Tornado Case Study Of Tornado

On Sunday May 22, 2011 Joplin, Missouri experienced a tornado that was measured on the Enhanced Fujita Scale (EF Scale) to be measured at an EF-5. This classification according to Smith, Perotin, and Walsh (2012), indicates that the tornado contained wind speeds greater than 200 miles per hour. The tornado and path of destruction as described by Paul, Stimers, and Caldas (2014), was multi-vortex, nearly a mile wide, measured a path of at least six-miles in length as it traveled across the densely populated community. Over 7,000 homes were destroyed with hundreds more damaged. Businesses along the path were also heavily damaged or totally destroyed. The expansion of damage measured 1,800 acres which they document as nearly one-fourth of the territory of Joplin. The tornado claimed the lives of 162 persons and injured over 1,000. This represents the greatest number of fatalities in one tornado since 1947 according to Paul and Stimers (2015). Paul et al. (2014) explains that in the wake of this disaster was the destruction of four of Joplin’s schools which included the only high school in the community. Several churches, nursing homes, warehouses, along with two large apartment buildings, and two fire …show more content…
122). This may reveal that despite the information shared well in advance of potential significant weather events, within a few hours, and immediately prior, the general public has a gap in knowledge or compliance with the information. An opportunity may exist for local emergency management to increase or improve the dissemination of tornado warnings so that there does not remain an at risk population in need of receiving the information. This study was completed in search for answers as to why so many fatalities occurred in this specific tornado