The following email was forwarded to me by a friend. I followed up with the original author (Steve Ogden) who granted permission for my to post this first hand report on the aftermath at the site of the Joplin tornado.
My son Geoff & I just got back Tuesday nite from a quick "expedition" down to Joplin, MO to assist in the relief effort down there and thought I'd share some thoughts & photos. While on duty at the FD last Tuesday, 2 days after the tornado hit, I was fortunate to be able to help load 2 tractor/trailer loads of relief supplies collected by two "20-something" guys that simply put out the word on Facebook and organized a collection point at the Hampton Village Schnuck's parking lot , and the response from the community was massive. Tons of food, water, clothing, pet food, baby supplies and even medical supplies plus over $2,000 cash donations were dropped off by hundreds of people and organized and loaded by dozens of folks that stayed to help out. When our Chief heard what we were doing, he sent two more Engine Companies to help out. That was rewarding enough just to see and be a part of.
As the week went on, the word went out from Joplin that they needed people more than supplies, so by Saturday I decided to go down and do what I could to help. The Iast thing you want to do is just show up in the middle of such chaos and expect to be used properly, so I logged on to the United Way website on Saturday and filled out the volunteer application, listing my skills, expertise and equipment and followed up with a call to the Americorp group responsible for organization of volunteers on Sunday morning after getting off duty. They confirmed that they still "needed bodies" and told me to report to the campus of the Mo.Southern State U on the north side of town for assignment. Not knowing what to expect down there and deciding to be "self deployed, self-directed and, most importantly, self-contained" I already had my ATV w/winch loaded in my van and added my chainsaws, power tools and some food, water and personal shelter gear, when my son, Geoff, hearing from Julie that I was heading out, asked if he could go with me, which I gratefully accepted. We loaded up some extra gear and headed out from STL around 1400 and arrived in Joplin Sunday nite around 1900.
Arriving at the Americorp HQ at the college, it didn't take long to figure out that they were well intentioned but totally disorganized, so I contacted the HQ of the Joplin FD and identified myself as a firefighter with USAR experience and equipment and they gave me directions to their location and welcomed us with open arms and even gave us a spot behind their Engine House to set up our small campsite (dubbed Camp "Shitbird") next to the Porta-Potties and the Field Kitchen providing Breakfast and Dinner for all the Police & Fire personnel working the disaster site. They even let us use their showers at night.
We were told to report to Chief Redshaw of Joplin FD at the Incident Command HQ at the Joplin High School at 20th & Indiana in the center of the devastation area at 0800. Driving into the area, we were dumbstruck by extent of the destruction. If you have ever seen pictures of Hiroshima you would get the idea. Flattened rubble as far as you can see with stumps of tree trunks totally stripped of leaves, limbs and even bark sicking up. A Highway Patrol chopper pilot told me after a fly-over that the worst of the destruction was aprox. 3 miles wide by 18 miles long.
The High School was completely destroyed, but the parking lot was cleared to serve as a staging area:
Looking west from the Command Post:
Cars not crushed by falling trees were found crushed and rolled up in piles in parking lots:
From a "high point" at aprox Kentucky Ave & 24th St, destruction in all directions:
Just south of the High School looking west:
In the midst of all the tragedy, incredible examples of the best of the Human Spirit abounded. Countless spray-painted signs on the rubble piles that used to be homes saying "Thank You, Volunteers!" "God Bless America!" "Together we will rebuild!" and passages of Scripture were everywhere and American Flags were attached to anything standing upright. People driving around in cars, trucks and 4-wheelers were handing out water, Gatoraide and sandwiches to any of us working the rubble piles. There was even signs of " dark humor" like this:
Another pile with one wall standing had a sign saying "Dear FEMA, it's all yours! go ahead and Doze it!'
Geoff & I were teamed up with some some members of the Milo FD and a few civilian Americorp volunteers to do another sweep of three seperate sectors of the area looking for sources of "cadaver smell" to narrow the areas that needed search dog units to locate remains of victims. The entire area had already been "searched" 3 times, but the FD wanted 2 more sweeps to make sure and they were grateful for our manpower to do the job so their people could serve the rest of the city's needs. We found numerous sites that had been indicated for "K9" searches previously, but turned out to be a freezer full of bad meat, 3 turkeys, a slab of ribs that a civilian though were human remains, 2 cats, a dog and a 6 foot long python. We then spray-painted a marker on the curb describing the find and the location so the dog teams could concentrate on more critical areas.
Our Search Team: (Geoff working the camera):
One bright note. The Americorp guy above, (on right with helmet in lap) found a baby bunny rabbit in the debris and decided to adopt him, named him "Joplin" and take him home to Orlando, FL:
Our "Camp Shitbird" at Joplin FD HQ behind the Porta-Potties:
Son Geoff relaxing after a hard days work:
When you look at the area, you can't help but wonder why there weren't thousands of people killed. One of the most telling stories came from a Joplin firefighter I met who told me of his brother who's home was right in the middle of the storm path. He and his family dove into the basement and hid under the stairs as the tornado roared thru. When it was over, they crawled out of the rubble and found their house completely gone and as he looked around, people were "popping out like gophers" all around. We saw dozens of bathtubs with mattresses and plywood pulled over them that people obviously used as emergency shelters.
As I write this, I am still numbed by the extent of the devastation (I've seen Hurricanes that weren't this bad) but overwhelmed by the spirit of recovery that the survivors showed. Geoff & I repeatedly said how proud it made us to be an American, and especially a Midwesterner and a Missourian. We worked with volunteers from California to Massachusetts, Florida to Montana and the local citizens were unbelievable. We were humbled and honored to be a small part of it.
Steve & Geoff Ogden
