JOPLIN, Mo. —
Citing a string of floods, tornadoes and other natural disasters, U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano on Thursday said the nation has experienced “a terrible spring” this year.
“But nothing compares to the size and scope of the devastation I have seen here,” she said at a news conference outside Joplin’s Emergency Operations Center at Third Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.
She said what is striking about Joplin is “the proportion of the loss in relation to the size of the community. There has been nothing like it.”
She said she came to Joplin on Thursday “because it is valuable for me to see on the ground what is occurring.”
Accompanied by Gov. Jay Nixon and U.S. Rep. Billy Long, Napolitano said she and the governor wanted to thank in person the thousands of law enforcement officers, firefighters, emergency medical personnel and other professionals who responded in the immediate aftermath of the tornado.
COMMENDATIONS
They also commended the thousands of individuals who have stepped forward since the storm to volunteer their time and energy to assist with recovery efforts.
Nixon said that in the days immediately after the storm, more than 400 law enforcement, fire, search and rescue, and ambulance agencies deployed to Joplin.
Some of the deployments were coordinated in advance through state mutual aid agreements. Other agencies, including numerous ones from outside Missouri, volunteered to travel to Joplin on their own.
“In the wake of this natural disaster, Missourians have come together with a spirit of faith, resilience and resolve,” Nixon said. “We clearly saw that spirit in the professionals from more than 400 public safety organizations from across our state and throughout the country that responded to the call for help, and that spirit has continued with thousands of volunteers who have traveled to Joplin to help those in need.
“Once again, the toughest of times have brought out the best spirit of the people and professionals of the Show-Me State.”
Nixon said what happened in Joplin could be a model for other states.
SUPPORT TO CONTINUE
Napolitano said: “The Obama administration remains dedicated to helping Joplin and communities throughout Missouri as we work together in our recovery efforts to become stronger and more resilient than ever before.
“We will not leave until the job is finished, and we will continue to support our team of federal, state, local and community partners that are working tirelessly to help the people of Missouri rebuild their communities.”
She said those in charge of the debris removal have been given a federal deadline to accomplish that mission by Aug. 7.
“My prediction,” she said, “is that Joplin will not only survive, but thrive in the end.”
Napolitano toured the area devastated by the tornado and the temporary field hospital that houses St. John’s Mercy Hospital. The group met with hospital leadership, praising Mercy Health System physicians and nurses for their quick response to the destruction of St. John’s Regional Medical Center.
Napolitano pledged continuing federal support to help return St. John’s Mercy Hospital to a fully functioning hospital in the months ahead.
The group also toured the emergency operations center and met with law enforcement leaders.
Volunteers
GOV. JAY NIXON noted Thursday that more than 15,300 volunteers have contributed more than 63,000 hours to relief and recovery efforts in Joplin.
Local News
Related Photos
-
Secretary of Homeland Security Janet Napolitano, flanked by Gov. Jay Nixon and Newton County Sheriff Ken Copeland (right), talks about the Joplin tornado Thursday at the emergency center set up in front of the Dr. Donald E. Clark Public Safety and Justice Center. GLOBE | T. ROB BROWN
Discussion
Homeland security chief: Joplin tornado unique
- Local News
-
-
Civil War committee honors sacrifice of soldiers ambushed at Rader Farm
Dozens of local residents gathered Saturday at the Rader Farm on the 150th anniversary of the massacre of 15 soldiers of the 1st Kansas Colored Volunteer Infantry and three white soldiers from the 2nd Kansas Volunteer Artillery Battery by guerrilla Confederate forces.
-
Summer classes scheduled for Joplin, MSSU
Summer classes for Joplin Schools have been scheduled for Monday, June 3, through Friday, June 28.
-
Mike Pound: No cure for ‘worst parent ever syndrome’
I may be the worst parent ever. The reason I say that is because our 15-year-old daughter, Emma, suggested that was the case the other day when I was driving her home from school.
-
Wally Kennedy: Ye Olde King Pizza to open by September
Let’s start at the beginning. Earlier this year, Brian and Tracy Myers, of Joplin, signed a licensing agreement to bring a Ye Olde King Pizza to Joplin. This style of pizza was the forerunner for what eventually would become Joplin’s signature pizza restaurant, Pizza by Stout. That restaurant at 2101 S. Range Line Road was destroyed by the May 2011 tornado.
-
Susan Redden: Lawmakers pass bills to benefit veterans
Joplin area legislators scored some victories the last week of the Missouri General Assembly’s session, but if anyone is keeping count, the record has to go to Rep. Charlie Davis.
-
Interfaith services an outgrowth of 2011 tornado in Joplin
Celebrating community and rebuilding, members of three faiths came together Sunday at the Landreth Park amphitheater as part of an ongoing interfaith effort that came out of the aftermath of the May 22, 2011, tornado.
-
Registration continues for Get Fit TRYathlon in Pittsburg
On average, it costs more than $600 to match one child with an adult volunteer in the Crawford County Big Brothers Big Sisters program. Four years ago, the Get Fit TRYathlon was born as a fundraiser for the program, and it has been gaining momentum, organizers say.
-
Council to consider condemnation measures for widening projects
The Joplin City Council on Monday night will consider ordinances for proposed condemnation proceedings on five pieces of property that are needed for three street widening projects.
-
Andra Bryan Stefanoni: The story of two engines that could
It’s hard not to be enamored by trains if you grew up where I did. Pittsburg is crisscrossed by rail lines, as are many Southeast Kansas towns that were built on the backs of coal miners.
-
Jo Ellis: Mudslinging can be fun when it’s in the hands of kids
CARTHAGE, Mo. — It’s slick. It’s sticky. It’s goopy. It’s soupy. It’s Mudstock 2013, and it’s going to be so much fun for kids. But hold on. Carthage police Chief Greg Dagnan said Mudstock isn’t just for kids. “Adults go through it all the time, and they have just as much fun,” he said, adding, “I think.”
- More Local News Headlines
-
