A tornado nearly three quarters of a mile wide ravished the city of Joplin, Missouri and killed 89 people. The tornado touched down around 6 p.m. on May 22 and cut a four-mile path of destruction, severely damaging an area hospital and destroying hundreds of homes in the surrounding area. There were 68 reported tornadoes over the weekend throughout the country.
Two storm chasers appear to have captured one of the only videos of the storm, as it strikes the town. Jeff and Kathryn Piotrowski of TornadoVideos.net uploaded this clip to YouTube shortly after the storm first touched down. It also shows them driving through the town of Joplin shortly after the storm, and gives a sense of the utter destruction there.
This image shows the damage to the area hospital. Thankfully, staff members were able to move patients into the hallways before the tornado struck.
This video actually gives a sense of what it was like to take cover as the storm passed overhead. There isn’t much video, but the audio is horrifying to hear. Hats off to the brave people who kept everyone calm.
A helicopter flew over the town and attempted to chronicle the devastation.
Residents survey the damage of their neighborhood after the disaster.
Finally, this eerie video shows the town after the tornado. The devastation is overwhelming.
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