The video is nothing more than a blank dark screen but the first hand audio account is incredible as some residents of Joplin ride into the eye of the tornado at a Fastrip Convienience store on 20th in Joplin. The death toll has risen to 89 as of this morning according to KY3 with estimates are as high as 200 according to sources.
Via the American Red Cross: Greater Ozarks Chapter: “Please do not self deploy to Joplin. The area has too many volunteers to manage at this time. They are working an emergency plan. The plan calls for FIRE, EMS, and Law Enforcement Officers to assist in the search and rescue effort. Individuals without this type of training should not respond at this time.”
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“I would say 75% of the town is virtually gone,” – Kathy Dennis of the American Red Cross.
Springfied News-Leader reports: 24 deaths in Joplin, say Greene County officials.
Ryan Nicholls with the Springfield-Greene County Office of Emergency Management has confirmed there are 24 fatalities in the wake of a tornado touching down in Joplin. The number of injuries is unknown.
Damage was widespread across the city’s south side. John Campbell, operations director for the Missouri State Emergency Management Agency, confirmed fatalities have been reported. Phone communications in and out of the city were largely cut off.
Hospitals in Joplin are overwhelmed and damaged. DO NOT go to hospitals. Go to Memorial Hall if injured.
As well, in Stone County dispatch says tornado damage reported in Galena, Abesville area, emergency crews are on scene.
Timeline of events around Joplin tornado
Tornadoes took only a few minutes to form over the Kansas state line and hit Joplin, according to observations made to the National Weather Service.
The first signs of violent weather approaching from the west began shortly after 4 p.m. when there were reports of large hail just across the state line in Crawford County, Kan.
» By 5 p.m., people reported several funnels over Columbus, Kan.
» At 5:08 p.m, am observer reported multiple tornado funnels over Cherokee County.
» By 5:34 p.m, one-inch hail was reported in Joplin, and a funnel was reported over Galena, Kan.
» At 5:41 p.m, there were reports of a tornado on the ground in Joplin, with observers reporting flashes from broken power lines. (more)
In this video we go back in time to the 1960s with a visit to the state parks of Missouri. This promotional film shows the exceptional recreational and natural opportunities offered by Missouri State Parks and enjoyed by families, fishermen and fun-seekers.
This was before iPods, cell phones, fax machines, texting, and yes, YouTube videos. There wasn’t some woman suing over burning her mouth on a hot cup of coffee and I can’t remember ever hearing about a single recall of a ’57 Chevy. No one ever mentioned terrorist or chatted over an Egg McMuffin. These were the good old days…bring ’em back.