboro Baptist Church
The Westboro Baptist Church is an independent Baptist church known for its extreme stance against homosexuality and its protest activities, which include picketing funerals and desecrating the American flag. The church is widely described as a hate group and is monitored as such by the...
were also scheduled to protest the same day in Joplin, but they did not show up. There was a massive counter protest that was organized in response to the Westboro protest, in which thousands of protesters showed up holding signs saying, "God Loves Joplin" and "We Support You Joplin."
On June 1 Home Depot said it would have a new temporary 30000 square feet (2,787.1 m²) building built and operational within two weeks. In the meantime, it had opened for business in the parking lot of its demolished building. On June 20 it opened a temporary 60000 square feet (5,574.2 m²) building constructed by Home Depot’s disaster recovery team.
More than 17,000 insurance
Insurance
In law and economics, insurance is a form of risk management primarily used to hedge against the risk of a contingent, uncertain loss. Insurance is defined as the equitable transfer of the risk of a loss, from one entity to another, in exchange for payment. An insurer is a company selling the...
claims had been filed by mid-June. The impact on the insurance industry is not so much the number of claims, but the cumulative effect of such a large number of total losses. More than 2500 local people employed in insurance have been involved in some capacity. It is assumed that State Farm
State farm
State farm can refer to:*Sovkhoz, a type of state-owned farm in the Soviet Union*Volkseigenes Gut, a type of state-owned farm in East Germany*Państwowe Gospodarstwo Rolne, a type of state-owned farm in People's Republic of Poland...
will assume the largest share of these losses, having market share of 27% for homeowners insurance and 21% for automobile insurance.
See also
- List of F5 and EF5 tornadoes
- List of North American tornadoes and tornado outbreaks
- List of tornadoes causing 100 or more deaths
- Tornado intensity and damageTornado intensity and damageThe Fujita scale and the Enhanced Fujita Scale rate tornadoes by damage caused. The Enhanced Fujita Scale was an upgrade to the older Fujita scale, with engineered wind estimates and better damage descriptions, but was designed so that a tornado rated on the Fujita scale would receive the same...
- Tornado recordsTornado recordsThis article lists various tornado records. The most extreme tornado in recorded history was the Tri-State Tornado, which roared through parts of Missouri, Illinois, and Indiana on March 18, 1925. It was likely an F5, though tornadoes were not ranked on any scale in that era...
- Tornadoes of 2011Tornadoes of 2011This page documents the tornadoes and tornado outbreaks of 2011. Extremely destructive tornadoes form most frequently in the U.S., Bangladesh and Eastern India, but they can occur almost anywhere under the right conditions...