was anyone here in joplin mo when the tornado hit in 2011 ?

Discussion in 'Experienced Truckers' Advice' started by bzinger, Mar 25, 2015.

  1. bzinger

    bzinger Road Train Member

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    i lived there then and it missed my house by about a mile .
    i was puttin on fuel in aurora nebr . when a guy came up to me and said do you live in joplin and i said yeah ..he said ya better call home !
    couldnt belive what i saw when i went home and still haunts me at times .
    anyone got a tale to tell ?
     
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  3. dog-c

    dog-c Road Train Member

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    I remember that- I was training with my trainer at swift and I recall the devastation when I drove through there.

    When I was solo 2 years later in Oklahoma city I did a drop hook at the Walmart dc outside the city and bobtailed to a gas station and shut down. little did I know because it was dark I didn't know there was a tornado siren 50 feet from my truck that I would be woken up by the siren going off.

    Probally the most scariest moment Ive had because a) it's dark, you can't see the tornado and b) crouching inside a gas station isn't going to save your life.
     
  4. Freddy57

    Freddy57 Road Train Member

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    Tornadoes are nasty critters and fortunately I was no where near there when it hit. I did drive into one in Texas back in the eighties, that was fun. It was raining so hard I couldn't see out of the truck. The shoulder of the highway was lined with cars so I was driving about 10 mph with a line of trucks following me. I heard someone say on the CB that we found us a tornady and I'm going where? Then I saw the tree branches fly across the road in front of me, turn around and slam into the side of my cab. I felt like I was on Mr. Toads wild ride about then. My truck stayed on its wheels but man was that a crazy moment. Fortunately it was a small one or I may not be writing this today.
     
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  5. dog-c

    dog-c Road Train Member

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    Funny how they call them tornadys - love the texas accents
     
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  6. G/MAN

    G/MAN Road Train Member

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    I was driving up 69/75 from Texas and Oklahoma when the storm was coming through. I was listening to the weather band on my CB. There was one tornado behind me and another in front that was heading toward Joplin. It was quite an experience. This was the second tornado that hit Joplin. I stopped at Big Cabin for the night. It was good to stop. The wind was blowing me all over the road and it was difficult to see through the blowing rain.
     
  7. bzinger

    bzinger Road Train Member

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    bout a month before the joplin tornado hit it was my girlfriends bday and im into practical gifts so i go her a weather radio and im sure i dont have to tell you all what a warm response that got lol.
    after that tornado i was GOD lol.
     
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  8. Ditch Doctor

    Ditch Doctor Medium Load Member

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    Was working as a paramedic at the time. We made it down there about 10 hours after the tornado hit.
     
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  9. bzinger

    bzinger Road Train Member

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    what did u find ? if you dont mind me asking .
     
  10. Ditch Doctor

    Ditch Doctor Medium Load Member

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    not a whole lot. Saw the massive destruction that it caused. Ran into one of my close friends down there who was waiting to claim the bodies of his brother in law, niece, and nephew that were in the Home Depot. We basically ran part of the 911 calls for the city. We couldn't venture too far into some areas due to the amount of debris on the roads. By the time we got there, I think everyone that had been trapped had been rescued. One thing that was remarkable is how the people that live there actually cared about other people. They were all working to try and help each other out.
     
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  11. WitchingHour

    WitchingHour Road Train Member

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    I was in the area, but not in Joplin proper. And I can do without having been there. Had my fill of it from the Katrina/Rita episode when I was sent to NOLA.
     
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