Joplin, Missouri – "A Community with Character"

As the Memorial Day Weekend approached, I knew I could get the phone call at any time and it came at 4:00 pm late Friday afternoon. By 8:00 am Saturday morning, I was in Joplin, Missouri at ground zero of the recent F-5 tornado assisting the City of Joplin and the State Emergency Management Agency with public safety issues related to damaged buildings and homes. Now you’ve seen the reports and stories all over each of the news networks and CNN. But the real story is the sense of community and the wonderful spirit that we experienced as we went house-to-house and block-to-block. The property owners, families, friends, and the multitudes of volunteers were working hard and were bound and determined to not only clean up what was left of their lives but to make the city even better. Everyone was grateful and appreciative of our support. It was clear to me that the city leadership, local public safety leaders and employees, and the local building engineers and inspectors were not only dedicated to their jobs and their community but also lived within the city limits of the community they served. Their leadership was not outsourced to non-residents and you could tell it from the touch of their handshakes and the quiver in their voices. I was proud to stand with them in their important work. But this experience got me thinking. How would Independence handle a similar situation? If entire blocks of homes in my neighborhood were wiped off the face of the earth, would those displaced families and souls choose to rebuild their lives here? How would our leadership handle such a catastrophe? Would the high concentration of absentee landlords help or hinder a successful recovery? Is having only one hospital better than two? Is Independence a community with character? Local folks need to ask these questions now about the preparedness of our community instead of pointing fingers in the aftermath of such an event. The photo above was taken six days after the tornado and you can see the overwhelming task the good folks in Joplin have ahead of them. Please support the recovery efforts in Joplin, “A Community with Character.” They need supplies, financial support, and your prayers.