20 Minutes in May
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- Johnson County (KS) Emergency Management was pleased to host this presentation on May 22nd, 2015 by Mr. Keith Stammer, the Emergency Management Director for Joplin/Jasper County, MO. The presentation highlighted lessons learned from Joplin’s catastrophic tornado four years earlier.
On May 22, 2011, a multi-vortex EF-5 tornado ripped a 13-mile path of destruction through Joplin and its neighboring communities. The devastation left behind was impossible to imagine, affecting thousands of residents and taking 161 lives.
Keith Stammer has 22 years’ experience in the emergency management field, consisting of 10 years in Missouri and 12 years prior in Kansas. A former firefighter, medical first responder, and 9-1-1 Dispatch Director, he has served as the Director of the Joplin/Jasper County Emergency Management Agency since 2005.
To see how Johnson County would be impacted by a tornado the size of the one that impacted Joplin, visit maps.jocogov.or....
I never watch a non entertainment video as long as I did this one. This guy is so well spoken, composed, and informitive. He knows his job like the back of his hand
Same. In a disaster, he's who I'd want running it. Excellent speaker.
As Ex-Military I can't stress enough how fortunate we all are to have such people serving in our communities. People who are focused, knowledgeable and take their job just about as seriously as is possible.
Many times in my Military Career I've worked with such people and am forever grateful that they are here with us doing what they do.
These Men and Women are sort of the hidden lynch-pins that keep the world running.
Yeah I love people like this. A great speaker and speaks in a way everyone can understand.
Yes! He did a great job.
@@hkguitar1984 You're pretty well-spoken yourself.
I've watched this video at least 8 or 9 times in the last 7 years. This guy should be assigned to every major tornado disaster.
There are guys like this gentleman all over the country and you never hear about them.... Until something like this happens.
Emergency Management professionals are people who truly understand what can happen and prepare for the worst and hope it never ever comes.
Yup. The skill set for this job includes a wide, wide range of competencies that not many people have. How to be an administrator for an event with such profound loss and tragedy, coupled with absolute physical destruction of literally an entire community takes a certain level of courage and leadership. It's impressive beyond words given what happened to the people of Joplin . In many ways, the response to the Joplin disaster is what all others in the future could or should be measured against.
I have watched this video a bunch of times also, and I keep finding myself amazed that this was a friggin tornado.
I never knew tornados got so friggin big as to destroy such a wide swath of land. For the people who were there- it must've looked nothing like the traditional funnel cloud, but rather a huge storm front more like a hurricane moving towards them.
@@jonathanbecker8935
It's not just the size. It's the type. It's the speed. This one didn't just zip through the city. It ground at everything it touch. Had it moved south just 100' it would've taken out Freeman Hospital. The nearest hospital was 75 miles away in Springfield. Then what?
There have been Tornados much larger than Joplin that have done far less damage and no fatalities, thankfully.
Best thing is to stay prepared and weather knowledgeable.
The town of Joplin can thank God that they had this man heading up the disaster effort. A tremendously talented and competent individual coupled with integrity.
If your God gave a shit about humanity, this would have never happened in the first place..
This guy is about the most organized and thoughtful person you could ever hope to find. Just the sort of person you need coordinating things when the crap hits the fan.
Keith Stammer is the gold standard of Emergency Operations managers. All other Emergency Operations managers should take note. A decade has passed since the Joplin tornado; and the city has undoubtedly been rebuilt. On the site where St. John's Medical Center used to stand is the Joplin Butterfly Gardens. It serves as a memorial to the 161 lives that were lost in the tornado on May 22, 2011.
The only complaint is, he could have left out stories, i.e the woman calling cause the sirens scared her, and the weather was clear. When you speak, be clear to the point, and be humble. Don't make comments which aren't focused on the main subject.
This guy may be organized, but in my experience as someone who rushed into disaster areas in recent years, I can tell he is arrogant and doesn't take outside help when offered to the best of someone's ability. Sometimes, we catch or see some things that they personally miss. They are hurting, tired, and worn when disaster hits, especially on this scale. Let some people help when it's offered. Do not, under any circumstance, turn away help. Those guys with the trailers he mentioned? That should have been temporary housing while they rebuilt. This tornado left so many homeless, and many left and moved because of such bureaucracy like this. I watched it happen when Laura hit Lake Charles after mask mandates were laid by the mayor of the city and the governor of Louisiana. It was a shitshow like this.
