Just found out my grandparents got in a rollover wreck driving back from Joplin last night. Going to go see them in the hospital but it's supposed to be only pretty minor injuries, hope they're all right.

Got back from the hospital, grandma has 8 broken ribs and about 8 stitches, grandpa had 10 broken ribs and about 12 stitches on his face. His truck flipped over and was totalled. They're in good spirits though. Grandpa said the car behind him was rear ended by another car and they went flying. Gonna be a few more nights in the hospital though.

The is the article about it in the Star:

http://i.imgur.com/LzUYT.jpg

http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/x14...-000-to-Joplin


JOPLIN, Mo. — Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, through their Jolie-Pitt Foundation today have announced a contribution of $500,000 to the Community Foundation of the Ozarks.

The donation will benefit the Joplin Recovery Fund and will support mid- and long-term rebuilding efforts.

Pitt, who grew up in Springfield, Mo., said, in a press release: “With the devastating loss of 30 percent of the city, the Joplin community faces great challenges ahead. Having spent much of my childhood there, I know these people to be hardworking, humble and especially resilient.”

welp i now hate brad pitt just a **** hair less.

Co-worker, who has been assisting the humane society in Joplin, told me this morning that they will be having a free adoption the weekend of 6/25-6/26. All animals will be fixed, up-to-date on shots, and microchipped. There will be no adoption fee. This hasn't been made public yet. As soon as it has, I will post more information. She said that there were thousands of animals, and not just dogs and cats.

any we can eat?

"Adopt A Steak"

Adopt a chop

That'll work too. :D

Can I add my cat to that? I hate it.

http://www.kcchiefs.com/news/article...1-30b7c53897e8

The Kansas City Chiefs confirmed additional plans to assist in the Joplin tornado relief effort. All club members including executives, front office staff, coaches and players have been invited to participate in an all-day cleanup event June 23 in Joplin. Team officials will take part in an early morning cleanup session followed by a tour of the impacted area and a visit to Hope Station where players, coaches and executives will sign autographs and interact with community members.



“The Chiefs family is committed to assisting our friends and neighbors in Joplin as they continue on the long road to recovery. We look forward to joining together as an organization to aid in the relief efforts later this month and hopefully, lift the spirits of those who are hurting,” said Chiefs Chairman and CEO Clark Hunt.

In support of two communities that have been devastated by these recent events, fans and friends in the Kansas City area and beyond have bonded together to make a difference in Joplin and Reading. In a two-day supply drive held at Arrowhead Stadium recently, fans generously filled nearly seven semi-trailers full of water bottles and other supplies needed as well as financial contributions supporting recovery efforts in both Kansas and Missouri.

I heard about that. I'm kind of curious how that works in terms of the lockout, honestly. But any help is awesome.

I just found out that my childhood home survived. Apparently it got some scrapes and contusions but is in good shape overall. Considering that it was right in the thick of the damage, that's a pretty good outcome.

Bonnie and Clyde house, huh? I figured as much.

Oddly, we must've lived very close to that house. I remember that we'd drive by it frequently, and my mother told me about it at one point.

Interesting. You can have a weekend at the Bonnie and Clyde hideout if you want.

http://joplinhideout.com/

Just got back from spending a couple days in Joplin. I helped out in the clinic and with clean up. It was relieving to still see a large amount of volunteers out there. It is still rather dangerous out there. Lots of cuts, nails sticking into people and we even had a young guy fall into a well today (The Fire Dept spent about an hour pulling him out of there....he was pretty beat up, but I heard he will be okay).
None the less, seeing the unity of the human spirit is truely an inspirational thing.

there was an apparent fire that broke out this morning that damaged a number of business around Downtown

Thanks for helping!

Bro came out sun. went down that night w/ the GCSD. Chills.

I just read something about a fire destroying 16 businesses in Joplin.

June 14, 2011

Business center fire revictimizes tenants ravaged by tornado
By Jeff Lehr
news@joplinglobe.com The Joplin Globe Tue Jun 14, 2011, 11:16 PM CDT

JOPLIN, Mo. — The thing Greg Lesley felt more than anything else as he watched the main Lesley Business Centers building burn to the ground Tuesday morning was exhaustion.

Sheer exhaustion.

“It really hasn’t hit me yet — the magnitude of the loss — because of the exhaustion,” Lesley said.

His brick industrial building at 1002 E. Fourth St. was destroyed by a fire of undetermined cause that started about 6 a.m. Lesley said he has been working 10 to 12 hours every day since the May 22 tornado, helping people who lost their homes find storage space or businesses that were affected find new accommodations, only to see all that work go up in flames Tuesday.



