Joplin Tornado 2011: Missouri Marks 11th Anniversary of the Historic EF-5 Tornado
On May 22, Missouri marks 11 years of the enormous and powerful EF-5 tornado that struck the city of Joplin in 2011, and caused billions in property and infrastructural damage. The tornado killed more than 160 people and caused multiple fatalities.
Since the 1950, when the modern record-keeping began, the Joplin tornado has been considered the deadliest in the United States. It injured more than 1000 residents and packed winds more than 200 mph. The tornado itself was up to a mile wide, and the length of its path was 22 miles. The enormous twister was on the ground for 38 minutes.
In all of the US history, the Joplin tornado is ranked seventh-deadliest, making the year 2011 the fourth-deadliest year for tornadoes. The tornado was rated an EF-5, which account for less than 1% of all tornadoes that occur in the US.
As per The National Institute of Standards and Technology, the tornado destroyed around 7500 houses and 500 businesses, displaced around 9500 people, affected 5,000 employees. It generated approximately 3 million cubic yards of debris. The damages totaled to nearly $3 billion, making Joplin the costliest tornado in recorded US history as well.
Given the aftermath of disaster and urgent need for community preparedness, the NWS made key recommendations to include an improved warning system that conveyed the urgent nature of an approaching tornado and its impact, disaster management, community preparedness and so on.
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