When people ask for help, it also means outside help as well. The people and local officials of North Carolina and Florida when Florence and Michael hit were more accepting of help than the bureaucratics like this guy and others in Joplin. Very disappointed with how these stories came out in his retelling.
@@Ichigo_Kurosaki27 what are you taking about? He accepted a lot of help from other cities and organizations. He denied help from people that didn’t have training or knowledge on what to do. The only thing he didn’t do was let other organizations take over operations, which is perfectly fine.
@@chronovore7234 I am talking about people who actually wish to make a difference. He is arrogant when disaster and confusion is running amuck. Joplin was Apocalyptic in its own right after this event. It is our duty as a fellow human beings to help each other and support. Not the duty of a governmental jackass who turns away help when more help is surely needed. Like when trees and shit were blocking so the EMTs couldn't get in? Or what about the people who wished to be of assistance with whatever trade skills they had and were turned away when no ID was presented? What do government officials like that guy do when the immediate emergencies happen? They wait around and have less manpower to spread out when the damage is do widespread.
Help has arrived when the occasion came, and it got squandered and squashed because he is a government lapdog working for the mayor of Joplin. That is wrong. And he shouldn't treat everyone like that, regardless of having knowledge on the matter or not. There were a lot more people who wouldn't let things like a lack of knowledge stop them from doing the right thing. That is the beauty of having humanity.
I get he has things to do and doesn't know who to trust. But let those who wish to help clear out the debris and help rebuild do exactly that. Joplin may be of a different state. But we all live in the United States of America. We are all citizens who wish to support and help where and when we can. Having a governmental asshole like that guy in the video is what squashes everything about help in a major disaster like the Joplin, MO tornado of 2011.
I cannot believe I just sat through an hour and forty minutes of a presentation without it being a requirement. I've watched a number of videos on the Joplin tornado, but this was a completely different angle. Fantastic. The icing on the cake was Mr. Stammer's Monty Python reference.
I agree 100%, I love this kind of REAL information from a first-hand account, plus this guy is just a walking dictionary of information on emergency management which is fascinating to a regular layman like myself lol.
Wow. This gentleman has quite an impressive resume. There are a very select amount of people that can do these high stress jobs so well and so tenaciously. I can firmly admit I couldn’t do it, so I’m incredibly thankfully for folks like this.
Went from dead man walking vortices to large wedge in 20 seconds...crazy.
It was crazy how fast that tornado formed. 3millon cubic yards of debris is absolutely mind bending.
Exactly
Nature anger was the worst at that time
to put this in perspective, three million yd³ would be about a mile long and wide, and a yard high!
a dump truck might hold ten yd³.
Should have seen Moore, OK, after their ef5
@@Bluenose352 That was a wild day there too. That tornado was a monster.
@@40ounce58 Sure was. They're sure incredible to see, but the aftermath is heartbreaking.
What a well done conference. I usually can’t sit through long videos, but this was presented very well. Good job guys.
I’m a truck driver and I was at the Flying J in Joplin for this. If I remember right, 4 drivers were killed. I never need to see this in person again. Absolutely unreal.
I gave you a like for your user name
@@seanoreilly1832 it’s even funnier when a restaurant asks for my name and I give em this.
12
My husband's a driver. Hard fear when he's out on the road in this weather. So many times news will be showing the trucks and trailers getting fubarred after the bad storms hit or sometimes as they happen. Sitting there staring, trying to read those trailer and cab numbers. Praying none are the ones his rig is sporting for his day. Phones are often backed up, sometimes down. And drivers don't need their people bugging them anyways on the road.
You know their route. But you don't know if they got caught in the worst of it or lucked out once again. All you got is your fears, worries, and hope that you are going to get that call from them telling you they're okay. And the dread that that call isn't gonna be from them but the D.C instead.