‘HEARTBREAKING’

“This was just heartbreaking,” Lesley said, referring in particular to certain tenants who now find themselves twice victimized, first by the tornado and then by fire.

The Joplin, Duenweg and Redings Mill fire departments responded to a 911 call reporting the fire at 6:11 a.m. The first firefighters on the scene encountered a building with 43,500 square feet of space in flames.

Three aerial trucks and two pumper trucks were set up to combat the blaze by spraying water in from three sides of the single-story building, which housed about a dozen businesses and provided storage space to other lessees. Keith Stammer, public information officer for the Joplin Fire Department, said the focus from the onset was to keep the fire from spreading to other buildings and properties.

Most immediately in jeopardy was an L-shaped metal warehouse, also belonging to Lesley, that is just southeast of the building that burned. Lesley said several tornado victims had secured storage space in the metal warehouse in recent weeks for belongings they had managed to salvage after the storm.

Stammer said firefighters were able to keep the blaze confined to the brick industrial building and get it under control by 7:49 a.m.

“That was quite a feat,” he said.

Firefighters remained on the scene for several hours, with their lines pouring water into the ruins of the building before the fire was finally extinguished in the afternoon. No one is believed to have been in the building when the fire started, and no injuries were reported.

Fire Chief Mitch Randles said the cause of the fire would remain under investigation by state and city authorities, and the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives at least until today.

“It’s just too hot in there to investigate,” Randles said late in the afternoon. “So we’re going to go back in there tomorrow and look.”

The former Morton Booth Co. building was acquired by Lesley about five years ago. He said 18 businesses or individuals were leasing space there. The businesses included Grow Marketing, Relay for Business, Litho Printing, Kodiak Transportation, Radio Communications Specialists, Furniture Rescue, All Lamp Recycling and Jim Morris Roofing. The Holiday Inn also rented storage space there, Lesley said.



DOUBLE DESTRUCTION

Dewey Sheets Jr. moved his business, Furniture Rescue, temporarily into Lesley Business Centers when the tornado destroyed the repair and refinishing shop’s former location at 1805 Katherine Ave. But Sheets, oddly enough, was feeling more fortunate than unfortunate after Tuesday’s fire. He said he sees God’s hand in both events with respect to his business.

He said most of the computer records and paperwork of the business were saved by the way the shop collapsed in the tornado, and it just so happened that he and his employees stayed late Monday moving the office and their customers’ furniture out of Lesley Business Centers to a new location at 5467 N. Main St. He said what they had not yet moved out were the shop’s tools and specialized equipment, which he believes can be replaced.

Sheets said he wants people to know Furniture Rescue is still in business and still intent on helping tornado victims with “sentimental furniture” they need repaired or refinished.

“God will never give us more than we can handle,” Sheets said. “I do hope though that he doesn’t push me too much further.”

Max Jones was driving down Seventh Street on his way to work Tuesday morning when he spotted the smoke in the air a couple of blocks to the north.

Jones, a quality assurance manager at the Safeway bakery and already a victim of the tornado, thought to himself: “Man, that looks like it could be our storage unit.”

He turned off Seventh Street, found a place to park and walked toward the fire scene in the 1000 block of East Fourth Street. It turned out it was the building where he and his wife, Patsy, had rented 2,000 square feet of space to keep a 1952 Chevrolet pickup truck they hoped to restore, as well as various pieces of antique furniture and all their extra household goods, when they moved to Joplin from Ohio in May.

So it was that the Joneses, who were living in the Plaza Apartments when the tornado struck, came to be fire victims as well in little more than three weeks’ time. The twister destroyed the apartment complex, but the couple in their late 50s have not actually been thinking of themselves as tornado victims.

They were not in their apartment and were out of harm’s way when the tornado struck, they said. The couple happened to be at Lesley Business Centers, getting their space there ready to receive a truckload of their possessions expected from Ohio the next day.

Their place at the Plaza Apartments was only a temporary home, they said. They had secured another apartment at Eighth Street and Forest Avenue and had been moving some of their things there before the tornado hit.

Tuesday’s fire brought a significantly stronger sense of personal loss, they said. Max Jones said all they can do is “deal with it and go on.” He said co-workers have dubbed him “The Jinx,” and he laughed when asked what he and his wife think of Joplin after their first six weeks here.

“Joplin’s fine,” he said. “We like Joplin. It seems like everyone’s good people, and it’s a good place to live — if you can just avoid the fires and tornadoes.”





