Joplin Tornado Project

On May 22, 2011 a devastating EF-5 tornado hit Joplin, Missouri, resulting in 161 fatalities and over 1000 injuries. It was the single deadliest tornado in the United States since 1950, and the seventh deadliest on record.

The tornado touched down west of Joplin, at 5:34 pm, at the junction of State Highway JJ and West 32nd Street. It would not dissipate until 6:12 pm, near the city of Granby, Missouri. The tornado, with winds exceeding 200 mph, was on the ground for almost 22 miles through the city and surrounding area, destroying thousands of buildings and causing an estimated $2.8 billion in damage. The tornado winds were ranked at an EF4 level within four minutes of touching down, quickly strengthening to an EF5 level. The tornado only began to noticeably weaken in strength after carving a path through the city of Duquesne, Missouri. At its maximum the tornado was one mile wide.

Due to the extent of the tornado damage, people from across America and even from around the world came to Joplin to help in the cleanup and rebuilding effort. Rebuilding Joplin took years. Joplin High School, for example, would not reopen until 2014. The rebuilding effort is still a work in progress, with many homes and buildings never being rebuilt and portions of land in Joplin remaining empty to this day.

The damage done by the tornado was more than in the loss of life and in property damage. To this day many people still suffer from the trauma related to this event.

The Joplin Tornado Collection

The Joplin Tornado collection consists of photographs, documents and other materials donated to Missouri Southern State University for the purpose of this project. The current collection available online consists of photographs from The Joplin Globe, Joplin Schools, Mercy/St. John's Hospital and Jane Cage.

The situation immediately after the tornado was devastating, as it had destroyed about 25 percent of all structures. St. John's Hospital had been rendered unusable, and many businesses and homes were destroyed. The area of Joplin that was not directly hit by the tornado was still heavily affected. The tornado took out a power substation and broke many of the city's water lines. There was a lot of uncertainty about the missing, and driving around parts of Joplin was difficult. Many of the photos in the collection were taken by either reporters or private citizens who lived in Joplin; some of them drove around in their cars, and others walked around on foot. It is thanks to these people, and the people of Joplin, that this collection is possible.