I immediately called my mother, but her land line went directly to her provider’s voicemail instead of her answering machine. I left a message, still not knowing the magnitude of the tornado’s impact. I remember joking, “I heard there was a tornado in Joplin and I’m just making sure you weren’t blown to Oz.” I followed up by sending her cell phone a text. I thought maybe she was still on stage at the community theater for their final performance of I Remember Mama.
Most of my formative years, I lived in St. Clair County, Illinois. Just east of the Mississippi River from St. Louis, Missouri, the county averages one hundred funnel clouds spotted each year. While few touch down, the months of April, May, and June are frequently punctuated
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with the wailing of civil defense sirens. As dangerous storms approach, one often hears the howling from nearby towns, just seconds before a closer siren awakens. Starting low, the pitch and volume quickly increase, matching the listener’s heart rate and adrenaline. There is no sound, nor feeling like it, filling your ears and mind with a single thought: DANGER. However, those of us living in Tornado Alley somehow incorporate this sound, the anxiety it brings, and the storms into our sense of normalcy. We acknowledge the danger, but often determine whether to take cover by supplemental news reports and our own assessment of the storm’s patterns. With so many spring funnels and the slim chance of actual tornadoes descending, we often continue our usual activities with a watchful eye cast upward. Even when tornadoes appear, reaching down from tumultuous, black clouds streaked with lightening, most are weak and short lived. These tornadoes often rank EF0 – EF1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. The aftermath is typically flattened crops, downed tree limbs, broken windows, and mild roof damage. The rural landscape further reduces the odds of a tornado impacting human habitation. Night sirens bring more fear than daytime warnings. In day, we see the color of the sky and shape of clouds. Gray is good, black concerns us, but green brings fear. Scientists tell us this only indicates severe storms, but no good can come from a bilious sky. The rotation of the storm and tendrils of cloud warn us of a funnel’s eminent birth. At night, we see no color and only flashes of chain lightning, arcing from one horizon to the other, illuminate the clouds. Unable to contact my mother, I sought assurance from internet news sources, having cancelled my cable service for the summer, hoping to find data on storm strength and affected areas.
I held little hope for more than one or two local news stories, but opened Google, typed “Joplin Tornado,” and clicked “Search.” The words MONSTROUS TORNADO appeared.
I saw video of reporters standing in utter devastation, surrounded by twisted cars, splinters where houses once stood, and trees stripped of leaves, limbs, and even bark. In the distance, I saw fires and flashing lights. I heard so many sirens. People were searching through the rubble and others were walking in torn, bloody clothes with blank, shocked faces. The news said the tornado was a mile wide; I felt sick. My mom was missing somewhere in all that horror and chaos.
From my family’s Facebook posts, I learned that my cousin was also missing, but other family members were alive with only minor injuries, their homes gone. Desperate to do anything to find my mom, or to reassure myself she was spared, I tried to use reported locations of damage to estimate the impact zone, comparing that with the location of mom’s house. Then, I learned the cast planned to stay late at the theater to break down the
sets. Not wanting to be alone, I sent a text to all my graduate school friends in Buffalo, New York. I do not remember exactly what I wrote, but it was similar to, “Major tornado in Joplin. My mom is missing. PLEASE come over.” I do not know how many I sent; evidence indicates several must have responded and I likely called a few others. Most had already left Buffalo for their summer plans, but my friend Darren said he would be over right away. Throughout the night, I also maintained a steady Facebook conversation with Dave, another friend in the circle of anthropology graduate students.
Although the tornado of 10 June 1938 has been known about, at least anecdotally, within the scientific community since it was brought to light in 1939 by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, this potentially rich source of historic information has lain fallow. It is within this rich field of mobile, American thinking that we undertake this effort. A team of scientists with courage, brains, and even heart brought the resources to bear on the challenge.
In his essay, “How Susie Bayer’s T-Shirt Ended up on Yusuf Mama’s Back”, George Packer points out an issue that has often been ignored in the society. People leave their used clothes outside the Salvation Army or church, but they do not know where the clothes will go eventually. George Packer did a lot of interviews and investigation into the used clothes trade. Based on this report, many cutural and gender issues have been raised. George Parker uses convincing data as well, since he followed closely the trail of one T-shirt to its final owner in Uganda.
In the article by Jeff Piotrowski and the article on the Joplin Tornado: Evil Swirling Darkness, explains that the Joplin tornado took out the city of Joplin, Missouri. The tornado came into the town of Joplin on May 22, 2011 and was about a mile wide. Fires were attacking the city and homes from broken gas lines, and many people were buried alive in their houses. The fire department was gone and no one could find any police to help. Neighbors helped neighbors, pulling each other out of the ruble. Over 125 people had died all from being trapped and suffocated, to be cut open by sharp objects that fell. In the end many people had died and were injured during the tragic tornado that came through and left Joplin in horror and terror.
what it looked like after the tornado struck up the street). More than 25 auto
On May 22nd, 2011 a massive tornado hit Joplin, Missouri killing 162 people and injuring 1150. With wind speeds of 322km/h, the tornado made a total cost of over $2 billion for the city. 8000 structures were destroyed, 2000 of which were homes. Many people were left homeless. The tornado held an incredible EF5 rating on the Fujita scale, measured from the amount of destruction. The tragic event lasted 38 minutes, from 5:34 pm to 6:12pm. Cool wind from the Rockies in Canada and warm wind from the gulf of Mexico formed into a supercell thunderstorm creating a tornado in Kansas. The tornado rapidly moved into Joplin and continued on its 35 km path.
