Current Events > 11 years ago today and EF5 tornado devastated Joplin, MO

(+) Yeah! (+)

$2.8 billion in damages. Up to that point it was the most expensive disaster in the US. For such a big city taken by surprise the final death toll was around 160. Records from the hospital there were found as far away as Willard which is roughly an hour and a half away. I wasn't there but heard about it as soon as I got off. Heard some cashier's talking about Joplin being hit but didn't know the full extent til I got in the car and the radio came on. Local news girl Ashley Reynolds did a live report from the aftermath and she broke down in tears on live TV. Who could blame her? Here's a link to weather channel documentary about it for anyone interested.

https://youtu.be/6nX7J8_mZpE

I remember being pretty much glued to the TV that night. The pictures and videos that came out of it were horrific.

Ok they didn't show it in the documentary but I saw the live report from Joplin that night and Ashley had to keep stopping to keep her voice under control and eventually just kept going through the tears. That was my memory of it. They actually interviewed her for the documentary. She said she heard the cadaver dogs barking in her sleep for weeks after. Now I'm curious if I'm right. To YouTube!

I remember the aftermath photos Insane

Apparently KY3 didn't post that video anywhere. Apparently the youngest death in that tornado was a 16 month old toddler. The tornado apparently sucked him out of his parents arms and threw him. It was hard hearing that on the news after they found him. My son was just a toddler himself at the time.