![]() When I didn’t immediately hear back, I began to fear for the worst.Īfter about 24 hours, I was able to confirm that all of my friends survived the storm, but not everyone was so lucky. I then took to Facebook trying to make sure that my friends and their families were okay. SLIDESHOW: Haunting photos capture the post-tornado ruins of Joplin in 2011Īfter hearing the high school was destroyed in the aftermath, my heart sank and blood turned to ice. Growing up in southwest Missouri, I had numerous friends celebrating their graduation from Joplin High School that same evening. The town had been obliterated and 161 lives were taken in a matter of minutes. The frantic voice of the reporter and graphic images of the devastation, destruction and despair paralyzed me. STORY: Remembering the tornado that laid waste to Joplin, Mo. With eyes glued to a TV screen, my mother and I watched news coverage of an EF-5 tornado barreling through Joplin. I was just finishing up my high school graduation party in Springfield, Missouri, when I saw something horrific unfold on live television. "There are health hazards associated with burning debris of any sort.May 22, 2011, is a date that’s hard to forget. "I know there's a huge amount of debris, but finding a landfill in a valley someplace where you can put it and cover it over is a lot wiser than burning it," Carpenter said. If plastics, asbestos material or treated wood find their way into brush fires, they could produce emissions particularly dangerous for people with asthma or respiratory diseases, he said. Research has shown that tornadoes can suck up debris and deposit it up to 200 miles away, he said.ĭavid Carpenter, director of the Institute for Health and the Environment at the University at Albany-SUNY however has warned against the reckless disposal of debris. People in the Joplin area aren't the only ones who should be on the lookout for contaminated materials, said John Snow, a University of Oklahoma meteorology expert. "The last thing you want to do when a community's dealing with a situation like this is require a lot of permits and paperwork," said Kathleen Logan Smith, executive director of the Missouri Coalition for the Environment. Environmentalists have agreed with the relaxation. In Joplin, environmental rules have been released, allowing the handling of substances like asbestos and lead paint to help with the clearing effort. Left with no homes or jobs, half of Greenberg's population left the beleaguered town.īack in Alabama, officials are asking residents to monitor environmental impact and report any issues. ![]() ![]() Yet the most significant environmental impact has been the dramatic drop in population. The rebuilding efforts offered the opportunity to create a greener and more sustainable town, featuring wind turbines and more ecologically sounds buildings. In 2007, the town of Greenberg was hit by a devastating tornado. This is before considerations of soil erosion, water pollution and flooding risk contamination. In the aftermath of Joplin's tornado an Anhydrous Ammonia leak at the Jasper Products Trucking Company had to be sealed. Many companies that housed chemical plants and the like have sent representatives to affected areas to help in the cleanup. The downing of electrical transformers runs the risk of leaking carcinogenic oil and the highly toxic polychlorinated biphenyls or PCBs. Many of those in Hackleberg and also Joplin, were built before regulations controlling the use of lead paint and asbestos were brought in, causing fears of contamination of the waterways, as well as soil. The path of destruction left by the tornado saw buildings and man-made structures ripped apart. ![]() The town is already further along than Joplin in measuring what effect the tornado has had on the environment and ecosystem. It did not garner as many international headlines yet 75% of the town has been destroyed and the death toll stands at 18. In late April, the town of Hackleberg was hit by an F5 tornado. But as the population of Joplin and the emergency services measure the more immediate impact, the environmental consequences of the tornado are already being taken into account. Homes, schools, hospitals, offices have been flattened. Winds of over 200 mph destroyed 8,000 structures. In Joplin, Missouri, the worst tornado in over a generation in the US has killed at least 139. 2011's tornado season in America has already had a devastating impact. ![]()
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