Joplin Macro Monday

Joplin's Joyful - I don't know the history of the sign but when I saw it I thought, 'Not right now'.



Didn't I just see this type of thing in New Orleans?  Still left over from Katrina?  So the photos I'm sharing this week are not really macros, simply close ups of the tornado damage to Joplin, MO. As I mentioned the night it happened, Joplin is my hometown (lived there the first 35 years of my life) and we had been planning a visit on Memorial day weekend before the tornado struck. We went through with our plans and tried to help our son organize his life a little while we were there.



Looters will be shot - we are here



When I saw Spongebob sitting in the Franklin Tech building, I thought of my grandson, and once again thanked the Lord that school was not in session at the time the f5 tornado hit.



Metal and wires decorate trees like tinsel and ornaments would for Christmas.  It seems so wrong.



Spray paint and boards have replaced the metal street signs to let you know where you are. There once sat a bank here- the vault is all that's left.



Amongst the trials Joplinites find their humor and carry on.

Macro Monday is easy to play, snap a macro (or any close-up) photo, post it on your blog and come back here and sign MckLinky. :) MM started on Sept 29, 2008 - THANX to all of you for helping make it such a fun start to the week!

Parkwood High

I don't care that the year after I graduated they renamed it Joplin High, it will always be Parkwood to me. It was quite a shock seeing it this way. This is a series showing one whole side of the school.





So very thankful this happened on a Sunday evening and not during school hours.

Joplin, MO

The power of wind is so amazing!



Here are a few of the photos I took of my hometown. I was born, went to school, had my babies and met my husband in Joplin.



I am one of the lucky ones though, as I moved away from Joplin 8 years ago. Only my memories are affected.



Many have lost their homes, their cars, their jobs, and maybe even a loved one. My stepson lost everything, as you saw in the video previously. He is currently moving from house to house, staying with friends, trying not to wear out his welcome until he can find some stability.



They are all different for having went through it. I am different for having seen it.



The very next day, people were back up and out, and working together to fix the situation they found themselves in.





A huge thanx to everyone pouring into the area to lend a hand, or a chainsaw, bottled water or food! Joplin feels very loved right now.



The pictures do not share the magnitude of it. When you see the town in person, if you're familiar with the town, one of the first things you notice, is that you can see so very far, and that everywhere you look is flattened. The area of devastation is so large! It is incomprehensible!

Joys of Living in Tornado Alley

My dad ran into the house yelling for my mom to get in the basement now.

My parents live in southwest Missouri and this time the tornado hit about a half mile from their house.  That's just a little too close for comfort.  And, from what I have heard on the weather channel that tornado has been classified as an f4, about a mile wide.  Scary stuff.

Mom and dad got lucky and the only damage they sustained was one down tree and a few branches.  Some of their very close neighbors weren't so lucky.

This guy was trying to get his car a little protection from the golf ball sized hail.  Guess that didn't work, but he's ok.

These people lost 47 trees in a storm 5 years ago and now the remainder are gone.  But their house is still standing, which is actually saying a lot considering two of their immediate neighbors lost their homes.

Photos are courtesy of my mom and dad.

PS - Would you believe that I am still sick?!  Please tell me that the coughing will end soon and I will once again feel alive, cuz right now I feel like Picher Oklahoma.