A tornado struck Joplin, Missouri on May 22, 2011 at around 5:40 pm. With a population around 50,559, it killed 161 people and injured approximately 1,100 people. The cost was an estimated $2.8 billion in damage. The American taxpayers had to give about $500 million in recovery money. This made it the deadliest tornado since 1950, which was when modern recordkeeping began. Since it was an EF5 tornado, it destroyed everything in its path. The city was ruined with only piles of debris left. It was a half-mile wide when it hit Joplin and grew to three-quarters of a mile wide. It destroyed nearly 7,000 homes in Joplin and damaged hundreds more. It covered over 1,800 acres of land. The warnings that the Joplin residents received were through three different ways. The tornado warning that was sent out for Joplin’s county was from Jasper County Emergency Operations Center (JCEOC) and they claim that the first siren went off at 5:11 pm. Two other warnings for the Joplin residents was they saw the tornado heading their direction, and the media coverage which was all local electronic media switched to wall-to-wall coverage seeing live footage of the tornado.
Many scientists often find themselves wondering if the tri-state tornado was really a single massive tornado or if it was part of a family of tornadoes that continuously evolve from one supercell to another. Only one factor stands in the way of this theory and that is a cyclical supercell usually has breaks in its destructive path. The tri-state tornado's path of damage appeared to be continuous despite two slight decreases in the destruction. One of which was near the onset of the storm, and one near the demise. No matter which is believed, one thing is for certain, and that is a storm like the tri-state tornado could very well happen again, but there is no telling when or where it may occur.
In Alice Walker’s “Everyday Life,” we are introduced to a middle aged, African American mother, who is physically tough yet mentally meek. Mama, the narrator, is an independent and devoted mother who at times is troubled by her daughters and their relationship. Walker’s characterization of Mama as a frank, insecure and, conflicted mother enables the reader to understand Mama transformation which is illustrated by a significant decision she makes at the end of the story.
About a week later a tornado razed a better part of North Houston. It brought rain. It brought hail. It upended cars; it flooded houses. And in its trail it left fallen branches and trees, and removed, in whole, one tiny tomato-onion-potato-and-green-bean garden located behind my garage.
Picture this, you laying on top of you car as you are being violently slung down your street, which was once dry and calm and is now wet and foreign, at an extremely rapid pace. You can’t find your family and all you can do is hope that they haven’t drowned and are able to stay afloat against the violent waters that are angrily attempting to destroy everything in its path. You look around the weather is gray and it’s raining heavily. It is a struggle to breathe between the rapid rain and the violent waters which are attempting to pull you under, forever. Your house no longer exists it is broken down from the pounding waters and fast winds. That is exactly what it would be like if you were in the midst of a hurricane. After hurricanes are over the confusion is crazy, children who had loving families are now orphaned, people become homeless, and people miss certain joys such as walking due to becoming paralyzed.
Tornadoes are one of the deadliest and most unpredictable villains mankind will ever face. There is no rhyme or reason, no rhythm to it’s madness. Tornados are one of the most terrifying natural events that occur, destroying homes and ending lives every year. April 29th, 1995, a calm, muggy, spring night I may never forget. Jason, a buddy I grew up with, just agreed to travel across state with me so we could visit a friend in Lubbock. Jason and I were admiring the beautiful blue bonnets, which traveled for miles like little blue birds flying close to the ground. The warm breeze brushed across the tips of the blue bonnets and allowed them to dance under the perfectly clear blue sky. In the distance, however, we could see darkness. A rumbling sky was quickly approaching.
Imagine staring out your window and noticing a wide violent rotating cloud it coming your way. The rotating cloud called a tornado. Tornadoes are one of nature’s worst natural disasters. Hundreds of tornadoes strike the United States each year. Each year an average of seventy deaths and 1,500 injuries is caused by a tornado.
Day 1 of the power outage we had no school so Me, My mom, Jayden, and Michelle got into the car and started driving around to see what the storm did. So we pull off our road and we start driving not even a mile away we see a tree hanging from a power line!! We all were surprised. We keep driving until me reach a spot where a tree is in the middle of the side we were driving on. So we had to stop and wait till the cars pass so that we could go around the tree then turn around. We turned around then we drove to pine land and found trees ripped out of the ground and power lines on the ground. Michelle turned around cause we didn’t want to risk going over the power line and getting hurt. Then we go towards memorial school and I say can we go home
A tornado is something that rarely occurs, usually only occurring in 1% of thunder storms. A tornado is classified as a small swinging column of air in the shape of a funnel. A funnel cloud will eventually become a tornado when it touches the ground. For a tornado to occur there has to be a large amount of strange environmental conditions. There will have to be a trigger such as a cold front as well as a low level of moisture in the atmosphere. Tornadoes are very powerful so you wouldn’t want to be stuck in the middle of one. The winds are very strong, reaching between 40 to over 300 miles per hour, according to the Fujita scale. The winds turn in height and will always turn in a clockwise form. Tornadoes can also reach a maximum of one mile high and can stretch out to a length of 50 feet long.
The time I saved someone from a natural disaster is when I rested alone in my house watching the storm. A tornado came to Georgia and it wasn’t pretty at all, outside it became humid and cold at the same time like being in a cold pool in a hot sunny day! The smell of rain filled the air and a little rain started poking through my roof, it happens all the time but this time it rained down more than usual. It continued to be destructive due to the tornado has been lasting for 3 hours! Homes were falling apart, buildings were shaking, and trees were waving. People were probably buried under their houses from the falling trees, plus all schools and businesses were out 4 days before the storm.