MO - Tornado Slams Joplin

[mommy23]

o/t but mommy23, give your precious little one a hug for me

Aww, I will And you hunker down and stay safe tonight!

 

[wfgodot]

Father can’t get son’s body, but plans memorial services (Joplin Globe)

Don Miller fought the tears back today when he called to ask how to get obituary information in the paper for his son.

Miller said his son’s body is among the 122 others in a temporary morgue for tornado victims.
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His son, Ray Donald Miller, III, better known as “Tripp” to his friends and family, died at Freeman Hospital West from injuries he received in the tornado. Tripp Miller survived the tornado long enough for his parents to be with him when he died.

Tripp Miller, who was born with Down Syndrome, was “everybody’s friend,” said his father.
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“We’ll have a memorial for Tripp on Friday. When we’ll get his body, I don’t know. But, we’re going to remember him. It’s all we can do right now.”

more at link above, including comments posted by readers - well worth reading

 

[Dark Knight]

Continued prayers for all of the souls in Joplin.

 

[Reannan]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4fYoTqkS_oU&feature=youtube_gdata_player

My dad and stepmom's house is shown here along with my fiance, my dad and my stepsister at about 2:24 (right after the dog).

Oh Rachelle!!!!! I wish I could give you a real-life hug!!!! My heart is just broken for everyone that is involved in this nightmare. I have family very close to the area, but they are safe right now. They are still under tornado watches and some warnings tonight. Just. Completely. Horrible. We will help rebuild Joplin, and SO many communities in Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma, etc..... Why is this happening???? There has to be a reason, and we need to learn from it. We need to learn to control it, master it, and stop it.

 

[Reannan]

Oh Rachelle!!!!! I wish I could give you a real-life hug!!!! My heart is just broken for everyone that is involved in this nightmare. I have family very close to the area, but they are safe right now. They are still under tornado watches and some warnings tonight. Just. Completely. Horrible. We will help rebuild Joplin, and SO many communities in Alabama, Arkansas, Oklahoma, etc..... Why is this happening???? There has to be a reason, and we need to learn from it. We need to learn to control it, master it, and stop it.

I normally do not quote myself, but when I read this after I had posted it, I sounded so arrogant! I apologize.... I certainly do not think for one minute that we can "master" or "control" nature. I DO think we can LEARN from what is happening. It is unprecedented!! Again, I ask - WHY is this happening???

 

[wfgodot]

Authorities release list of Joplin missing (CNN)

Joplin, Missouri (CNN) -- Missouri released a list Thursday of 232 people missing since a tornado tore through the city of Joplin on Sunday.

The list includes people for whom missing persons reports have been filled out, said Andrea Spillars, deputy director of the Missouri Department of Public Safety.

There may be other people missing as well, for whom such reports have not been filled out.
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much more, with video of Anderson Cooper interviewing a family of three whose mom is missing, at link above

The list of the missing (pdf)

 

[wfgodot]

Will Norton, YouTube celeb, still missing after Joplin tornado (KC Pitch)

The search for Will Norton continues in Joplin. Norton was driving his Hummer home after his high school graduation when the tornado hit and sucked him through the vehicle's sunroof, despite his father trying to hold on to him. He hasn't been seen since. His father is in stable condition.

A "Help Find Will Norton" Facebook page has been set up and been "liked" by more than 36,000 people. BuzzFeed reported that Norton posted several video journals to YouTube under the name willdabeast88883333, all of which had generated 1.6 million views.

KC Pitch link, with one of Will's YouTube videos, above

 

[wfgodot]

Daily Mail has majorly covered Joplin's woes:

'He's my hero': Wife talks about moment husband gave his life to save her during tornado

He is the husband that made the ultimate sacrifice to save his wife’s life.

As the roaring winds of the 200mph tornado ripped through Joplin, Missouri, Don Lansaw did everything he could to protect his wife.

Bethany Lansaw, 25, revealed today that as the devastating tornado tore their home apart, her husband, 31, threw his body over her in the bath tub to cover her.
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much more, with pictures & Nightly News video, at link above

 

[wfgodot]

Hope gives way to heartbreak for some in tornado-ravaged Joplin (AC360°)

Joplin, Missouri (CNN) -- A Missouri mother said Thursday that her 16-year-old son was killed by this week's powerful tornado, one of scores who have been confirmed dead even as authorities try to track down many others who are considered missing.

