Robert Ray
— AP A torn American flag stands in the wreckage of a church in Joplin.
Charlie Riedel | AP
This aerial photograph shows a neighborhood destroyed by a powerful tornado in Joplin, Mo. Tuesday, May 24, 2011. A tornado moved through much of the city Sunday, damaging a hospital and hundreds of homes and businesses and killing at least 116 people. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Charlie Riedel | AP
The path of a powerful tornado is seen in Joplin, Mo. Tuesday, May 24, 2011. A tornado moved through much of the city Sunday, damaging a hospital and hundreds of homes and businesses and killing at least 116 people. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Charlie Riedel | AP
The path of a powerful tornado is seen in Joplin, Mo. Tuesday, May 24, 2011. A tornado moved through much of the city Sunday, damaging a hospital and hundreds of homes and businesses and killing at least 116 people. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Charlie Riedel | AP
The path of a powerful tornado is seen in Joplin, Mo. Tuesday, May 24, 2011. A tornado moved through much of the city Sunday, damaging a hospital and hundreds of homes and businesses and killing at least 116 people. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Charlie Riedel | AP
A neighborhood destroyed by a powerful tornado is seen in Joplin, Mo., Tuesday, May 24, 2011. A tornado moved through much of the city Sunday, damaging a hospital and hundreds of homes and businesses and killing at least 116 people. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Charlie Riedel | AP
The path of a powerful tornado is seen in an aerial photo over Joplin, Mo., Tuesday, May 24, 2011. A tornado moved through much of the city Sunday, damaging a hospital and hundreds of homes and businesses and killing at least 116 people. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
Jeff Roberson | AP
Members of Missouri Task Force One search-and-rescue team work at a tornado-damaged Home Depot store Tuesday, May 24, 2011, in Joplin , Mo. A large tornado moved through much of the city Sunday, damaging a hospital and hundreds of homes and businesses.
Mark Schiefelbein | AP
Bulldozers sift through the rubble of a collapsed Home Depot store in Joplin.
Mark Schiefelbein | AP
Kathleen Kelsey, a canine rescue specialist with the Missouri Task Force One search-and-rescue team, guides a live-find dog named ChicoDog through the wreckage of a public housing complex.
Mark Schiefelbein | AP
Damaged cars remain in the parking lot of a destroyed grocery store.
Valerie Mosley | AP
U.S. Prep. Billy Long helps move supplies outside the shelter at Robert Ellis Young Gym on the MSSU campus in Joplin.
Valerie Mosley | AP
Tornado damage in Joplin, Mo., Monday, May 23, 2011, the day after the deadly twister struck.
Jeff Roberson
— AP James Miller tosses aside a door as he searches through what remains of his sister's house.
Mike Gullett
— AP Nevada Missouri firefighters take a break from search and rescue work in Joplin.
Valerie Mosley
— AP Whitney Sumners salvages photos from her parents home.
Robert Ray
— AP Search and rescue teams fan out across destroyed Joplin neighborhoods.
Jeff Roberson
— AP A car sits among rubble from a tornado Monday, May 23, 2011, in Joplin , Mo.
Valerie Mosley
— AP Carolyn Hall tries to gather clothes from her home.
This image taken from aerial video shows damage to St. John's Medical Center in Joplin.
Jeff Roberson
— AP Members of Missouri Task Force One search-and-rescue team stand by as heavy equipment moves debris from a tornado-damaged Home Depot store Tuesday, May 24, 2011, in Joplin , Mo.
Mark Schiefelbein
— AP Firefighters from Oklahoma move a dresser while searching for victims in the wreckage of a public housing complex in Joplin.
This image taken from aerial video shows damage to a school in Joplin, Mo. Monday, May 23, 2011, a day after a half-mile-wide tornado killed at least 116 people when it blasted much of this Missouri town off the map.
This image taken from aerial video shows damage to Joplin, Mo. Monday, May 23, 2011, a day after a half-mile-wide tornado killed at least 116 people when it blasted much of this Missouri town off the map on Sunday.
