Deadly tornado leaves Missouri city in ruins
0 
At least 116 people lost their lives to a giant tornado that spun across a six-mile strip of southwestern Missouri, the United States about 6 pm on Sunday, and local officials say the death toll could still rise.
![Tornado forms over Shawnee Lake in Topeka, Kansas. [Environment News Service]](http://images.china.cn/attachement/jpg/site1007/20110524/0014222d98500f4557b602.jpg "Tornado forms over Shawnee Lake in Topeka, Kansas. [Environment News Service]") |
|
Tornado forms over Shawnee Lake in Topeka, Kansas. [Environment News Service] |
The twister devastated Joplin, a city of 50,000 people, leaving close to a quarter of the city in ruins. A hospital, a nursing home, two fire stations and entire residential neighborhoods were destroyed on the south side of Joplin, located 160 miles south of Kansas City.
As a thunderstorm with strong winds and heavy rain and hail cracked across parts of the city this morning, search and rescue workers continued to comb the wreckage for survivors.
Weather officials said the twister that struck the city of 50,000 at dinner time on Sunday was the deadliest single tornado in the United States since 1947 and the ninth-deadliest tornado of all time.
Joplin Mayor Mike Woolston has declared a local disaster due to the damage of this storm. The city is also working under a state disaster declaration.
 |
|
Missouri National Guard Soldiers with the 117th Engineer Team work search and rescue missions in Joplin, Missouri, hours after a deadly tornado passed through. [Missouri National Guard] |
Jasper County emergency management director Keith Stammer told reporters about 2,000 buildings were damaged, including his own home.
The state has also requested search and rescue teams from Kansas, Arkansas and Oklahoma through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact.
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon activated the Missouri National Guard Sunday evening. "I have ordered the Missouri National Guard to deploy citizen-soldiers and assets to support local law enforcement agencies with emergency coordination and recovery, and other state assets have been mobilized to provide emergency support as well," the governor said.
Go to Forum >>0 Comments