Tornado Devastates the City of Joplin, Missouri

May 24th, 2011 -- Posted in Tornado | No Comments »

by Victoria M. Johnson

On Sunday, May 22, 2011 a tornado ripped through Joplin, Missouri stripping trees, hurling vehicles, and damaging homes. Rescue workers toiled through the night, sifting through the rubble, hoping to find survivors. According to the Weather Channel, 10 survivors were pulled from the debris. But at least 116 lives have been claimed in the nation’s deadliest single twister in 60 years and the second major tornado disaster in less than a month. The tornado tore a path a mile wide and four miles long. The National Weather Service stated the storm had winds of 190 to 198 miles per hour.

Joplin, Missouri Tornado Wreckage with American Flag

The Huffington Post has a terrifying video of a first-person account of the tornado. People in a convenience store ran into a storage cooler as the tornado ripped the building apart. They recorded the experience while deafening sounds of the destruction paralyzed them and the tornado threatened their lives. Miraculously none of them were seriously hurt.

Japan 2011 Quake and Tsunami Update

March 14th, 2011 -- Posted in Earthquakes, Tsunami | No Comments »

by Victoria M. Johnson

10,000 people are now feared dead. As the heartbreaking news of the enormous loss of life unfolds, strong aftershocks (6.2 magnitude) continue to strike and the nuclear power plant meltdown threats increase (though officials insist the reactors remain intact). To add further to the images of desolation, Japan now has hundreds of thousands of survivors without food, water and electricity. As if all this wasn’t enough to break the spirit, tsunami warnings broke out again in the Fukishima area.

A Collapsed Home After the Japan Quake and Tsunami

Reports have come out that the village hardest hit, Minamisanriku, had residents who received a 30-minute warning between the 8.9 earthquake and the tsunami. Thirty minutes to recover from a violent shaking of the earth, gather loved ones, and escape. Those residents then tried to flee the village all at the same time, blocking roadways and becoming trapped. As families still wait to hear from loved ones, they can only hope and pray.