Five Years Since the Devastating Joplin, MO EF-5 Tornado; A Reminder to Prepare

Please visit the detailed Joplin tornado page from NWS Springfield, Missouri

...FIVE YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF THE DEVASTATING JOPLIN MISSOURI
TORNADO SERVES AS A REMINDER TO BE WEATHER-READY...

ON MAY 22 2011 A LARGE TORNADO RATED AN EF-5...THE STRONGEST ON
THE ENHANCED FUJITA SCALE...TRACKED DIRECTLY THROUGH JOPLIN
MISSOURI CAUSING DEVASTATION AND A TRAGIC LOSS OF LIFE. IN
TOTAL THERE WERE 158 PEOPLE KILLED MAKING THE TORNADO THE
DEADLIEST IN THE U.S. IN OVER 60 YEARS AND THE 7TH DEADLIEST ON
RECORD. MORE THAN 1,000 OTHER PEOPLE WERE ALSO INJURED. THE
MAGNITUDE OF THE EXTREME DAMAGE WAS FURTHER MAGNIFIED GIVEN THE
POPULATION DENSITY ALONG THE TORNADO TRACK. WELL-BUILT HOMES AND
BUILDINGS WERE COMPLETELY DESTROYED FOR BLOCK AFTER BLOCK
INCLUDING MANY SWEPT FROM THEIR FOUNDATION. IN ADDITION...THERE
WERE OVER 15,000 VEHICLES DESTROYED INCLUDING NUMEROUS CRUSHED
BEYOND RECOGNITION.

THE VIVID IMAGES OF DESTRUCTION FROM JOPLIN IN THE HOURS AND DAYS
FOLLOWING THE TORNADO ARE REMEMBERED BY MANY. THE NOW FIVE YEAR
ANNIVERSARY REINFORCES THE NEED TO HAVE A SEVERE WEATHER
PREPAREDNESS PLAN...PRACTICE THAT PLAN...MONITOR THE WEATHER...AND
ACT WHEN SEVERE WEATHER THREATENS. THIS APPLIES AT HOME...WORK OR
SCHOOL...OUTDOOR LOCATIONS...AND ELSEWHERE.

THERE ARE MANY EFFECTIVE MEANS TO RECEIVE NWS WARNINGS AND HAVING
MULTIPLE OF THESE ARE NECESSARY. THESE MEANS INCLUDE:

- NOAA WEATHER RADIO
- TELEVISION
- RADIO
- WIRELESS EMERGENCY ALERTS TO MANY MOBILE DEVICES
- WARNING SIRENS FOR OUTDOORS
- NUMEROUS OTHER MEANS

ISSUANCE AND RELAY OF NWS WARNINGS IS A VITAL STEP...BUT EQUALLY
AS ESSENTIAL IS SWIFT CORRECT ACTION BY THE PUBLIC AND DECISION-
MAKERS UPON RECEIVING THESE ALERTS. THIS WILL INCREASE LIKELIHOOD
OF REMAINING SAFE. THE NWS WEATHER-READY NATION INITIATIVE
ENCAPSULATES THIS GOAL OF EMPOWERING INDIVIDUALS TO PREPARE AHEAD
OF TIME AND TAKE THE NEEDED ACTION WHEN IN THE PATH OF SEVERE
WEATHER TO PROTECT THEMSELVES AND OTHERS. IT IS IMPERATIVE THAT
EVERYONE IN YOUR HOUSEHOLD KNOWS WHERE TO GO AND WHAT TO DO WHEN A
TORNADO WARNING IS ISSUED. FOR DECISION-MAKERS OVERSEEING
PEOPLE...ENSURE THE POTENTIAL FOR SEVERE WEATHER IS IN YOUR SAFETY
PLAN AND THAT THE PLAN IS PRACTICED AND REFINED AS NEEDED.

WHILE IT HAS BEEN OVER 25 YEARS SINCE THE CHICAGO METROPOLITAN
AREA HAS HAD A DIRECT HIT BY A VIOLENT TORNADO...JUST LAST YEAR A
VIOLENT TORNADO IN NORTH CENTRAL ILLINOIS TRACKED ACROSS OUTER
PARTS OF ROCHELLE AND THROUGH THE COMMUNITY OF FAIRDALE. THESE
POTENT TORNADOES CAN AND DO HAPPEN IN NORTHERN ILLINOIS AND
NORTHWEST INDIANA. METROPOLITAN AREAS SUCH AS CHICAGO AND ROCKFORD
ARE EVERY BIT AS SUSCEPTIBLE AND QUITE POSSIBLY MORE VULNERABLE.
THE DIRECT IMPACTS TO LIVES HOWEVER CAN BE LESSENED BY BEING
PREPARED AND UNDERSTANDING WHEN AND HOW TO TAKE ACTION. NOW IS AS
GOOD AS TIME AS EVER TO GET PREPARED!


RELATED LINKS:

JOPLIN TORNADO PAGE FROM NWS SPRINGFIELD MO

DEADLIEST U.S. TORNADOES

SEVERE WEATHER PREPAREDNESS:
WEATHER.GOV/CHICAGO/SEVEREPREPARE
WWW.NWS.NOAA.GOV/OS/SEVEREWEATHER
WWW.READY.GOV/SEVERE-WEATHER

NWS WEATHER-READY NATION INITIATIVE

STORMREADY

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MTF