Joplin, Missouri, which is about an hour West of me, was hit it insane tornadic activity tonight. The damage is... well... the city is in ruins. The hospital was destroyed. Apartment buildings were leveled. Walmart is gone. Home Depot is gone. The major highway (I-44) is closed in both directions because of overturned semi trucks. It's chaos. Many are dead. (24 confirmed so far) They need our prayers. http://ozarksfirst.com/fulltext/?nxd_id=459697
I saw that on FB just a few minutes ago. They're calling all area docs and nurses for help. (A friend is a nurse.) It's crazy.
Praying for them all. My ds is scheduled to go to Joplin for a mission trip to help build Habitat for Humanity houses in a few weeks. I'm sure they will be helping with the current effort if they can find a place to house them. Thanks for posting this.
I went to college there at Missouri Southern State University. A lot of my friends are still there. Praising the Lord that I have heard from all of them. Minimal damage to most of their homes. One friend's father's home has heavy damage and the dad was to start treatment today for cancer. They are still in panic mode because the son is on his way back to his dad's from Texas. The area that was demolished is where I lived when i lived there. This is a bit too close to home for me if you know what I mean.
I just saw pictures from there on the news. Praying for everyone. So awful to see those pictures. Everything is in ruins.
I heard they are expecting to find more bodies all day long, estimating around 100. A lot of that is because of the populated area where it hit.
I know that area well, it is a shock to know that I have been in that hospital many times over the years and the damage is so unreal.. I have friends in town, all are ok, there homes are still standing (praising the Lord) but many are without. My friend said that they were praying during the time of the strom and her sis was at work, and all the stores around her sis were damaged, but her store (Sam's) was ok... no falling roofs and such... I am praying for all of the famlies... it is so sad...
WOW !! I saw pictures on the news this morning. Unbelievable !! Thankful it wasn't on a weekday (if it had to happen at all) when they say the population on weekdays is much higher). Praying for everyone
The death toll is now confirmed at 89. They plan, as Jackie said, to increase that number as the day goes on. DH's company lost two stores. His supervisor is taking a team to go clean up today. DH is going. The area is also in dire need of doctors and nurses to man the make-shift medical centers for the walking wounded. There are too many critical patients the walking wounded are not being admitted to medical facilities. The Red Cross has set up dozens of temporary facilities. If you know of anyone who could help, please pass along the information. Anyone who would like to help, with service or donations, can find a fairly complete list of contact information here. Please continue to pray for those affected and the service persons assisting.
Been praying, do we have any hspot people in the area? I heard a report that said a 300 lb person was swept out a window at the st Johns hospital there.
All this severe weather lately, it's horrible. I have added Joplin to my ever growing prayer list. It's so awful. I'm glad your family is safe Amie, and I'll be praying for the others.
St. John's was bad. They had less than 5 minutes to try to get people down from the upper floors. The roof is gone and the windows were all shattered. The Christian theatre for which I worked for many years has a branch in Joplin. (Stained Glass Theatre) They finished their show yesterday and were there striking the set. At least two people were killed... 2 more are missing. We're expecting more severe weather today along the same path as yesterday.
Surreal is the word I keep using, too. I live a block from one of the Springfield blood centers. People are parking down the street and walking (praise God!). It's very sobering.
I wondered if anyone was at Stained Glass yesterday... I am so sad right now. Stained Glass Theatre was a family fav of ours while living in the Joplin area. My heart goes out to all!
Fairly recent article with images. The site is bogged-down, so the images are taking a bit to load. But be patient. http://www.news-leader.com/article/...earch-rescue-resumes-despite-rain?odyssey=mod
My heart aches for those affected. I found a video that made me cry like a baby. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/hottopics/detail?entry_id=89516 Thankfully everyone was ok in the video, but the intensity of the storm is beyond words....
The local news posted that one on their FB page. There are several videos coming out. DH asked if I wanted to go with him tomorrow, but I don't know how useful I'd be. I'd probably just cry. He just texted and said he's never seen anything at all like it. He's a very broken man today. I was supposed to attend a Ron Paul rally tomorrow. It's been canceled because the Pizza by Stout where we were supposed to meet no longer exists.
Oh, my!!! And the whole video was under six minutes. I am amazed at so much devastation in such a short period of time!
I've been praying for the people who were injured and the families of the deceased. I can only imagine what they are going through.