Valerie Mosley
— AP Dylan Womack recovers a a spine model from Skagg's Chiropractic.
Jeff Roberson
— AP Members of Missouri Task Force One search-and-rescue team gather a tornado-damaged Home Depot store Tuesday, May 24, 2011, in Joplin , Mo.
Valerie Mosley
— AP Coworkers Cindy Albers, left, and Kim Hoosier hug on 20th Street near New Hampshire Ave.
Jeff Roberson
— AP Members of Missouri Task Force One search-and-rescue team search a tornado-damaged Home Depot store.
Mark Schiefelbein
— AP Kathleen Kelsey, a canine rescue specialist with the Missouri Task Force One search-and-rescue team, guides a live-find dog named ChicoDog through the wreckage of a public housing complex.
Jeff Roberson
— AP A broken bike and what remains of a destroyed neighborhood are seen Monday, May 23, 2011, in Joplin.
Jeff Roberson
— AP Meghan Miller stands in the middle of a destroyed neighborhood as she checks on her sister-in-law's home Monday, May 23, 2011, in Joplin , Mo.
This image taken from aerial video shows damage to St. John's Medical Center in Joplin
Mark Schiefelbein
— AP Rescuers watch as bulldozers sift through the rubble of a collapsed Home Depot store in Joplin.
DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Star
— DAVID EULITT/Kansas City Star Dallas Lee, 6, held on to family friend Scott Rowan's neck on Monday morning, May 23, 2011, as the pair searched for salvagable items out of the truck that Dallas was in during Sunday evening's tornado that swept through Joplin, Mo. DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Star
DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Star
— DAVID EULITT/Kansas City Star Matt McReynolds worked on sawing large branches off of a fallen tree at the home of his co-worker, Dr. Jay Farr of Carlson Chiropractic Center, on Monday morning, May 23, 2011, in Joplin, Mo. following the tornado Sunday evening which destroyed a massive part of Joplin. DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Star
As far as the eye could see, destruction from a tornado left a path of ruin through Joplin, Mo. as seen on Monday afternoon, May 23, 2011. The tornado struck the center of the city on Sunday evening, with the death toll at 116 and expected to rise. DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Star
DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Sta
— DAVID EULITT/Kansas City Star The medical helicopter at St. John's Hospital in Joplin, Mo. lay in the parking lot of the hospital Monday, May 23, 2011, following a tornado that swept through the center of Joplin, causing widespread damage. DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Star
DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Sta
— DAVID EULITT/Kansas City Star The scene of a six-mile swath of destruction from a tornado Sunday evening passed through the center of Joplin, Mo. was seen from atop a hillside looking east on Monday afternoon, May 23, 2011. St. John's Hopsital, damaged in the tornado's path, is seen at left. DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Star
DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Star
— DAVID EULITT/Kansas City Star As far as the eye could see, destruction from a tornado left a path of ruin through Joplin, Mo. as seen on Monday afternoon, May 23, 2011. The tornado struck the center of the city on Sunday evening, with the death toll at 116 and expected to rise. DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Star
DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Sta
— DAVID EULITT/Kansas City Star During a severe weather alert which forced the medical volunteers and patients to the basement of Memorial Hall in Joplin, Mo., certified nurses assistant Nancy Metzger, center, helped console Margaret Mosley, whose home was destroyed in the tornado Sunday evening in Joplin, Mo. Margaret's husband, William, at lower left, was treated with 17 stitches from the tornado. Memorial Hall was the site for triaging injuries from the tornado. DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Star
Memorial Hall in Joplin, Mo. was turned into a medical triage center on Monday, May 23, 2011, following the widespread destruction of Sunday evening's tornado that tore through the center of the city. DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Star
The medical helicopter at St. John's Hospital in Joplin, Mo. lay in the parking lot of the hospital Monday, May 23, 2011, following a tornado that swept through the center of Joplin, causing widespread damage. DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Star
DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Sta
— DAVID EULITT/Kansas City Star Sean Smith, DO, a physician at St. john's Hospital, coordinated the emergency triage clinic inside Memorial Hall in Joplin, Mo. on Monday morning, May 23, 2011, following a tornado which swept through the center of Joplin on Sunday night. DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Star
DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Star
