| 2011 Joplin tornado | |
| Radar image of the Joplin thunderstorm as the tornado was moving through the city. | |
| Date: | May 22, 2011 |
| Time: | 5:34 – 6:12 p.m. CDT |
| Rating: | EF5 tornado |
| Damages: | $2.8 billion (2011 USD) |
| Casualties: | 160 (+1 indirect)[1][2][3] |
| Area affected: | Joplin, Missouri (part of a larger outbreak) |
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The 2011 Joplin tornado was a catastrophic EF5 multiple-vortex tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri in the late afternoon of Sunday, May 22, 2011. It was part of a larger late-May tornado outbreak sequence and reached a maximum width of in excess of 1 mile (1.6 km) during its path through the southern part of the city.[4] It rapidly intensified and tracked eastward across the city, and then continued eastward across Interstate 44 into rural portions of Jasper County and Newton County.[5] This was the third tornado to strike Joplin since May 1971.[6]
The insurance payout is expected to be $2.2 billion—the highest insurance payout in Missouri history and higher than the previous record of $2 billion in the April 10, 2001 hail storm (which has been billed as the costliest hail storm in history as it swept along the I-70 corridor from Kansas to Illinois).[7] Estimates earlier stated Joplin damage could be $3 billion. By July 15, 2011, there had been 16,656 insurance claims.[8]
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The tornado initially touched down just east of the Kansas state line near the end of 32nd Street at 5:34 p.m. CDT (22:34 UTC) and tracked just north of due east.[9] Damage was minor in the rural areas southwest of Joplin, with only minor tree damage. As the tornado tracked into the southwest corner of Joplin near Twin Hills Country Club, damage was generally moderate with some severe damage. Many houses sustained significant damage in the area, including total roof loss. Damage in that area was rated EF2 to EF3 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale.[9]
The tornado intensified greatly as it entered a more densely populated portion of the city at about 5:41 p.m. CDT (22:41 UTC) and damage became very widespread and catastrophic as it entered residential subdivisions in southwest Joplin. In addition, St. John's Regional Medical Center in the same area was heavily damaged with many windows and the exterior walls damaged and the upper floors destroyed. Several fatalities were reported there. While it has been reported that the entire St. John's building was shifted 4 inches (100 mm) off its foundation,[10] the hospital's president has been unable to confirm this as fact.[11] Virtually every house in that area near McClelland Boulevard and 26th Street was flattened, and some were swept completely off their foundation. Trees sustained severe debarking, a nursing home and a church school in southwest Joplin were also flattened and several other schools were heavily damaged. EF5 damage began at and just north of St. John's, with EF4 damage elsewhere in the area.[9]
As the tornado tracked eastward, it intensified even more as it crossed Main Street between 20th and 26th Streets. Virtually every business along that stretch was heavily damaged or destroyed and several institutional buildings were destroyed. It tracked just south of downtown, narrowly missing it. More houses were flattened or blown away and trees were debarked. Two large apartment buildings were destroyed, as well as Franklin Technology Center and Joplin High School. No one was in the high school at the time and the high school graduation ceremonies held about 3 miles (4.8 km) to the north at Missouri Southern State University had concluded shortly before the storm.[12] It approached Range Line Road, the main commercial strip in the eastern part of Joplin, near 20th Street. Damage in that area was rated as a low-end EF5.[9]
The tornado peaked in intensity as it crossed Range Line Road. In that corridor between about 13th and 32nd Streets, the damage continued to be very intense and the tornado was at its widest at this point, being nearly 1 mile (1.6 km) wide. As the tornado hit the Pizza Hut at 1901 South Range Line Road a store manager herded four employees and 15 customers into a walk in freezer. Since the door could not be shut Lucas wrapped a bungee cable holding the door shut around his arm until being sucked into the tornado where he died.[13][14] Some of the many severely affected buildings include Walmart Supercenter #59, a Home Depot store, and numerous other restaurants, all of which were flattened. Heavy objects, including concrete bumpers and large trucks, were tossed a significant distance, as far as 1⁄8 miles (0.20 km) away from the parking lots along Range Line Road. Many fatalities occurred in this area. Damage in this area was rated as high-end EF5.[9][15]
