The cross still standing on the ruins of what was St. Mary’s church in Joplin, has become a symbol of hope for the community as it recovers from the devastating tornado that hit May 22. It’s hard to believe it has been a month.
I have been going to Joplin regularly for about 25 years, and know the town well. Even though I knew the area of destruction from the reports I’d seen and heard, and even though I had been in Greensburg after the tornado there, nothing prepared me for what I found in Joplin. Pictures and video don’t do it justice because they can’t capture the scope of it.
When I was there the weekend after it happened, the entire town was on edge – understandably so. Progress began quickly, and continues, but it will be a very long time before things are back to a sort of normal.
Part of the reason I was there right after the tornado was to do some radio reports for Landline Now, a show geared to owner-operator truck drivers, on Sirius/XM.
I’ve taken hundreds of photos. I’m not sure any of them really tells the story. This morning on my way out of town, I took this, with the moon overhead.
I am struck by how the mangled trees are putting out new leaves. Everything wants to live.
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