Joplin: One Week

The stories of survival and missing people are still pouring in as we have passed the one week mark from when one of the deadliest tornadoes recorded hit Joplin.  Over the last few days I have added a new radar system to my computer on a temporary basis from the NOAA that tracks severe thunderstorms, giving warnings and other vital information.  In fact, I am currently tracking storms over Nebraska right now.  There is a fee for the product for long-term use, which to me is a bit stupid.  The whole idea is to give people enough warnings when storms are coming and this product continually updates radar, gives future movement and all the little intricacies of each cell.  Anyway.  I also added the Joplin recovery page to my Facebook, which I am now quite sure contains more informative pages than actual people.  And that's the way I like it.  This way I can continually stay updated on how the town is doing once the news crews are gone.

I just noticed on the page today was a link that offered a list of jobs that were available for people who want to volunteer.  Remember, this happened just over a week ago.  There are well over 200 open jobs for thousands of volunteers.  The thing that gets me with events like these is we are very quick to respond but then interest fades.  It wasn't long ago Tuscaloosa and hundreds of other towns were hit by one of the worst outbreaks on record.  They got much needed help, assistance and coverage until Joplin got hit.  I'm assuming that the community is still working together along with outside help to rebuild but unless you read the Alabama news or find a Facebook page, it's hard to see the progress.  But if there is a group of people that come together during difficult times, I'd have to think the people of the south and mid-west top that list.

______________________________________________________________

For our area, the biggest headline to begin this week will be the heat.  Temperatures should top 90 both tomorrow and Wednesday.  However Wednesday will be the most interesting day to follow as there is a good chance that much of the northeast will experience strong thunderstorms.  Like with many patterns, the temps will cool down for the near future afterward.

I will keep the updates flowing and while I'd rather not have to, my new radar map will probably make its debut on Wednesday.