Fourth Street closed



EAST FOURTH STREET was closed most of the day Tuesday from Murphy Boulevard to Michigan Avenue as firefighters battled a blaze at Lesley Business Centers. The fire caused several power outages that affected traffic signals in the area. Joplin and Kansas City police and the Missouri State Highway Patrol provided traffic control and other forms of assistance at and near the fire scene.

http://www.joplinglobe.com/local/x11...-looting-probe

JOPLIN, Mo. — Three firefighters in Baxter Springs, Kan., have been fired and their chief placed on administrative leave in light of a probe into looting of businesses in Joplin the night of the May 22 tornado.

Baxter Springs Mayor Jenifer J. Bingham released a prepared statement Thursday acknowledging the firing of three unidentified firefighters on June 9. The release states that the dismissals concerned “conduct displayed during relief efforts in the aftermath” of the tornado that devastated Joplin and Duquesne.

“All information relating to the individuals and their conduct was forwarded immediately to the Joplin Police Department for further review and investigation,” Bingham said in the statement.

Her statement went on to say that “should there be any merit to any rumor regarding the wrongdoing of any city employee,” Baxter Springs would work with the Joplin Police Department to “hold those at fault to the highest form of accountability.”

The mayor declined to answer questions or to provide the names of the dismissed firefighters when she was contacted Thursday by telephone. She cited liability concerns of her own city and a criminal investigation.

“It’s a Joplin Police Department investigation,” she said.

The Globe later learned that fire Chief Les Page has been placed on indefinite administrative leave and that Art Mallory has been named acting fire chief. Page, who has served in the Baxter Springs Fire Department for about 40 years and is in his second year as chief, confirmed that he is on administrative leave. He would not say why.

“I’ve been instructed not to (comment),” Page said. “I’d like to, but I can’t.”

Mallory also declined to comment.

Lt. Mike Hobson, head of the investigations division of the Joplin Police Department, acknowledged the receipt of information this week from Baxter Springs police regarding the possible involvement of three male firefighters in thefts from Joplin businesses the night of the tornado.

“It concerns the theft of some property in the tornado zone,” Hobson said. “We’re just getting into it.”

Hobson said Baxter Springs police apparently received information earlier this month that led to an investigation there that eventually was referred to Joplin. He said the Baxter Springs Fire Department was part of the initial emergency response to the tornado. Firefighters, emergency medical technicians and law enforcement officers from several jurisdictions were involved in the response the night of the tornado.

But Hobson could not say with certainty if all three Baxter Springs firefighters were on duty at the time of the alleged offense or offenses.

“We haven’t had time to even go talk to them yet and get their side of things,” he said.

He declined to discuss which business or businesses might be involved, or what had been taken from them. He said some stolen property already may have been recovered, although he declined to say if that was by Baxter Springs police or Joplin police.

The Baxter Springs police chief could not be reached for comment Thursday. Robert Myers, city attorney for Baxter Springs, did not return a call from the Globe.

Baxter Springs is a worthless shit town.

wow. this is disturbing.

so my Bro said when they got to joplin night of there was 9 bodies on the pavement. When they left the next mornin they had 80 bodies layed out.

I was jokin...all my family is from that area.

I got my Chiefs tattoo in Baxter Springs.

well, all in all, civil servants, public figures......
you know where i'm going.

i've always wanted to eat @ cafe on the route (even if it is baxter).

plus my wife was born there too.o:-)

I am just speculating here, I have not heard anything but I would guess we will hear later this has something to do with missing guns from Academy Sports or Wal Mart.

From what I understand there are lots and lots of unaccounted for guns.

I'm really not a fan of Baxter, but it's >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Fredonia.

At the Renaissance Faire?

Home Depot flew in enough workers to fill four tour buses on a 757 to the Joplin airport this morning.

Long, but fabulous article about the Joplin Tornado taken from the KCStar. It's too long to post here, but it's a highly recommended read.

http://www.kansascity.com/2011/06/18...ylink=misearch

Missouri Press Assoc is working on a documentary about the Joplin Globe.
Here's a preview:

<iframe width="640" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/4D37UI3N0Ek" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Here's more on today's Chiefs visit to Joplin.

http://www.joplinglobe.com/sports/x1...end-assistance

JOPLIN, Mo. — Members of the Kansas City Chiefs will visit Joplin today to provide further assistance with cleanup in the wake of the May 22 tornado.

Team officials are expected to take part in a cleanup session near Joplin High School, starting at about 10:30 a.m., followed by a tour of the tornado’s path through Joplin.

The Chiefs will visit Forest Park Baptist Church, 730 S. Range Line Road, one of four SEMA points of distribution in the area. Players, coaches and executives will sign autographs and interact with community members.