Extreme damage continued in the area of Duquesne Road in southeast Joplin. Many houses and industrial and commercial buildings were flattened in this area as well. The industrial park near the corner of 20th and Duquesne was especially hard hit with nearly every building flattened. One of the many warehouses affected was a Cummins warehouse, a concrete block and steel building which was destroyed. Damage in this area was mostly rated EF4, with the EF5 damage area ending in the western part of the industrial park.[9]
It then continued on an east to east-southeast trajectory towards Interstate 44 where it weakened; nonetheless, vehicles were flipped and mangled near the U.S. Route 71 (Exit 11) interchange. The weakened tornado continued to track into the rural areas of southeastern Jasper County and northeastern Newton County where damage was generally minor to moderate. The tornado lifted east of Diamond at 6:12 p.m. CDT (23:12 UTC) according to aerial surveys. The tornado's total track length was at least 22.1 miles (35.6 km) long.[4] A separate EF2 tornado touched down near Wentworth from the same supercell about 25 miles (40 km) east-southeast of Joplin.[9]
A preliminary survey of the tornado damage by the National Weather Service office in Springfield, Missouri, began on May 23. The initial survey confirmed a violent tornado rated as a high-end EF4. Subsequent damage surveys, however, found evidence of more intense damage, and so the tornado was upgraded to an EF5[4] with estimated winds over 200 mph (320 km/h), peaking at 225 to 250 mph (362 to 402 km/h).[15]
According to the local branch of the American Red Cross, about 25% of Joplin was destroyed, but the town's emergency manager stated that the number was between 10% and 20%, with roughly 2,000 buildings destroyed.[16][17] According to the National Weather Service, emergency managers reported damage to 75% of Joplin.[18] In total, nearly 7,000 houses were destroyed (most of which were flattened or blown away) and over 850 others were damaged.[9] Communications were lost in the community and power was knocked out to many areas.[19][20] With communications down, temporary cell towers had to be constructed. By May 24, three towers owned by AT&T and Sprint had been restored.[21]
East of Joplin, a Risk Management Plan facility released 3,000 to 5,000 pounds (1,400 to 2,300 kg) of anhydrous ammonia; it was contained within two days.[21]
The catastrophe and risk modeling firm Eqecat, Inc. has estimated the damage at one billion to three billion USD, but noted that the true damage is not yet known, since the firm does not have access to data on uninsured losses.[22] More than 17,000 insurance claims had been filed by mid-June. The impact on the insurance industry is not so much the number of claims, but the cumulative effect of such a large number of total losses. More than 2500 local people employed in insurance have been involved in some capacity. It is assumed that State Farm will assume the largest share of these losses, having market share of 27% for homeowners insurance and 21% for automobile insurance.[23]
As of December 2011, the official death toll from the tornado is 160 deaths directly linked to the tornado, including two people who died from injuries in September. The toll was up to 161 in September, until it was discovered that one added later died of other causes.[24].[25][26] The tornado also caused one indirect fatality,[26]a policeman struck by lightning and killed while assisting with recovery and cleanup efforts the day after the storm.[27][28] Shortly after the tornado, authorities had listed 1,300 people as missing, but the number quickly dwindled as they were accounted for.[29][30][31] Many people were reported to have been trapped in destroyed houses. Seventeen people were rescued from the rubble the day after the tornado struck.[32]
The Missouri Emergency Management Agency reported more than 990 injured.[21][33] Out of 146 sets of remains recovered from the rubble, 134 victims had been positively identified by June 1.[30] Due to the horrific injuries suffered by some victims, some different sets of remains were from a single person.[33] On June 2 it was announced that four more victims had died.[34]
Six people were killed when St. John's was struck by the tornado. Five of those deaths were patients on ventilators who died after the building lost power and a backup generator did not work.[35] The sixth fatality was a hospital visitor.[36]
The Joplin Globe reported that 54 percent of the people died in their residences, 32 percent died in non-residential areas and 14 percent died in vehicles or outdoors. Joplin officials after the tornado announced plans to require hurricane ties or other fasteners between the houses and their foundation (devices add about 600 USD to the construction costs). Officials rejected a proposal to require concrete basements in new houses. Officials noted that only 28 percent of Joplin's new homes had basements as of 2009 compared with 38 percent two decades before.[37]
