Upcoming Events and Overview of Joplin Disaster Recovery Summit KGCS -TV Missouri Southern State University Interviews Jane Cage from the JoplinProud Committee about the different activities scheduled the week of May 17, honoring the 5th Anniversary on May 22. Jane explains the meaning of all those butterfly statues popping up around town and why the […]
Dr. Timothy M. O’Keefe, MD, Family Medicine, tells his story about the night the tornado hit Joplin as he helped patients in the emergency department of Mercy Hospital on May 22, 2011. As the storm hit, I was unaware it was a tornado. The power went out and the emergency generators […]
My faith in the face of the tornado looks like a yellow-handled hammer. On the night of the tornado I drove to town and began looking for people. At first, people I knew, then I just ran with strangers and helped them dig for people they knew. Early in the digging, as I walked down […]
Imagine the chaos and emotions of experiencing one of the largest natural disasters in the United States. Now imagine you are a police officer in your beloved community that has endured this devastation! Learn how Matt Stewart, Joplin, Missouri Police Chief reflects on that night, May 22nd, 2011. Where were you when the tornado hit […]
If your profession deals with disaster recovery, why would you travel to a small city in the middle of the country to attend another conference? What makes the Joplin Disaster Recovery Summit worthwhile? Every panel is comprised of leaders and elected officials that have lived through disasters in their own community. They have real-world experience […]
Many thanks for the information regarding this event. Unfortunately, I won’t be able to make it, as much as I would love to, but I will definitely be there in spirit with you all. In May 2011, myself, and a group of friends and family, some from Australia and some from the U.S embarked on […]
There’s not a person in Joplin that would have believed that our community would be in the spot we are today – recovering from a tornado that destroyed a significant portion of our town and took the lives of 161 of our friends, family and neighbors. It’s been a long five years. We’ve celebrated some […]
The complete devastation and death in the aftermath of the 2011 tornado was a shock to Dr. Hubert Bird. Dr. Bird was born in Joplin and is a composer and conductor, known both nationally and internationally. Needing to talk about it to a close friend, Dr. Bird called the retired director of the U.S. Army Band, […]
As we come upon the fifth anniversary of a tornado that claimed 161 lives, we pause to reflect on not only those lives lost, but also the many changes that Joplin has moved through since 2011. Journal Joplin! offers an opportunity for 161 community leaders, citizens and ex-patriots to record their thoughts on Joplin’s […]
JOPLIN, MO – September 17, 2015 – In May 2016, our community will mark five years since the devastating EF-5 tornado that tore through Joplin and Duquesne. To honor this, community volunteers announce Joplin Proud – four days to remember what we lost, thank the volunteers who came to our aid, and be proud of […]