![]() In past disasters, my job was to observe what was there and write about it. But the massive tornado of that laid waste to sections of Joplin, Missouri was different. People stood in the morning sun to survey what once had been their neighborhood, their home, their way of life.Īs a journalist, I had seen my share of disasters brought about by nature and humankind. One side of a street obliterated and the other side untouched. The devastation was everywhere and there was no rhyme or reason. I knew that people were killed and injured, and the job at hand the entire time I was down there was getting aid and comfort to the clients, and making sure that they were taken care of first.”ĭavid is a humanitarian who knows disasters and continues to give of himself in the service of those in need. You do the job that needs to be done at that particular moment, then you can sit back and reflect on what transpired. “When you get to that disaster, you’re so busy you don’t have time to stop and think about things. He said he tries not to bring “work” home and there are memories he would prefer not to dredge up but, “We don’t forget some of those disaster. When asked about the memories of his time working in Joplin, David recalled, “It was very sad and disheartening to see the disaster area, specially the hospital.” There is nothing you can do to prevent that disaster except pick up the pieces.”Īlthough deeply saddened by the decimation and loss of life, David’s training allowed him to take the long, 14-hour days in stride, hold his emotions at bay and save his strength for those who needed it. “Most of the people that I worked with were seasoned responders who were well aware of what disasters are. Any time you have the very first part of a disaster, the first thing you do is to secure the clients in safe housing and tend to their needs.”ĭavid and his team of volunteers did it all from unloading trucks, serving food, managing traffic in shelter parking lots to working in the shelters. “Thirty-five years in law enforcement helped,” he said. He was ready to do any and every job asked of him.Īrmed with a long career in law enforcement, and some two decades of Red Cross experience beginning with the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center, David Meade was well equipped to handle the rigorous demands of the immediate recovery efforts. With a city in shambles after the twister and people stunned and trying to get their bearings, David knew there was much to be done and no time to waste. He drove down to Joplin, checked in with Red Cross headquarters and as he succinctly puts it, “started to work, doing what needed to be done.” (Source: helpjoplin.American Red Cross volunteer David Meade did not hesitate when he got that call to deploy the morning after the EF-5 tornado had ravaged Joplin, Missouri. Interstate 44 is closed due to overturned tractor trailers. Communications are difficult with power lines and phone lines down from the storm. A first report of confirmed dead comes in, estimated at 24 people. It left an estimated 161 people dead and damaged some 8,000 structures.ħ:30 p.m. The EF-5 Joplin tornado had winds in excess of 200 mph, was nearly a mile wide, and had a track lasting six miles. Approximate initial Tornado touchdown is about half a mile southwest of JJ Highway and Newton Road (southwest of Joplin City limits).ĥ:41 p.m. The local storm report stated: “NUMEROUS REPORTS OF TORNADO ON THE GROUND WEST OF JOPLIN AND POWER FLASHES.” The NWS Springfield, Mo., Weather Forecast Office issued a tornado warning with 17 minutes of lead time for touchdown and 19 minutes lead time before the tornado entered Joplin.ĥ:34 p.m. TIMELINE (Source: National Weather Service)ĥ:11 p.m. Initial 3 minute siren alert sounded for Jasper County and Joplin.ĥ:17 p.m. ![]() It had also issued a tornado watch more than four hours in advance of the tornado touching down. ![]() The National Weather Service (NWS) Storm Prediction Center highlighted southwest Missouri for the potential for severe weather several days prior to Sunday's storm. "The Joplin tornado is the deadliest single tornado since modern recordkeeping began in 1950 and is ranked as the 7th deadliest in U.S. As the community marks the progress five year's later, here is a look back at how the storm played out. physically and took an unimaginable emotional toll on its people. ![]()
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