Officials said they rescued 944 pets and reunited 292 with owners.[38]
On 10 June 2011, it was announced that a rare fungal infection, Zygomycosis, had been noted to cause at least eight serious cases of wound infection among the injured survivors, confirmed by reports to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services.[39]
Immediately following the disaster, emergency responders were deployed within and to the city to undertake search and rescue efforts. Governor Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency for the Joplin area shortly after the tornado hit, and ordered Missouri National Guard troops to the city.[19] By May 23, Missouri Task Force One (consisting of 85 personnel, four dogs, and heavy equipment) arrived and began searching for missing persons. Five heavy rescue teams were also sent to the city a day later. Within two days, numerous agencies arrived to assist residents in the recovery process. The National Guard deployed 191 personnel and placed 2,000 more on standby to be deployed if needed. In addition, the Missouri State Highway Patrol provided 180 troopers to assist the Joplin Police Department and other local agencies with law enforcement, rescue, and recovery efforts which also included the deployment of five ambulance strike teams, and a total of 25 ambulances in the affected area on May 24.[21]
President Barack Obama toured the community on May 29, flying into Joplin Regional Airport and speaking at a memorial at the Taylor Performing Arts Center at Missouri Southern State University about two miles (3 km) north of the worst of the devastation.[40] Obama had been on a state visit to Europe at the time of the storm. Members of the controversial Westboro Baptist Church were also scheduled to protest the same day in Joplin, but they did not show up. There was a massive counter protest that was organized in response to the Westboro protest, in which thousands of protesters showed up holding signs saying, "God Loves Joplin" and "We Support You Joplin."[41]
Engineers have criticized the tilt up construction of the Home Depot in which all but two of its walls collapsed in a domino effect after the tornado lifted the roof, killing seven people in the front of the store (although 28 people in the back of the store survived when those walls collapsed outwards). The Walmart and nearby Academy Sports had a different concrete block construction and their walls survived although they lost their roofs. Three people died in the Walmart but 200 survived. Home Depot officials said they disagreed with the study published by The Kansas City Star and said they would use the tilt up practice when they rebuild the Joplin store.[42] On June 1 Home Depot said it would have a new temporary 30,000-square-foot (2,800 m2) building built and operational within two weeks. In the meantime it opened for business in the parking lot of its demolished building.[43] On June 20 Home Depot opened a temporary 60,000-square-foot (5,600 m2) building constructed by Home Depot’s disaster recovery team.[44]
Along with the Tri-State Tornado and the 1896 St. Louis-East St. Louis tornado, it ranks as one of Missouri's and America's deadliest tornadoes and is also the costliest single tornado in US history; the cost to rebuild Joplin could reach $3 billion.[45][46] It was the first F5 or EF5 tornado in Missouri since the Ruskin Heights tornado struck south of Kansas City in 1957. It is also only the second F5 or EF5 tornado in Missouri history dating back to 1950.[47] As of November 12, officials reported that at least 160, and possibly as many as 161 people died from the tornado, with another killed by a lightning strike during cleanup operations the next day.[48][49][27] It was the deadliest U.S. tornado since that of April 9, 1947 in Woodward, Oklahoma and surrounding locations, the seventh deadliest tornado in U.S. history[50] and 27th-deadliest in World history. It was also the first single tornado since the June 8, 1953 tornado in Flint, Michigan, to have 100 or more associated fatalities.[51]
| Rank | Name (location) | Date | Deaths | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Tri-State" (Missouri, Illinois and Indiana) | March 18, 1925 | 695 | |
| 2 | Natchez, Mississippi | May 7, 1840 | 317 | |
| 3 | St. Louis, Missouri and East St. Louis, Illinois | May 27, 1896 | 255 | |
| 4 | Tupelo, Mississippi | April 5, 1936 | 216 | |
| 5 | Gainesville, Georgia | April 5, 1936 | 203 | |
| 6 | Woodward, Oklahoma | April 9, 1947 | 181 | |
| 7 | Joplin, Missouri | May 22, 2011 | 161 | |
| 8 | Amite, Louisiana and Purvis, Mississippi | April 24, 1908 | 143 | |
| 9 | New Richmond, Wisconsin | June 12, 1899 | 117 | |
| 10 | Flint, Michigan |
June 8, 1953 |
116 | |
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Source: Storm Prediction Center |
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