Free Republic

JOPLIN, Mo. — A new engineering study of the damage caused by the May 2011 tornado that struck Joplin found no evidence that it was an EF5, as the National Weather Service found, because the city's homes and businesses weren't built to withstand wind speeds that strong, making such a determination impossible. The study by the American Society of Civil Engineers found that more than 83 percent of the damage on May 22, 2011, was caused by winds of 135 mph or less, which is equal to the maximum wind speed of an EF2 tornado, and that about 13 percent...

Some federal money pledged to tornado-ravaged Joplin and other disaster sites is being diverted to help victims of Hurricane Irene. Bob Josephson of the Federal Emergency Management Agency said Monday that FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund is running low. He says individual aid to victims of the May 22 tornado that destroyed about one-third of Joplin will continue, but money for long-term public repair and rebuilding projects will be used for immediate disaster relief on the East Coast.

~ EXCERPT ~ JOPLIN, Mo. — About 1,500 people are unaccounted for in this battered city, a Fire Department official said Tuesday, as rescue workers took advantage of a few hours of sunny weather to continue searching for survivors in buildings leveled by the country’s deadliest tornado in more than 60 years. At least 117 people have died. **snip** Earlier Tuesday, President Obama, who is on a state trip in Britain, said that he was monitoring the federal response to the tornado and that he planned to visit Missouri on Sunday “to talk with folks who’ve been affected, to talk...

At least 116 people died in a massive tornado that left a path of destruction nearly a mile wide through the heart of Joplin, Missouri, on Sunday. The cyclone destroyed hundreds of homes and vehicles, as well as a high school and a hospital. Rescue teams have been working hard to find and assist as many people as possible, even as another storm system passes through region today.