A tornado flattened the southeast Missouri town of Joplin Sunday evening, killing at least 90  people, destroying one hospital and severely damaging another, damaging two fire stations, and flattening roughly two-thirds of the city.

Governor Jay Nixon was expected to tour the affected area Wednesday afternoon.

Rescue efforts were complicated by another severe thunderstorm packing high winds and large hail that rolled through the city at about 8:30 a.m. Monday.  By mid-day Monday people remained trapped beneath the rubble as search and rescue efforts continued.  Missouri Governor Jay Nixon has declared a state of emergency allowing him to activate the National Guard.

The number of injuries is not known, because the St John Regional Medical Center in Joplin took a direct hit, and 183 patients were evacuated.   Those patients were taken to other hospitals.

The Springfield News-Leader reports the hospital was fully evacuated because officials cannot be sure of the safety of the building.

Telephone communications and electrical power were cut off for most of the city.  A fire broke out in the damaged hospital after it took a direct hit.

The governor’s office reports two-thousand homes were destroyed or simply blown away, leaving behind debris, crushed automobiles, and the occasional tree with the bark sheared off the trunk.

Gov. Jay Nixon has activated the Missouri National Guard and activated the State Emergency Operations Center.   At least a full company from the Guard has been dispatched to Joplin.  State and local law enforcement agencies, including fire mutual-aid, were coordinating search and rescue and recovery operations.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol deployed 70 troopers from other regions to help out.  Two troopers from Troop H in northwest Missouri were expected to leave for Joplin Monday morning.  Missouri’s Disaster Medical Assistance Team is also on its way.

Extensive photography is available from the Joplin Globe newspaper here.

 

 

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