Starting Over

On our trip to Arkansas the other day, we drove through Joplin.  Going down we drove on the main drag that runs down bu the shopping district.  On the way back we went over by US 43 to see what it did to the other side of town.  It clearly cut a swath almost a mile wide for a good five miles through the south end of town.  Having lost a house to a tornado, I know what it is like to see everything you own thrown on the ground and blown away.

 

This is a typical tornado picture.  The trees are almost stripped bare and only the metal frame for signs are left.  The people cleaning up the debris are just piling trash our by the street.  I am not sure what the Joplin City council decided to charge for debris at the local dump.  At least in Topeka they waived any fee's for tornado victims.

At least when the tornado went through the east side of Topeka, the economy was in pretty good shape and there weren't any houses in our neighborhood going through foreclosure.  I can't imagine what it would have been like with out a job or a good way to rebuild.

This was almost out of the path of the storm I think it was a Pancake Village

This is a typical housing area with no houses left.

On the edge of storms concrete block walls may be left but no roofs.

My thoughts are with the citizens of Joplin, MO and I hope they can recover their lives and move on.  My wort fears are that the wide swath of destruction will be a reminder of that sad day and they can't rebuild to cover the scars.

Again, I give credit for the pictures to my loving wife, Barbara.  At least on the outside she didn't cry when she shot the pictures.  I'm sure that on the inside she did.

MUD