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#Joplin tornado 2011 pictures windows#
(The hospital) windows have all been blown out. "The houses are all gone," she told The Joplin Globe newspaper. Sara Ferguson was near the hospital when the storm hit. Lewis said she didn't see any fires on the scene when she arrived, but knew that natural gas leaks were present.Īlthough the tornado sirens sounded, she said, "from what I've heard there was very little warning here," she said, but "obviously, a tornado this big, it's difficult to prepare for something of this magnitude." Joplin Fire Chief Mitch Randles told reporters the evacuation only took about an hour and a half. She praised the efforts of those at the hospital to get patients out. Lewis said she was at home across town when the twister struck, and before cell service was lost, "I started getting text messages almost immediately that the hospital had been hit," she told CNN affiliate KODE. There was no information on whether anyone was injured or killed when the tornado struck the hospital. "They're still coming," she said.Įfforts to contact Freeman Health System hospital were unsuccessful, as calls to Joplin elicited only a busy signal Monday. John's in Joplin, she said, and the others had storm-related injuries. John's Hospital in Springfield, Missouri, about 70 miles east of Joplin, had received 58 people as of about 10 a.m. John's.Īnd more were taken to other Mercy Health System hospitals in the region, company CEO and President Lynn Britton said. Still others were taken to a Catholic high school, at least temporarily, said Miranda Lewis, a spokeswoman for St. Patients who were able to walk were taken to Memorial Hall, a community building in Joplin, where a makeshift facility was set up. The most critical patients were taken to Freeman Health System hospital, about two miles east. Hospital officials swung into action almost immediately after the tornado struck, attempting to get patients to safety and setting up triage centers in tents outside. Stories from the storm: Fear, tears, prayers It's crazy because those are her last words." "My aunt was a pretty avid Facebooker, and she posted about the time I was taking the picture," he said of his iReport. However, the hospital was very nearly the only building left standing, as the nearby area was flattened by the twister.ĬNN iReporter Zach Tusinger, 26, a Joplin attorney, said his aunt and uncle, who lived five blocks from the hospital, were killed. The hospital's medical helicopter lay some distance away from its landing pad, heavily damaged.Ī statue of a cross out front appeared to be the only thing left undamaged. Mangled cars had been tossed about the parking lot and strewn in front of the emergency room entrance. The building in southwest Joplin stood empty Monday morning, looking as if it had been bombed. John's reportedly were found in driveways in Dade County, Missouri, about 70 miles away.

Windows were blown out, gurneys tossed up to five blocks away, and 183 patients and about 200 staffers were evacuated. The twister turned a place where the injured typically would seek treatment and refuge into a scene of chaos and devastation.ĭeath toll in Joplin tornado expected to rise John's Regional Medical Center in Joplin, Missouri - patients watching television, perhaps, or eating their dinners.īut the evening wound up as anything but typical, as the nine-story building took what officials said was a direct hit from a tornado. Joplin, Missouri (CNN) - It probably was a typical Sunday night at St. Read more tornado coverage from CNN affilites KFSM and KODE. Officials worked quickly to evacuate more than 180 patients.X-rays reportedly were found in residents' driveways 70 miles away.Gurneys were tossed up to five blocks away when the twister hit.
