Joplin, MO Tornado

[Mr. Brooks]

I am currently in the Joplin area to visit my grandmother who was in the hospital. Her hospital took a direct hit, she didn't make it. The only comfort we have is that she was close to death and had accepted it.

I went out with my leo brother in law to help with the search and rescue and I have never seen devastation like this. There are places where it's just rubble for as far as you can see. Entire neighborhoods have been completely destroyed.

It will be a miracle if the body count is less then 100, I would guess it will easily be 200+

Please pray for the people of Joplin, they certainly need it.

[TGO David]

Oh man... I am so sorry for your loss.

[Guest SUNTZU]

I'm sorry for your loss. My thoughts are with you and your family.

[Fourtyfive]

Sorry Mr. Brooks

[East_TN_Patriot]

So sorry to hear about your loss. I heard about the tornado last night, but didn't see any of the damage until this morning. I spent a month in Santa Rosa County, Florida after Hurricane Ivan in 2004 and I know firsthand the devastation Mother Nature can dish out. Thoughts and prayers inbound for your family and all those dealing with the aftermath of the storm.

[G27]

Sorry for your loss, Mr. Brooks.

From what I'm seeing this tornado rivals the one that hit Tuscaloosa just a few weeks ago (likely EF4 or EF5) - complete devastation for miles. Just unreal...

[MacGyver]

I'm sorry to hear this. Your family is in our prayers.

[bubbadavis]

Sorry for your loss. Even when prepared, its tough to lose a loved one.

[Guest nicemac]

Sorry for your loss. Even when prepared, its tough to lose a loved one.

+1 Well stated.

[Reservoir Dog]

Sorry for your loss.

The pictures I am seeing from Joplin are horrible.

Edited May 23, 2011 by Reservoir Dog

[Guest BenderBendingRodriguez]

I was very shocked to see pictures of the devastation this morning. And it's always worse when it touches close to home and affects someone in your community (TGO, in this case). I recently wrapped a case up in Joplin, and am now glad that I had a chance to see the town before it was more or less wiped off the map.

I hope you and your family are able to come to terms with your grandmother's death much as she was able to come to terms with her own mortality. I'm sure you will be in all of our thoughts.

[memphismason]

Sorry about your loss.

Mother Nature has been relentless to us here in the Mid-South the last few months.

[Guest db99wj]

Wow, sorry for your loss. The stuff they have been showing on the news is unreal. I was watching a thing on Discovery last night on the Tuscaloosa, AL tornado, it is unreal the amount of devastation those things cause. If that one would have happened the weekend before, I, and my family, would have been right in the middle of it.

That hospital looks like it has been prepped for implosion or something, no windows, doors, walls....gone.

[Links2k]

Very sorry for your loss sir. God bless you, your family and Joplin.

[bajabuc]

Sorry about your loss.

Mother Nature has been relentless to us here in the Mid-South the last few months.

I'll second that...God has His ways and we don't always know why.

[Mr. Brooks]

Thank you all for the thoughts and prayers.

I just got a bit of good news. The family members I had that were still visiting in the hospital when the tornado hit made it out safe.

On the bad side, there are over 100 confirmed fatalities in the temporary morgue already. From what I have heard the damage to the hospital is so extensive they haven't even started removing the bodies yet. There are unconfirmed reports of over 200 fatalities in the hospital alone.

[ShaunM]

I'm sorry for your loss will be keeping you in my prayers.

[Guest db99wj]

Thank you all for the thoughts and prayers.

I just got a bit of good news. The family members I had that were still visiting in the hospital when the tornado hit made it out safe.

On the bad side, there are over 100 confirmed fatalities in the temporary morgue already. From what I have heard the damage to the hospital is so extensive they haven't even started removing the bodies yet. There are unconfirmed reports of over 200 fatalities in the hospital alone.

One report said that was one of the few buildings left "standing" Wow.

[Oh Shoot]

Lots of room in that 3 state area where the half mile wide swath would have caused much less damage and loss of life, but no, it goes right through heart of Joplin.

Just unreal. Kicking another c-note toward Salvation Army, 'bout all I know to do right off.

Ever since Haiti last year, I seem to be doing that rather frequently.

- OS

[Mr. Brooks]

Some crappy cell phone pics...

That building in the background of the first photo is St. Johns hospital.

[KahrMan]

Sorry for loss. Will keep your family in our prayers.

Here is a pic of the hospital.

Here is a link to a gallery of pics from Joplin.

2011 deadly weather - USATODAY.com Photos

[Mr. Brooks]

There are unconfirmed reports of over 200 fatalities in the hospital alone.

Thankfully it looks like this turned out to be a false rumor. They may have meant that there were close to 200 people in the hospital when it was hit, thankfully there were only five fatalities and those were all in the critical care ward and were likely from the power loss.

I had an aunt, uncle, and cousin still in the hospital when the tornado hit. It took us about 20 hours to find them. They made it out uninjured and we were able to get some more information about what happened.

My grandmother was on a breathing machine that she couldn't live without. The doc said without it she would just fall asleep and not wake up. A few minutes before the tornado hit the hospital lost power. A nurse went to get a manual pump but by the time she got back my grandmother had passed.

My uncle was still in her room when the tornado hit and was thrown into the hallway, thankfully he wasn't injured.

Thanks again for the prayers and donations, there are a lot of good people in Joplin who are suffering right now and I know they are thankful for the help and prayers they are receiving.

[Guest db99wj]

Dang. Glad to hear that was not true, but still an awful event. Unfortunately, Memphis and West TN is suppose to get some bad stuff late this afternoon and evening. Hopefully no one will experience what Joplin or Tuscaloosa did. They are saying that the Joplin tornado was an EF5, winds well over 200mph.

[Mr. Brooks]

I hope TN gets spared tonight.

Unfortunately I had to drive home last night so I'm back in Clarksville and I'm getting very tired of these storms. I have had two very close calls with tornados in the last month.

The one that hit Ft. Campbell was only a couple of miles from my house and my family and I were in Joplin just minutes before that one hit.

We were right by the walmart that got leveled and the tornado sirens were going off as we drove out of town.

[Mr. Brooks]

Great, I just got this message from work;

Severe Weather Watch for Campbell AAF & Saber AH; vaid 25May11 1600L until 25May11 2000L. Potential exists for wind speeds to exceed 50 KTS, hail to exceed 3/4" and tornadoes to occur within 5NM.

Of course, my house is within 5NM of CAAF. I'm starting to get really mother****ing tired of these storms.