2011 Joplin tornado
The 2011 Joplin tornado, which struck on May 22, was an EF5 tornado that devastated the city of Joplin, Missouri, claiming the lives of 161 people and injuring over 1,000 residents. Initially celebrating graduation, the town faced a sudden disaster as the tornado, measuring up to three-fourths of a mile wide, touched down shortly after a tornado warning was issued. The tornado's slow movement and extreme wind speeds, reaching over 200 miles per hour, caused catastrophic damage, affecting more than 75% of the city and destroying approximately 25% of all structures, including essential services like hospitals and schools.
In the aftermath, Joplin became a focal point of resilience and recovery efforts, with significant federal support mobilized to aid the community. The economic toll was substantial, amounting to $2.8 billion in recovery costs, making this tornado the deadliest and costliest in U.S. history since record-keeping began in 1950. Recovery involved not only rebuilding infrastructure but also addressing the emotional and physical health needs of the community, as temporary healthcare facilities were established to support displaced residents. The tornado's impact extended beyond immediate destruction, prompting long-term recovery strategies, including educational adjustments for displaced students. By 2015, Joplin had made significant strides in rebuilding, exemplified by the opening of a new hospital campus and high school, highlighting the community's determination to heal and restore its identity.
2011 Joplin tornado
On May 22, 2011, an Enhanced Fujita (EF) 5 tornado hit Joplin, Missouri, a town of about fifty thousand residents. This tornado was one-half mile wide when it touched down but grew to three-fourths of a mile wide as it traveled on the ground in Joplin for thirteen miles. It produced wind speeds exceeding two hundred miles per hour and moved slowly through the town at an estimated speed of just ten miles per hour. The high winds and slow movement of the tornado led to destruction and death in the small southwestern Missouri town.
The 2011 Joplin tornado killed 161 people and damaged eight thousand structures in the city. Recovery from the tornado cost $2.8 billion. The Joplin tornado is the single deadliest tornado in the United States since the National Weather Service (NWS) began keeping records in 1950. This tornado was also the costliest tornado in US history due to its widespread damage. In the years to follow the Joplin tornado, the area became known nationally for its resilience and ability to rebuild and recover in the wake of destruction.
Brief History
May 22, 2011 began as a celebratory day in Joplin, Missouri. The 455 high school seniors at Joplin High School gathered on the school’s football field to celebrate their graduation with family and friends. Soon after the event ended at 5:17 p.m., Joplin was placed under a tornado warning, and tornado sirens began to sound.
Twenty-four minutes after the tornado warning was issued, an EF5 tornado hit Joplin. It touched down in the southern part of Joplin near the intersection of JJ Highway and West 32nd Street. The tornado continued to track to the east, staying on the ground for thirteen miles and lasting for thirty-two minutes. As it moved through the city, the storm gained strength, causing more destruction the longer it stayed on the ground.
Destruction and damage in Joplin were widespread in the tornado’s wake. More than 75 percent of the city suffered tornado-related damage, and 25 percent of the city was destroyed. Live coverage of the tornado’s aftermath was broadcast nationally as survivors looked for the missing and surveyed their homes for damage.
Saint John’s Regional Medical Center, later renamed Mercy Hospital Joplin, suffered major damage during the tornado. The building experienced a direct hit that resulted in the top two floors of the hospital being ripped from the structure and every window in the hospital being blown out. Healthcare staff had to quickly shelter patients in the minutes before the storm hit. Once it passed, the building had to be evacuated for fear it could collapse. Healthcare personnel were able to evacuate 183 patients in just ninety minutes in a building that suffered significant damage and faced water and gas leaks. Six people died at the hospital, but many more lives were saved due to the quick thinking of healthcare personnel.
Similar stories of heroism and bravery emerged in the days following the Joplin tornado. The resilient community faced years of recovery, dealing with the loss of 161 of their neighbors, as well as the widespread destruction of homes, businesses, and schools.
Impact
The May 2022 tornado in Joplin had a significant impact on the area in the months and years to follow. Immediately after the storm, Joplin residents had to face the catastrophic destruction in their city. A total of 7,500 residences were damaged by the tornado, with 4,000 of those homes being completely destroyed. Residential damage impacted more than seventeen thousand of Joplin’s fifty thousand residents. Even more, the city of Joplin reported that the storm generated more than three million cubic yards of residential debris.
More than eight thousand buildings in Joplin suffered damage during the tornado. Essential structures, including the hospital, fire station, and elementary school, suffered significant damage. Joplin High School, where the high school graduation took place just minutes before the tornado hit, was also destroyed. Some people attending the ceremony took shelter in the school’s basement during the storm, though many had already left and were driving home or to graduation celebrations when the tornado touched down. Seven Joplin High School students died in the tornado, including one graduating senior.
The 161 deaths in the Joplin tornado were the highest for a US tornado on record. In addition to the loss of life, more than one thousand Joplin residents were injured during the storm. The storm also displaced 1,308 pets that were later picked up by the local emergency pet shelter in an effort to reunite them with their owners. An emergency shelter operated by the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) and the Joplin Humane Society reunited 529 pets with their owners. The groups gave the remaining pets to willing families.
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon declared Joplin a disaster area in the hours following the deadly tornado. President Barack Obama mobilized the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to provide needed support in the recovery and rebuilding effort. Thirteen federal agencies supported the recovery effort, with 820 FEMA employees on the ground in Joplin helping residents recover. Four joint task forces focusing on housing, debris removal, schools, and critical infrastructure collaborated to help the city rebuild.
Focused efforts ensured that Joplin residents had access to the healthcare they needed in the months following the tornado. Less than one week after the tornado hit, Mercy Hospital set up a sixty-bed field hospital with an emergency room, diagnostic imaging, and surgical services. Nearby hospitals expanded their capacity to accommodate the healthcare needs of the community. In 2015, a new one-hundred-acre Mercy Hospital campus opened just south of Joplin.
The Joplin School District, which educated 7,700 students, also faced challenges after the storm. More than 4,200 students in the district did not have a school to attend. Local officials worked tirelessly to devise a plan to accommodate students when the new school year began in August 2011. Elementary school students were relocated to an unused school. Middle school students studied at an industrial park. High school students were split across two locations, and their textbooks were replaced with laptops since the tornado destroyed their textbooks. In August 2014, the new Joplin High School opened and marked another milestone in the recovery effort from the 2011 Joplin tornado.
Bibliography
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