Devastating Devastation, 2 Months Later

This last Sunday the Husbear and I wandered up to Joplin to see the area that was affected by the May 22 tornado.

A large portion of the debris has been cleaned up, but in it’s place there is a great swath of empty land that formerly contained many homes and businesses. There are also many crosses planted about, more than likely where people were killed.

There were several tent-filled camps set up in the area. Something I can’t imagine staying in when it’s been over 100 degrees in the area for a month.

We passed several properties where people will still going through the rubble of their homes, sorting what could and couldn’t be saved. It was difficult to witness, and I can’t even begin to know what emotions they are dealing with.

Until next time...
Erik

9 thoughts on “Devastating Devastation, 2 Months Later

  1. That must have been a difficult visit. Having grown up in that (and your) general region, it always amazes me that we didn’t experience more devastation from twisters. After a small tornado one year during my youth, I recall seeing huge chunks of sheet metal from area chicken houses strewn among trees like crazy tinsel around my grandparents’ farmhouse in Fayetteville. ::shiver::

    1. It was definitely hard to see.

      A tornado in May 2006 bounced across Bentonville and tore up half the building that our salon and tattoo studio is in, and then it came down the holler near where our home is. That was all minimal compared to what happened in Joplin. I can’t even begin to imagine what they are going through.

  2. Some years ago I visited a concentration camp in Austria. The place looked eerie and scary. I had a knot in my stomach for my whole visit. Your pictures reminded me of that…

  3. It’s hard to imagine having one’s way of life snatched away so randomly. Tornadoes, hurricanes, tsunamis, earthquakes, fires… it can happen at any time. I guess we all have to appreciate what we have while we have it.

  4. Oh man, it’s so hard to comprehend the destruction. The pic of the empty lot… was that meant to show us that the remains of the hospital have been demolished and taken away?

    1. If you look closely at that picture of the empty lot, in the distant background you’ll actually see the hospital. That empty lot is where homes used to sit.

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