— DAVID EULITT/Kansas City Star The home of Dr. Jay Farr of Joplin, Mo. was a total loss but employees at his chiropractic office pitched in to salvage items out of his home Monday morning, May 23, 2011, after a devastating tornado which swept through Joplin on Sunday evening. DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Star
DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Star
— DAVID EULITT/Kansas City Star While her Joplin, Mo. home was completely destroyed, Amy Jump, lower, her husband and three children all survived the tornado which devasated Joplin on Sunday evening. Jump and her neighbors were sifting through the rubble Monday morning, looking for salvagable items and photos. DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Star
DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Star
— DAVID EULITT/Kansas City Star Firefighter Rob Muir of the Kansas City Fire Department (Rescue 31 engine) sorted through the ruins of a clock shop on Main Street in Joplin, Mo. on Monday morning, May 23, 2011, following the destruction of a tornado that swept through the heart of Joplin Sunday evening. DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Star
DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Sta
— DAVID EULITT/Kansas City Star Waiting for a severe thunderstorm to pass through Joplin, Mo. on Monday morning, William Mosley sat on the steps of Memorial Hall in Joplin as patient care associate Spencer Davidson held his IV bag as treatment for the injuries that Mosely suffered during the destruction of his home Sunday evening. Memorial hall was the site for triaging patients from the disaster. DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Star
DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Star
— DAVID EULITT/Kansas City Star Lydia Cranston, lower left, looked up as she helped rummage through the personal items of her cousin's home in Joplin, Mo. on Monday morning, May 23, 2011, following the destruction from a tornado that swept through Joplin. DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Star
Missouri Gov. Jay Nixon toured the city of Joplin, Mo. Monday afternoon, May 23, 2011, following the severe destruction caused by a tornado the previous day that swept through the center of the city. St. John's Hospital, closed and evacuated from the damage, is at background left. DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Star
SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star
— SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star After a day of continual thunderstorms a house collapsed in the St. John's Medical Center neighborhood on Monday, May 23, 2011, after a tornado cut a half-mile wide and six-mile long swath through the heart of the city in Joplin, Missouri on Sunday. Seven people have been rescued and officials hold out hope of finding more survivors as search and rescue efforts continue. (Photo by SHANE KEYSER/Staff)
SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star
— SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star Approximately one-fourth of the city appeared leveled on Monday, May 23, 2011, after a tornado cut a half-mile wide and six-mile long swath through the heart of the city in Joplin, Missouri on Sunday. Seven people have been rescued and officials hold out hope of finding more survivors as search and rescue efforts continue (Photo by SHANE KEYSER/Staff).
Tammy Ljungblad
— TAMMY LJUNGBLAD/Kansas City Star Heart to Heart International volunteer Sue Jasperse, 77, a registered nurse from Prairie Village, pulled boxes of medical supplies to load onto a mobile medical clinic leaving Kansas City on Monday for Joplin, Mo. The medical clinic will aid those in need after the devastating tornado. Jasperse, who made 16 trips to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, as well as 2 trips to Greensburg, Kan., will travel with Heart to Heart International's mobile medical clinic and be in Joplin for about a week. Heart to Heart International is seeking donations for the personal care kits. A list of items needed can be found on their website at www.hearttoheart.org.
Items can be dropped off at the warehouse, 1021 Pacific Ave. in Kansas City, Kan., or at their headquarters, 401 S. Clairborne Rd., Suite 302, in Olathe.
President Barack Obama talks on the phone with Missouri Governor Jay Nixon, during his visit to Dublin, Ireland, May 23, 2011. The President and Gov. Nixon discussed the deadly tornado that touched down in Joplin, Mo., Sunday night. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)
Tammy Ljungblad
— TAMMY LJUNGBLAD/Kansas City Star In preparation for a trip to Joplin, Mo., Heart to Heart International volunteers Sue Jasperse, 77, (left) a registered nurse from Prairie Village, and Rose Anne Harris, an LPN from Olathe, packed and sorted medical supplies in a warehouse in Kansas City, Kan., for the organization's mobile medical clinic which was heading to the tornado devastated area on Monday afternoon, May 23, 2011.
