Nicole Bengiveno

Joplin, Missouri Tornado

An EF-4 tornado, with winds ranging from 166 to 200 mph and a mile-wide funnel, tore through the center of Joplin, Missouri on May 22, 2011 at 5:41pm shreading everything in its path. One week later, as the search continued for suvivors, some residents returned to their neighborhoods in shock . The trees and debris told a surreal story. 

  • The scene along South Indiana St where Sonja West and her daughter Sarah Burtrum were living.
  • The trees took a beating, catching flying objects during the storm. This one is located near the Joplin Elk's Lodge.
  • Resident Franklin Gregory, 66, who is living in a shelter at the University, surveys his neighborhood on Annie Baxter Street.
  • What's left of the St Mary's Roman Catholic Church where the interior pews still sit in the ruble.
  • Jack Clayton walks through an area he barely recognizes along South Main St where Auto Advantage, a car dealership, once was located at 2427 S Main St.
  • Old photos were scattered on the ground where the auto dealer ship used to be. The stamp on the back of the photos credited Murwin Mosler, (who graduated from Joplin high school in 1935) a photographer who documented Joplin. This photo was blown from his archive storage from across the street.
  • Leah Peterson wanders around what was her home where she and her husband David had an adjoining business along S Main St, a music shop called Glory Days Music. As the tornado hit, they scurried into their basement and hid under a ping-pong table.
  • A Kentucky Street scene where homes once stood, now a view as far east as can be seen by shocked residents.
  • Tornado aftermath in Joplin, MO. A road has been cleared next to Cunniingham Park.
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