22 Miracles in May: Stories from the Joplin Tornado

22 Miracles in May: Stories from the Joplin Tornado

Reporter's notebook video with Emily Younker: Survivors’ tales nothing short of miraculous
Joplin is full of stories.
Many remember where they were when an EF-5 tornado hit Joplin on May 22. Many think of the dizzying aftermath of that night and of the realization that this storm was more powerful than anything ever seen before.

July 30, 2011
Matt Stephens: Joplin man learning to walk again
Matt Stephens is the proud recipient of a new prosthetic limb.
“I make the joke that having a fake leg gives me more character and gives me a story to tell,” he said.

July 28, 2011 2 Photos
Ashley Monroe: ‘How did I survive this?’
Ashley Monroe rode out the worst of the tornado in her car — and walked away virtually unscathed.
Monroe left St. John’s Regional Medical Center, where she works in housekeeping, at about 5 p.m. and headed to her house, at 32nd Street and Schifferdecker Avenue.

July 29, 2011 1 Photo
Terry Burns: Reliving it every day
Terry Burns, a surgical technician at St. John’s Regional Medical Center, was in the middle of a hip surgery on the second floor of the hospital when an announcement came over the sound system: The building was under “condition gray” and emergency procedures to evacuate were required.

July 29, 2011
Steve Goebel: ‘It dang near killed me’
Steve Goebel was home on Sunshine Drive in Duquesne when he heard the sound of tornado sirens. Just a minute later, he heard hailstones hitting his house and the sound of a window breaking.
“I knew I was in trouble,” he said.

July 29, 2011 1 Photo
Daniel Fluharty: Pizza Hut survivor
Even before he reached the Pizza Hut on Range Line Road to work his Sunday night shift, Daniel Fluharty heard the sirens. The tornado had already formed and was barreling down on Joplin.

July 29, 2011
Pete Anastosopolos: A family reunion
On May 22, Pete Anastosopolos had left his rented home at 26th Street and Empire Avenue and was doing laundry at his manager’s mother’s Webb City home. He kept an eye on the weather, as his 12-year-old daughter, Zoe, and her mother drove back to Joplin from Springfield.

July 29, 2011
Mason Lillard & Lage Grigsby: Cousins beat all odds
Cousins Mason Lillard, 10, and Lage Grigsby, 14, were with their grandparents, Rodney and Sharon Lillard, of Carthage, at the Home Depot when the tornado hit. Rodney Lillard was inside the store while the others waited for him in the car.

July 29, 2011 2 Photos
Ellen Nichols & Kurtis Cox: Healing hands
The sense of duty Ellen Nichols and Kurtis Cox felt after the tornado swept through Joplin was overwhelming. It was enough to make them leave their families after the storm passed and spend a hectic night assisting in triage efforts at Freeman Hospital West.

July 29, 2011 2 Photos
Shari Anderson: ‘It was amazing that we didn’t die’
Another graduation party was scheduled to take place in the International House of Pancakes on Sunday night for Teresa Anderson, said her mother, Shari Anderson.

July 29, 2011
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22 Miracles in May: Stories from the Joplin Tornado

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Two kinds of freshwater mussels, both found in Spring River, could be placed on the endangered species list. That would mean some dredging or placement of bridges could be affected. Do you think the mussels should be placed on the list?

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