This frame grab from video shows a massive tornado on Sunday, May 22, 2011, outside Joplin, Mo. The tornado tore a 6-mile path across southwestern Missouri killing at least 89 people as it slammed into the city of Joplin, ripping into a hospital, crushing cars like soda cans and leaving a forest of splintered tree trunks behind where entire neighborhoods once stood. (AP Photo/tornadovideo.net)
Tammy Ljungblad
— TAMMY LJUNGBLAD/Kansas City Star "Giving blood is something we can all do regardless of our financial situation," said Jordan Clothier, 27, of Kansas City,who heeded the call for blood donors at the American Red Cross, 211 Armour Rd., on Monday, May 23, 2011 where Rose Lacy, a technician collected his blood. Clothier has family friends in Joplin. The American Red Cross staged the blood drive to aid victims of the tornado in Joplin.
SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star
— SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star With storm clouds looming overhead, Stewart Munson, of St. Louis, Mo., checked to see if his sister's generator could be salvaged.
DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Star
— DAVID EULITT/Kansas City Star Allen Arthur, left, drove down from his Kansas City home to assist in the cleanup of his college friend's home, Jarod Stice, on Monday morning, May 23, 2011, following the destruction caused from a tornado that swept through the center of Joplin Sunday.
DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Star
— DAVID EULITT/Kansas City Star Scott Rowan sifted through the pickup truck of Trista Lee, upper left, on Monday morning, May 23, 2011, following the destruction of a tornado that swept through Joplin, Mo. on Sunday evening. Lee and her family rode through the tornado inside the truck, unable to reach the church shelter they were headed for.
DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Star
— DAVID EULITT/Kansas City Star Search and rescue teams marked the destroyed homes in Joplin, Mo. with an "OK" spray paint mark on Monday morning, May 23, 2011, following the tornado that swept through the city Sunday evening.
DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Star
— DAVID EULITT/Kansas City Star A shotgun was found among the rubble of the former home of Dr. Jay Farr in Joplin, Mo., on Monday morning, May 23, 2011, following a tornado that swept through the center of the city Sunday evening. Volunteers helped comb through the items and found the shotgun.
DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Star
— DAVID EULITT/Kansas City Star After finding his wedding ring box for his fiancee, Jarod Stice found a for rent sign in his yard and pushed it into the ground outside his home Monday morning.
DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Star
— DAVID EULITT/Kansas City Star The destruction in Joplin, Mo. was seen Monday morning, May 23, 2011, following a tornado that swept through the city Sunday evening.
DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Star
— DAVID EULITT/Kansas City Star The engagement portrait of Jarod Stice, left, and Jessica Bennett, right, lay in the ruins of their home in Joplin, Mo. on Monday morning, May 23, 2011, following the destruction of a tornado that swept through the heart of Joplin Sunday evening. The couple found their wedding rings in the ruins and are still planning to wed on July 23rd.
DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Star
— DAVID EULITT/Kansas City Star Kansas City Fire Department firefighters Rob Muir, left, and Chad Lunt, right, (Rescue 31) walked through the destruction in downtown Joplin, Mo. on Monday morning, May 23, 2011, following a tornado that swept through the center of the city Sunday evening.
SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star
— SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star Holding a purse, with no wallet, Amber Munson stood on what used to be her house.
SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star
— SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star With other emergency response help on hand, Joplin firefighters searched for a couple of convenience store employees across the street from St. John's Regional Medical Center. The employees were thought to have taken shelter in the store's cooler or restrooms. It was soon announced that everyone has escaped from the store unharmed.
SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star
— SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star A heavy metal plate laid in the middle of the road.
DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Sta
— DAVID EULITT/Kansas City Star During a severe weather alert which forced the medical volunteers and patients to the basement of Memorial Hall in Joplin, Mo., certified nurses assistant Nancy Metzger, center, helped console Margaret Mosley, whose home was destroyed in the tornado Sunday evening in Joplin, Mo. Margaret's husband, William, at lower left, was treated with 17 stitches from the tornado. Memorial Hall was the site for triaging injuries from the tornado.
SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star
— SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star A pick-up truck came to rest on a tree in Joplin.
SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star
— SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star Devoid of limbs and bark, but wrapped with scraps of metal and cloth a tree stood in front of Joplin High School on Monday.
SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star
— SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star Search and rescue crews gathered to re-coordinate their efforts on Monday, May 23, 2011, after a tornado cut a half-mile wide and six-mile long swath through the heart of Joplin.
SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star
— SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star The neighborhood around St. John's Regional Medical Center was virtually flattened.
SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star
— SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star Vehicles were piled on top of each othe in the parking lot of St. John's Regional Medical Center on Monday.
DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Star
— DAVID EULITT/Kansas City Star The home of Dr. Jay Farr of Joplin, Mo. was a total loss but employees at his chiropractic office pitched in to salvage items out of his home Monday.
DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Star
— DAVID EULITT/Kansas City Star While her Joplin, Mo. home was completely destroyed, Amy Jump, lower, her husband and three children all survived the tornado which devasated Joplin on Sunday evening. Jump and her neighbors were sifting through the rubble Monday morning, looking for salvagable items and photos.
SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star
— SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star Amber Munson as she sifted through the wreckage of her home. Munson sought refuge in her bathtub, but was knocked unconscious as she was ripped from her home and buried under debris. "I woke up with my face planted in the mud and my cellphone in my hand," she said. "At first I thought I was buried under my house, but then I felt the rain on the back of my head and just pushed my way out."
SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star
— SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star An unidentified man talked on his cellphone while surveying the damage.
DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Star
— DAVID EULITT/Kansas City Star An electrical substation was left mangled Monday morning, May 23, 2011, by the tornado that swept through Joplin, Mo. on Sunday evening. St. John's Hospital, which was heavily damaged in the tornado, is shown at upper left.
SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star
— SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star Joplin High School was reduced to a pile of twisted steel.
DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Star
— DAVID EULITT/Kansas City Star Joplin, Mo. residents look for personal items on Monday morning, May 23, 2011, amid the destruction left in the path of a tornado which swept through the city Sunday evening.
SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star
— SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star A car sat in a pile of rubble on Monday.
SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star
— SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star With morning's first light three unidentified men looked over the damage.
SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star
— SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star Cars were about the only recognizable thing left in the neighborhood of homes on Monday, May 23, 2011, after a tornado cut a half-mile wide and six-mile long swath through the heart of the city on Sunday in Joplin.
SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star
— SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star A cross was all that was left standing of church on 23rd Street on Monday, May 23, 2011, after a tornado cut a half-mile wide and six-mile long swath through the heart of the city on Sunday in Joplin, Missouri.
SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star
— SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star Windows were blown out all over St. John's Regional Medical Center.
DAVID EULITT/The Kansas City Sta
— DAVID EULITT/Kansas City Star Waiting for a severe thunderstorm to pass through Joplin, Mo. on Monday morning, William Mosley sat on the steps of Memorial Hall in Joplin as patient care associate Spencer Davidson held his IV bag as treatment for the injuries that Mosely suffered during the destruction of his home Sunday evening.
SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star
— SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star The scene of the neighborhood around St. John's Regional Medical Center on Monday, May 23, 2011, after a tornado cut a half-mile wide and six-mile long swath through the heart of the city on Sunday in Joplin, Missouri.
SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star
— SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star With other emergency response help on hand, Joplin firefighters searched for a couple of convenience store employees across the street from St. John's Regional Medical Center. The employees were thought to have taken shelter in the store's cooler or restrooms. It was soon announced that everyone has escaped from the store unharmed.
SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star
— SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star Residents picked their way through rubble while searching through a neighborhood on Monday.
SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star
— SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star As day began to break and before another thunderstorm moved through the area, residents of the city began to take stock of the damage and salvage a few items on Monday.
SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star
— SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star With other emergency response help on hand, Joplin firefighters searched for a couple of convenience store employees across the street from St. John's Regional Medical Center. The employees were thought to have taken shelter in the store's cooler or restrooms. It was soon announced that everyone has escaped from the store unharmed.
SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star
— SHANE KEYSER/Kansas City Star The wreckage of a car sat across the street for Joplin High School.
Charlie Riedel
— AP An emergency vehicle drives through a severely damaged neighborhood in Joplin, Mo., Monday.
Charlie Riedel
— AP The damaged St. John's Regional Medical Center is seen in the distance through tornado debris in Joplin, Mo., Monday.
Adam Wisneski
— AP Candice Kell, 17, looks over her psychology textbook inside her grandmother's home.
Adam Wisneski
— AP Maggie Kelley hugs her dog, Saint, Monday, May 23, 2011 after finding him amid the rubble of her home in Joplin, Mo. Kelley's home was leveled by a tornado that destroyed nearly 30 percent of the town on Sunday afternoon. The twister cut a six-mile path through the city. Kelley and her husband are Hurricane Katrina evacuees.
Adam Wisneski
— AP Jeff Pyles surveys the damage to his home.
Charlie Riedel
— AP Don Atteberry, 89, surveys damage at his home that was severely damaged by a tornado in Joplin.
Adam Wisneski
— AP Maggie Kelley and her husband, Trey Adams hug their dog, Saint, after finding him amid the rubble of her home. The two are Hurricane Katrina evacuees.
Adam Wisneski
— AP Jean Logan reacts as she sees the damage to her home in Joplin, Mo., Monday, May 23, 2011 after it was damaged by a tornado.
Adam Wisneski
— AP A residential neighborhood in Joplin, Mo., is seen Monday.
Charlie Riedel
— AP Don Atteberry, 89, crawls over a rail at his home that was severely damaged by a tornado in Joplin.
Wisneski Tulsa World
— AP Jean Logan surveys the damage to her home in Joplin, Mo.
Wisneski Tulsa World
— AP The wall of a home in Joplin, Mo. is seen Monday, May 23, 2011, after it was damaged by a tornado that destroyed nearly 30 percent of the town on Sunday afternoon. The Joplin twister was one of 68 reported tornadoes across seven Midwest states over the weekend, stretching from Oklahoma to Wisconsin, according to the National Weather Service's Storm Prediction Center.
Charlie Riedel
— AP A rescue worker walks past debris at Joplin High School.
Wisneski Tulsa World
— AP A hand-written note to rescue workers is seen on a house that was damaged by a tornado that destroyed nearly 30 percent of Joplin, Mo., on Sunday afternoon. The twister cut a six-mile path through the city.
Charlie Riedel
— AP Anita Stokes salvages items from her home that was destroyed Sunday by a tornado in Joplin, Mo., Monday, May 23, 2011.
Wisneski Tulsa World
— AP Rescue workers in lime-green jackets search for bodies and survivors inside St. John's hospital in Joplin, Mo. Monday, May 23, 2011.
Charlie Riedel
— AP Anita Stokes salvages meat from a freezer at her home that was destroyed by a tornado in Joplin.
Mike Gullett
— AP Residents of Joplin, Mo, help a woman who survived in her basement after a tornado hit the city.
Eric Adler | The Kansas City Star
The tornado tore a path a mile wide and four miles long destroying homes and businesses.
Mike Gullett
— AP A man carries a young girl who was rescued after being trapped with her mother in their home after a tornado hit Joplin, Mo. on Sunday.
Mike Gullett
— AP A man carries a young boy who was rescued after being trapped in his home after a tornado hit Joplin.
Mike Gullett
— AP Residents of Joplin, Mo, survey the damage after a tornado hit the city.
Mark Schiefelbein
— AP Emergency personnel walk through a neighborhood severely damaged by a tornado near the Joplin Regional Medical Center in Joplin, Mo., Sunday, May 22, 2011. A large tornado moved through much of the city, damaging a hospital and hundreds of homes and businesses. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)
