JOPLIN, Mo —
Hand over her mouth, Michelle Whitehead stared at the heap of rubble left by the deadliest single tornado since 1947.
“I’m just trying to make sure the people I love are still alive,” she said. “I just can’t believe this.”
Nor could others in this gritty community of 50,000 two days after a vicious twister shredded homes, schools, hospitals and businesses.
At least 123 people were killed, with the toll expected to go higher in light of an announcement that 1,500 people were reported missing. More than 700 were injured, many seriously.
Keith Stammer with the Jasper County Emergency Management Office said the missing tally could include many who have not let relatives known they are safe.
Others, he added, could be patients in hospitals or simply left town in advance of the Sunday dinner-time tornado that struck with little warning.
Seventeen people were pulled alive from the splintered remains. Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon said rescue officials report still others may remain trapped.
“We believe there are more folks alive under the rubble and we’re trying to reach them,” Nixon said.
Rescue crews used specially trained dogs, construction cranes and National Guardsmen to sift through the devastation that wiped out one-third of the city.
Officials gave no estimate of overall damage, except to say it could top a billion dollars. More than 14,000 homes and businesses remained without power or water.
President Obama is scheduled to tour the city Sunday. He has already promised generous federal assistance.
“It is just utter devastation anywhere you look,” said assistant Mayor Melodee Colbert-Kean. “The city is in a state of chaos.”
Meanwhile, the National Weather Service upgraded the fury of the tornado from EF-4 (190 to 198 mph winds)to EF-5 (over 200 mph), the top category.
The increased death toll made it the 8th highest killer tornado in U.S. history, surpassing the 1954 Flint, Mich., twister that claimed 116 lives.
Survivors told harrowing stories of riding out winds of 190 to 198 miles per hour. Many said they hid in basements, closets, laundry rooms and bathrooms.
Sandy Conlee witnessed the destruction at Greenbriar, a nursing home where 11 people died.
“One of the little old men was standing dazed in the middle of the street when we came out of the home,” said Conlee. “He had blood all over his head. He was in shock.”
Rebecca Wilkinson stood amid the debris that was once the Hampshire Terrace apartment complex. She said she and her young daughter were lucky to be alive.
“I got a call from my mother, and she said to take cover, so I grabbed a blanket and headed to the bathroom,” she said. “By the time I shut the door, it hit.”
Wilkinson clutched her daughter as the apartment collapsed around her.
“If it wasn’t for my toilet and sink, we would have been crushed,” she said. “It was the only thing that held the wall up off of us.”
Rescuers found Wilkinson and her daughter beneath the rubble.
“I handed my daughter out through a hole, and then an elderly gentleman came and pulled me out,” she said.
Wilkinson said she heard shouts and cries of her neighbors as they struggled to free themselves.
“All I could hear were screams,” she said. “If they were there, they’re not now.”
Kevin Fortenbaugh, who lives on Joplin’s north side, was in his pickup en route to visit his mother when he noticed the sky suddenly turn black.
He sped ahead to a nearby Walmart, parked the pickup, grabbed his camera and sprinted into the store’s dairy case just as the roof ripped off.
“By the grace of God you get through it,” Fortenbaugh said.
Lifelong Joplin resident Kelly Wells, 45, recalled her story of survival and wondered about her future. Her home was completely destroyed.
“I have nothing,” she said. “It’s all gone.”
Treated for hand, head and rib injuries at a local hospital, she reflected on a service early Sunday morning at the First Christian Church and the sermon about a new beginning.
“Now, I’m like, ‘When’s my new beginning going to start, and what’s it going to be like?’” she asked.
DETAILS for this story were provided by the Joplin, Mo., Globe.
Breaking News
Related Photos
-
Roger Nomer | Joplin Globe Parrish Evans calls to his rescue dog, Jody, as he searches for bodies at Greenbriar Retirement Home in Joplin.
Discussion
More victims pulled from Joplin tornado’s ground zero
- Breaking News
-
-
UPDATE: At least 51 killed by tornado in Moore
A large tornado ripped out sections of Moore Monday afternoon leaving a path of destruction of wrecked homes and businesses, according to the Oklahoma Office of Emergency Management.
-
UPDATE: Tornado touches portions of Edmond
Roger Williams and his wife Shellie, residents in Edmond’s Thornbrooke neighborhood since 2004, were watching the weather reports Sunday as a large storm approached the city.
When they heard reports that a tornado was spotted near Broadway and 15th Street, then Broadway and 33rd Street, the couple and their son Ethan, 11, took cover in a reinforced interior closet. After they closed the door it got eerily quiet, like being in the eye of a hurricane, Roger said. As the tornado passed by, they could hear a few bangs outside.
“I was kind of scared,” Ethan said. -
SLIDESHOW: Tornado strikes I-35 area of Edmond
A violent tornado ripped trees out of the ground as it dropped into southern Edmond late Sunday afternoon along areas east and west of Interstate 35 from 15th Street to 33rd Street, according to various reports. Damage in Edmond is confirmed by the city and included blown out windows at the brand new Mercy I-35 facility that was scheduled to open later this year. Hail also peppered northwest Edmond during the violent storm event.
-
UPDATE: Logan Co. Sheriff's Office cancels Silver Alert
The Logan County Sheriff’s Office has issued a Silver Alert for Mary Francis Gregory, 77.
Gregory was attempting to go from her residence in Kingfisher County to a beauty shop in Logan County when she became disoriented, according to the Logan County Sheriff’s Office. -
Francis Tuttle CareerTech evacuates students
Francis Tuttle Technology Center, at 12777 N. Rockwell Ave., was evacuated this morning due to an alleged bomb threat.
Oklahoma County Sheriff’s deputies have responded, said Oklahoma City Police Master Sgt. Gary Knight. -
Police capture suspect in Boston bombings
Police pinned down the Boston Marathon terror suspect in a small boat in a suburban Watertown backyard Friday night, exchanging gunfire before bringing him out wounded but alive, ending a day-long massive manhunt.
"We got him," tweeted Boston Mayor Thomas Manino. -
Possible suspect identified in Boston bombing
Investigators of the Boston bombing believe they have found a possible suspect, according to CNN, citing anonymous sources close to the case.
-
LIVE UPDATES: 2 dead, 22 injured in Boston Marathon explosions
Get live updates on the explosions at the end of the Boston Marathon on Monday, courtesy of boston.com.
-
Sheriff’s office investigates bomb threat at county courthouse
A suspicious bag found inside a county building after a reported bomb threat contained trash, Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Mark Myers said.
Members of the Oklahoma County Sheriff’s Office investigated the mid-day report of a bomb threat at the county courthouse in downtown Oklahoma City, Myers said. The county bomb squad cleared the suspicious bag found inside an annex to the main county building, Myers said. -
Cardinals name Argentine cardinal as pope
White smoke rose above the Sistine Chapel Wednesday afternoon to signal the election of the next pope. The bells of St. Peter’s Basilica tolled to confirm the new pontiff, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina. Bergoglio has chosen the name Francis.
- More Breaking News Headlines
-
UPDATE: At least 51 killed by tornado in Moore
