Tornado survivors speak of devastation
Survivors of the Missouri tornado tell Channel 4 News of “apocalyptic” scenes. The death toll from America’s deadliest twister in more than 60 years is expected to rise.
Residents of Joplin, Missouri, have spoken of their terrifying ordeal after the deadliest tornado since 1947 flattened parts of the small city, killing more than 100 people.
Rescue efforts are continuing and the current death toll of 116 is expected to rise.
The monster storm struck on Sunday, flattened entire neighbourhoods, uprooted trees, and flipped over cars and trucks. About 2,000 homes and many other businesses, schools and other buildings were destroyed.
Residents received about 20 minutes’ warning from sirens, but not all made it to storm shelters as the tornado column, made invisible by swathes of rain, approached the outskirts of Joplin.
Survivors spoke of running for their lives and taking shelter in walk-in fridges in restaurants and shops.
I had difficulty determing where our house had even stood. Mark Neuenschwander, local resident
Six people died at St John’s hospital, which had its roof ripped off by winds measuring up to 200mph. X-ray films from the hospital were found 70 miles away.
Five of the dead were intensive care patients who were on ventilators that lost power when the tornado struck. The sixth was a visitor.
Newton County Coroner Mark Bridges said a number of bodies were found along the city’s “restaurant row” and on its main commercial street. A local nursing home also took a direct hit, he added.
‘Surreally apocalyptic’
Mark Neuenschwander, a 26-year-old photographer, was one of thousands of resident whose homes were destroyed by the storm.
He told Channel 4 News: “Our house and everything within sight was levelled to such an extent that you cannot distinguish where anything used to be.
“We were at my in-laws in a storm shelter and could hear everything being ripped up above us.
“After walking over dead power lines and downed trees to get to our house after the twister hit, I had difficulty determing where our house had even stood.
“The scene was and still is surreally apocalyptic. Smoke, sirens, hissing gas leaks, people wandering past, unsure where to go.
“Schools, stores, neighborhoods, nearly an entire hospital, demolished. Death count at well over 100 so far. Crazy times.”
Invisible killer
Youth worker Ryan Larson, 27, watched the devastation unfold along with his wife Aubree and their young son Finley.
He saids: “Joplin was hit by an ef4-sized tornado (biggest is ef5). The size was estimated between three quarters of a mile to one and a half miles wide.
“The tornado was rain-wrapped, meaning you could not see it.
“It ploughed from west to east, doing damage throughout one end of town to the other.
“Aubree and I and Finley were napping when Finley woke up. Aubree went to get him and that’s when the sirens went off.
Windows started breaking and we could not even see the neighbour’s house because of the rain. Ryan Larson, local resident
“Things started getting bad quickly. We went to our first-floor bathroom. As we were going, windows started breaking and we could not even see the neighbour’s house because of the rain.
“We got to the bathroom and the pressure shifted and windows continued breaking. The house was shaking, and it was so loud outside.
“After things settled down, everyone was outside looking at the damage. That’s when we realised the tornado was only a block away from us. we also had baseball-sized hail.”
US President Barack Obama is expected to visit Joplin when he returns to the US following his visit to Britain on Sunday.
Missouri Governor Jay Nixon said he expects the number of dead to rise. The death toll of at least 116 tops the 115 people who perished in a 1953 tornado in Flint, Michigan. A 1947 twister in Woodland, Oklahoma, killed 181 people.
Violent storms throughout Monday “dramatically hurt” efforts to find survivors, with rain hampering sniffer dogs, Mr Nixon added. But 17 people were rescued on Monday, he said, adding that by the end of Tuesday “we’ll have been through every foot of this town.”
The authorities said about 400 people hurt, with many suffering severe internal injuries. Among the injured were two law enforcement officials who were struck by lightning.
More severe storms are predicted for the region, in a year that has brought tornadoes of record intensity across several states.
The tornado could cost insurers up to $3bn, according to catastrophe risk modeling firm EQECAT.