This session will begin at approximately 1:30 p.m. and will include the Chiefs Fan Zone, featuring inflatables and games for kids ages 15 and under.

Chiefs chairman and CEO Clark Hunt, General Manager Scott Pioli and President Mark Donovan are expected to participate along with about 120 members of the team’s front office.

Also expected to join the cleanup effort are wide receiver Jonathan Baldwin, fullback Shane Bannon, quarterback Matt Cassel, offensive lineman Rodney Hudson, safety Reshard Langford, wide receiver Dexter McCluster and linebacker Andy Studebaker.

The Chiefs cheerleaders and mascot KC Wolf are also expected to participate.

The Chiefs organization began relief efforts for both Joplin and Reading, Kan., in the wake of disastrous May tornados. In a supply drive held at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, fans contributed nearly seven semitrailers full of supplies as well as financial contributions to support recovery efforts at both sites.

That is great but it does make me wonder, is the NFL and NFLPA* ok with players and coaches/owner being in the same place? Who knows, Pioli could try to slip a playbook to Baldwin or something.

Baldwin already has his playbook. The lockout was lifted for a few days during the draft and basically all 1st rounders got their playbooks.

The NFL approved this but players and staff had to take seperate buses and are working different areas. Anyone want to be messenger boy and relay messages back and forth, using language i heard Haley say ...... and visa versa

Plenty of opportunity to do the shitter drill today

Interesting, thanks for the information.

I went to the autograph session. The helpers were all wearing shirts that said "2011 Joplin Chiefs". I asked where I could get one and they said they would be for sale on their website tonight.

http://www.chiefsproshoponline.com/c...uct_list&c=319

http://www.chiefsproshoponline.com/i...2151_small.jpg
http://www.chiefsproshoponline.com/i...2157_small.jpg
http://www.chiefsproshoponline.com/i...2153_small.jpg

Ran into Studebaker and Colquitt this morning at Panera as they were heading out and thanked them for coming down. They had been visiting with an older couple there.
Saw Studebaker last year when my son went to the O-D football camp in KC. He talked to the kids about working hard and all of the obstacles he overcame to make it in the NFL. Seems like a really nice guy and hope he has a long, successful career in KC.
Really cool to see all of the players that came down along with so many of the front office, management and staff. Thank you Chiefs!

:clap::clap::clap:

here in pittsburg last night there was a JoDee Messina (country) benefit concert. it was originally set to help build a small school in Tennessee (if i remember correctly).
after she heard of the tornado, it turned into a joplin benefit---with ALL proceeds going to Joplin by way of the red cross.
it was announced that over $15,000 was raised in last nights concert!!!!

99.99 percent of the guys in the NFL are like that. Really good guys are the rule in the NFL, good to see the Chiefs step up like that nonetheless.

There doing a segment on Joplin, adopting pets and the Chiefs on the weather channel right now.

Today's KC Star as a front page story about how poorly the Home Depot was built in relationship to the Wal-Mart and Academy Sports box stores in the same path of the tornado. Cheap construction with no storm shelter or safe room was a disaster. We have earthquake requirements for building codes where earthquakes are likely, why not have safer building codes in tornado alley? Home Depot couldn't afford to build a storm shelter? This is a law that should be changed because of this tragedy. Story is here:

http://tinyurl.com/3m6uuv7

The weather guy on Good Morning America discussed this after Joplin happened... said you can build buildings that would hold up better in these situations, but no one will ever pass a law to do it.

210 dogs and 157 cats adopted out from the Humane Society yesterday and they are doing the adoptathon again today.

That's wonderful. It's a small thing compared to the human suffering, but it's important. I salute all those folks who adopted. Warms my heart, truly.

That's Bonner Springs, not Baxter Springs.

Appears it was very successful. I didn't stop, but I was in the the north part of town Saturday about 11 am. Police were directing traffic in and out of the Humane Society.

http://www.news-leader.com/article/2...xt|FRONTPAGE|s

JOPLIN — More than 5,700 people from 24 states turned out this past weekend at the Joplin Humane Society — and more than 650 dogs and cats were adopted — during a two-day adopt-a-thon in the storm-ravaged city.

Emily Schneider, of the ASPCA, said the weekend event found permanent homes for pets that had been displaced because of the May 22 tornado that struck Joplin.

A total of 426 animals were adopted on Saturday and another 234 found homes on Sunday with only a few minutes remaining in the day, she said..

The event offered pet seekers the chance to obtain a dog or cat with the normal adoption fees waived.

It’s not too late for anyone who could not make it over the weekend. Schneider said there are still a few pets that did not find homes. In addition, another 200 pets, including newborns and injured animals, will become available for adop*tion in the coming weeks.

