I appreciate that sentiment. We do need the help, what we don't need is the influx of lone rangers who's presence and traffic is hampering qualified search and rescue teams. nobodys turning anyone away, but go through the red cross or other places that are coordinating.

I watch a special on PBS about that tornado every year on PBS. Pretty remarkable that more people weren't killed. The tornado tore a hole in the dome of the Capital.

We had family friends that worked for the Shawnee County Sheriff Dept. that lost homes but all survived. I remember as a kid, my uncle and his sons, Dad, my brother and I to go help them. It was the 1st tornado damage I had ever seen as a kid.I remember always taking cover for one but never seeing the destruction on one till then.

So much for the theory / myth that the hill on the west side would shield Topeka from a twister.

Oh man, that's way too close. It's still standing, but I'm sure it sustained damage.

Yea, I live at 44th, and I had no damage... not even a tree limb feel. Three blocks away, there are a few trees uprooted, and the further north you go, you start to see more damage. But you're right, hell starts at 32nd. Not sure about the old J-Town / Safeway building at26th and Main. They just turned it into a Salvation Army. It had to take a direct hit. It was an older building, that looks like it was probably built like a fortress.

I love the awesome power of tornadoes. I love watching documentaries and cable shows about them. I would love to go stormchasing. But I really wish they would stay away from heavily-populated areas and stick to the farmlands and plains where they do little damage. My thoughts go out to the people of Joplin. It's easy for people to say, "Well, things and houses can be replaced, people can't be". Trust me, if you've lost your house, you know that it's something you never get over. It's not just the objects you had, it's the memories you made in that house and with those objects. I had a house fire when I was 17 that took most of my belongings. Decades later, it still resonates.

Events like this underscore the whole reason meteorologists chase these things, to learn how they form and why. Even Reed Timmer has edged from being a voyeuristic chaser to a guy who's also interested in the science of them (after he witnessed one too many devastations of a populated area).

Hurricanes, earthquakes, and tsunamis kill far more people. But the tornado is so concentrated, nothing can stand in the way of a big one. It's like the finger of God came down and just drew a line on the map. Scary shit. I'm glad I don't live in an area that produces them.

No Doubt.

Once people recover from the personal loss of life and injuries, everything from the cleanup to the rebuilding of the community will end up stimulating the economy.

You can't replace the lives of family and friends, but there isn't a structure that can't be replaced with something as good or better than what was destroyed.

I was there right after it happened. Frame remains nothing else.

From my cousin this am....

I want to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers during this difficult, difficult time! My grandparents are still unaccounted for. The rescue dogs were at the site where their home stood but did not detect anything. They have been reported as missing so hopefully we'll hear something very soon!!

I trust that all those out of town volunteers are self-sustaining. That is, they bring their own shelter, food & water, and sanitary items so that they don't strain already limited resources in that area.

That's just heartbreaking. Prayers their way.

Kansas City Star had some amazing coverage this morning.
Photos here:
http://tinyurl.com/3m3z5u5

I cannot relate to that. Must be sheer agony. Prayers for all involved.

The Kemper Foundation/Commerce Bancshares donated $50k today.