The Joplin, Missouri Tornado

 On May 22, 2011, 5:34PM, an EF5 tornado touched down in Joplin, Missouri with winds in excess of 200 mph. The path of destruction was nearly one mile wide, and left a path of total destruction 13 miles long. 161 lives were lost. Over 18,000 trees were destroyed. 8,000 buildings were leveled. Cost to recover was over a billion dollars. Volunteers in the aftermath numbered over 100,000.

During my drive from Tulsa, Oklahoma to Cleveland, Ohio, my route went through Joplin. I stopped to visit the memorial dedicated to the lives lost, damage done, and the 126,804 registered volunteers who assisted the citizens of Joplin recover from their catastrophic loss.