The Joplin Humane Soci*ety will still be offering free adoption of pets through July 9, Schneider said.

All the pets are spayed or neutered, micro-chipped, vaccinated and come with a free ID tag.

Schneider encouraged anyone still interested in obtaining a Joplin pet to visit the Joplin Humane Society website at www.joplinhumane.org for more information.

This was posted on the City of Joplin facebook site.

775,000 cubic yards of debris have been removed from the affected area to date. This is a little over 26% of the total estimated debris field.

I've been impressed with the way the debris clean-up has been managed so far. I'm interested in what others in Joplin think. The city is now issuing residential building permits, from just east of St. John's, west to the city limits. It'll be good to see houses rebuilt. The last number I heard, was 890,000 cubic yards of debris had been removed. That was about a week ago, so I'd imagine it's close to 1,000,000 by now. Death toll went up to 159 last week. Rush Limbaugh was in town for the 4th. Love him or hate him, he did give $100,000 to the relief effort. Here's a before and after video someone shot. Gives a perspective, as you would drive west on 20th street from Range Line to Main. You get a shot at a few of the debris trucks. They're some big-ass trucks. It's kinda neat how trees, that were practically stripped clean, are now sprouting new leaves and branches. They look like something out of a Dr. Seuss book.

<iframe width="853" height="510" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/SWLvve8KN20" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

I'm glad you bumped this - I've been wondering how things are going down there.

Very cool video, thanks for posting. That is insane.

I read a post yesterday on on facebook from Joplin Recovery that 60% of the debris has been removed. A friend of mine who went down during that first week after found that hard to believe.

I went down last Saturday and...No, that cannot be right. I would say 60% has been sorted into piles.

Thanks for the video. :thumb:
I noticed that also. Mrs. Radar and I drove through Joplin about 3 weeks ago and I was wondering what would happen with those trees because I didn’t think they could survive being skinned. Glad to see they’re actually blooming again.

Granted it has been a good 3 weeks since we drove through but 60% didn’t sound possible from what we saw.

Drove through on 43 on 7/4 and there was still a LOT of debris to be removed in just that stretch.

They are estimating that 3,000,000 cubic yards of debris will be removed. if that is accurate, they are about 33% complete. Some businesses, are rebuilding quickly. The Walgreens on Range Line - which was completely destroyed - is basically complete on the outside. They are working on the inside now. The Walgreens on Main is being completely renovated. Chick-Fil-A is slated to re-open on September 1, after being destroyed. Walls are going up on the new Walmart. I think the new Aldi's has been started too. Still no word on the location of St. John's. They say they're not going to rebuild in the same location, because of the close proximity to Freeman Hospital, and the fact that if the tornado had tracked 1/4-1/2 mile to the south, both hospital may have been incapacitated. Kinda hate to see them move, but it does make sense.

So St. John's is a total loss?

Yea. Even now it looks pretty much as it did right after the tornado. They've cleaned the grounds, and removed the cars that were piled on top of one another. At night, they have spotlights shining on the building, powered by generators. A few windows were boarded up, I'm sure to protect some equipment. Once they have a plan, they'll probably implode it, or just knock it down.

Wow. Just from seeing pictures it looks like enough of it survived intact that they could fix it. That's really messed up.

In the news down here, it said the whole structure was moved 4 ft off the foundation, that's why they're going to completly rebuild.

Not surprising since even Joplin Airport's Control Tower was hit by winds hard enough to rotate the structure to a degree that it knocked the elevator out of commission for a week.

i went through on saturday for the first time since. words fail me. all the destruction. and so many people, still working hard. my heart goes out to them.
pics do no justice, and i was there 5 or 6 weeks afterwards. couldn't recognize anything.

This article is an absolute pathetic piece of journalism and is intended to scare people and not to help anything.

Could they make storm shelters for tornados? Of course, but can they make a tornado proof building... only if the owner doesn't care about cost or appearances.

Needless to say the building codes is not what is at fault here.

man, i drove on this street saturday. HO-LY CRAP.

Bump for happy reasons: According to Newstalk KZRG 1310 Extreme Home Makeover wants to rebuild a house destroyed in Joplin.

That's not happy news. Joplin doesn't need an eyesore house in the middle of an otherwise modest neighborhood. Joplin doesn't need television networks making advertising revenue off of the pain of a community. Joplin is strong enough to rebuild without ABC's grandstanding bullshit.

Yay! Some lucky family is going to get a house they can't pay the insurance and taxes on!

Instead of a mansion, they should rebuild a street block or a neighborhood.