My friend Ray Jagoda drove down to Joplin from the Kansas City area to help the residents there. Here's his report and his photos:
"My kids and went to joplin to pass out bottled water to tornado victims as they sifted thru the wreckage to salvage what they could, which was not much.
I will never forget what we saw.
The F5 tornado was like a nuclear
Bomb. I never realized just how
Powerful the weather could be until we saw first hand
What it did in joplin: bark peeled
Off of trees, cars lookedd like they
Had been hit by an ied and then
Thrown into the middle of a raging
Gun battle. Metal roofing wrapped
Around concrete posts as if it was
Aluminum foil, brick torn off walls
As if it was styrofoam.
And it went on for mile after mile.
Each house with a story. Some tragic
Some miraculous. Of luck, bravery and
Heroism. Many of great loss.
But one thing we couldnt help but notice
Were the thousands of volunteers there helping
With cleanup,food, and their bare hands... From all
Locals, groups and walks of life.
On this memorial day weekend I could say I was
Proud to be an american, but most of all I am
Truly touched and happy to have witnessed such a
Redeeming side of humanity."
 |
| pepsi bottling plant |
I know people there and people who's families are there. Just tragic. Glad to see so many people pitching in to help. Unfortunately bottled water and donations won't rebuild the city. I hope they take a cue from Gardner, KS and rebuild with purpose.
ReplyDeleteYeah agreed, and I had to fight down the enviromentalist "bottled water????" effect. Possibly this is the sort of situation when I should look the other way.
ReplyDeleteJoplin is on a "boil order" so bottled water
ReplyDeleteis (or now "was" ?) the only water you could drink.
Makes sense, Ray. Thanks for the clarification.
ReplyDelete