Michelle Hare told CNN that her son Lantz, who was ripped from a car Sunday night by winds exceeding 200 mph in Joplin, is dead and his body has been located.
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more, with CNN video, at link above

 

[i.b.nora]

Very depressing watching Anderson 360 tonight. It doesn't seem to me that the people in charge in Joplin, especially the ones in charge of the morgue, have a clue as to how to handle a big emergency such as this.
The morgue is apparently hidden somewhere and there are armed guards keeping people away.

 

[i.b.nora]

Just had a brilliant thought. Maybe they should send the armed guards to keep the WBC folks out of Joplin altogether and let the citizens of Joplin identify their loved ones in the morgue (wherever it is).

 

[wfgodot]

Some families know their loved ones are gone. Obits are beginning to appear in the Joplin Globe.

Russell T. “Rusty” Howard, Harli Jayce Howard, Hayze Cole Howard

Russell T. “Rusty” Howard, age 29, Harli Jayce Howard, age 5, and Hayze Cole Howard, age 19 months, passed away in the catastrophic tornado on May 22, 2011.

Harli and Hayze were found securely in their daddy’s arms.
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http://www.joplinglobe.com/obituari...y-Howard-Harli-Jayce-Howard-Hayze-Cole-Howard

 

[tlcya]

aw, wfgodot that was heartbreaking. So many heartwrenching tales are coming out of this. And they are beginning to have faces. Imagining Rusty, clutching his little ones, trying so valiantly to protect them from harm, quite literally with his last breath.

Just so senseless and tragic, the loss of life. This one gone, that one spared. So random and sad.

 

[mommy23]

Thoughts of an ER DR

http://www.kmov.com/community/blogs...-Account-of-the-Joplin-Tornado-122725184.html

 

[angela]

Thoughts of an ER DR

http://www.kmov.com/community/blogs...-Account-of-the-Joplin-Tornado-122725184.html

Thanks for posting this. It is just amazing and it made me cry.

 

[wfgodot]

Grace Layug Aquino

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Grace unselfishly covered and protected her twelve year old son during the tornado, and as a result his life was spared.

She will be greatly missed by all of her family and friends.
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http://www.joplinglobe.com/obituaries/x1326414456/Grace-Layug-Aquino

 

[Daisyjane]

Will Norton, YouTube celeb, still missing after Joplin tornado (KC Pitch)

KC Pitch link, with one of Will's YouTube videos, above

http://www.kctv5.com/news/28057781/detail.html

JOPLIN, Mo. -- A teenager believed to be ejected or sucked from his father's car on the way home from graduation in the massive Joplin tornado last week is dead.

Will Norton's aunt, Tracey Presslor, said Saturday that the family received confirmation of his death late Friday night. She declined to say more until a later news conference.

Family members had previously told The Associated Press that Norton and his father were still on the road when the storm hit. Mark Norton urged his son to pull over, but the teen's Hummer H3 flipped several times, throwing the young man from the vehicle, likely through the sunroof. The elder Norton was hospitalized.
Several social-networking efforts specifically focused on finding information about Norton.
The death toll from the savage storm stands at 132 people.

 

[wfgodot]

Donations Needed for Pets Displaced by Joplin Tornado

JOPLIN, Mo.— About 500 animals have been rescued in Joplin. So far,120 of those animal have been reunited with families. Still, hundreds more are waiting to be claimed.

The Joplin Humane Society sent out all of its adoptable animals to area shelters like some in Kansas City to make room for animals they felt were going to be displaced by Sunday's tornado. The Humane Society truly believes that some of the animals are people's pets.
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The Joplin Humane Society has many animals. They have received amazing amounts of donations, but the problem they're running into is that most people can't buy medical supplies or vaccines. They're asking for monetary donations. If you do want to help you can go to www.fox4kc.com.
.....
http://www.fox4kc.com/news/wdaf-pet-donations-needed-joplin-20110528,0,7192991.story

much more, with video, at link above

 

[wfgodot]

"There are heroes all around us all the time."
-- President Obama, MSSU speech, 29 May 2011

 

[rachelle]

President Obama was in Joplin today! I didn't get to see him in person though because I had to work. Also I just found out that the Duggar family (19 kids and counting) drove down here SUNDAY NIGHT right after the tornado hit and got permission to help search for and rescue trapped people. They also brought supplies and donations to hand out as well. I personally think that is awesome of them to come and help so quick. I read it wasn't the whole family but the dad and 4 or 5 of their kids. And I guess 4 of them are also volunteer firefighters? Just goes to show that even in a small town like Joplin, people all over the country are willing to help their fellow Americans!