Joplin officials say the city has issued nearly $1 billion in building permits since a May 2011 tornado demolished sections of the city.

Bryan Wicklund, a city building inspector, says records show the city has issued about $970.8 million in permits in the 29 months since the tornado. The storm killed 161 people and caused an estimated $2.8 billion in damage.
The building permit numbers are through October.

The Joplin list includes 1,801 demolition permits, 4,418 permits for residential repairs and rebuilding, 1,119 for new homes, 614 for commercial projects and 200 permits for multifamily repairs and rebuilding.
Wicklund said “a very high percentage” of those permits could be attributed to the tornado.