Swinging Through Joplin

When I was out visiting my family in Missouri, my dad, brother and I went to Downstream Casino which is near Joplin. We usually go each time I'm out there. As usually we didn't win any money.

On the way back to Springfield, we drove through Joplin to see what progress has been made in rebuilding since that terrible tornado almost a year and a half ago.

As you can see by the pictures below some progress has been made. But there are also areas that look like they haven't been touched except to remove the rubble.

The last picture is of the new hospital being built.

Pictures from Joplin

Here are some pictures from Joplin. It has been over a year since the tornado. There has been some rebuilding as you can see from one of the pictures. Most of the debris has been cleared. But there are still areas where little more than that has been done. Just a reminder of how long it will take for the community to recover.

Joplin 6 Months On, Part I

Md dad, Ed and I went to Downstream to do a little gambling today (didn't have much luck but then again we never do).

On the way back we went through Joplin. Here are some pictures of what the city looks like. You can follow this link to see the pictures I took six months ago.

Joplin 6 Months On, Part II

There is some building going on. New homes are going up. Business are being repaired. Most of the debris is gone.But for the most part not a great deal has changed. The last two pictures are of the hospital. There are temporary buildings around it that are open for business but otherwise the hospital itself is as it was.

This definitely puts a different perspective on Christmas.

Destruction in Joplin

On the way back from the casino, we drove through the part of Joplin hit by the tornado. It is really hard to comprehend even when you are right there the complete and total destruction that took place. The first picture is St. John's hospital.

Joplin Aftermath

More in Joplin

It's hard to fathom that everything is just gone. The other side of the street looks just like this. Looking in any direction you see the exact same amount of destruction. The pictures on TV give you no sense of what has happened. And this is a month after the tornado hit.

Disaster in Joplin

What's hard to believe is only a few blocks from this complete devastation buildings are untouched. You would never know what had happened those few blocks away.