But there's the knowledge that if your driver's day ended safe, someone else's didn't. And there's not much to do but weep for them and their loss because someday others might be weeping for you and yours.
I remember the flying J....I used to work in Joplin at the time of the storm. I traveled 4 hours there so I wasn’t there bc it hit on a Sunday. I got there the next day. There was a truck shop too I remember that had a tv show
Very interesting to hear how the city dealt with the aftermath of this terrible storm. This is now the longest non-entertainment video I have watched on TH-cam.
Mr Stammer is the most together, organised, efficient manager. He needs to Run, CEO FEMA!
Hats off Kieth Stammer.
We need more officials with his level of honesty and accountability
Someone needs to do a video like this about El Reno 16:31 best part
Wow! this man is outstanding, professional, knowledgeable, and he CARES. God bless him.
Yes, AMEN for certain.
Professional, and caring is a bit of a stretch
@@Bluenose352 - yeah in some areas of his speech, he came off as dismissive, bordering on rude
@@felipepineda1585 Exactly
@@felipepineda1585 Definitely rude and arrogant. I have been in disaster areas with other outside people. And those people we helped were thankful and needed the extra help, albeit vinyl for tarps or an extra generator or two. This guy may be a professional when it comes to most of the management, but when it comes to outside help, he is afraid of those who wish to set some time away from their lives to help the people of Joplin. His arrogance and rudeness kinda kill the work he has already done with the EOC crews and such. I understand not allowing too many to take over the rebuilding or the process that leads up to it. But sometimes, extra and outside help is sorely needed to start the process of rebuilding. Those guys with the trailers had a chance to give people temporary housing, but this guy with the help of others like him ran them off with such a rude demeanor, as his retelling entails. The woman with that canine that helped find something or someone? She helped when needed and they told her to not do it ever again. If it were me, I would have said "Fuck it. I am staying to help where I am able to and for as long as I am able to."
My point is: after all that was said and done, this guy spouts his tales and paints us helpers and tenders to the lost who have nothing in such a negative light. Like where was the compassion and generosity for helping these people on that day and the weeks to come afterwards? This bureaucratic ass should be grateful that help has arrived. People should do the right thing and help where it is sorely needed. Especially outsider help.
This video should be watched by EVERY potential incident commander/Emergency Mngmt Director across the country. I don't know how well he did in real time, but he does such a great job explaining the response and lessons learned from this horrible event. This must be the worst weather related disaster to hit any community in since the 70's!
It probably has been. Stuff like this gets passed around and people do learn about it.
You can tell this dudes life is his career and he takes it very seriously... im sure he did great on the ground
Keith, you are a true gentleman. You were a rock in this horrible moment. You and your team are the very best of the best. Your Police, Fire and Medical crews are brilliant servants to your communities. From thousands of miles away, I praise you for your readiness, professionalism and dedicated work. You are all are heroes.
The bit with Mike Bettes was touching, you've got to wonder what he saw to make him lose his composure like that. He's been around the block in terms of violent tornado aftermath (although nothing close to someone such as Tim Marshall).
He said 2 bodies.
Jim Cantore is on video record that Bettis and his team had been storm chasing for weeks and were exhausted, scheduled to go home (to Atlanta?) either that evening or the next day, and practically stumbled upon the Joplin tornado. Cantore said they were emotionally spent, and then had to see the immediate aftermath of what he termed "the most powerful storm that year (2011, which I believe set a record for the number of EF-4 and -5 tornadoes in a single year).
Also I heard on a later interview with Mike Bettes was that the only thing that kept them from being in Joplin and being hit by the tornado was they had to stop and get gas. So he knew just that 5 minutes to get gas almost certainly saved him and his crew from being killed. He had angels watching over him this day and at El Reno.
Mike Bettes also adopted a dog and named it Joplin
@@txrodeoqueen something as simple as getting gas was a 'sliding door.'
The Karen calling 911 to complain about emergency dispatch "scaring her to death", though...
This guy is so interesting. I bet he has a lot of stories to tell in a less formal setting. Thank you for sharing I learnt a lot.
isn't this his job?
Watching this 10 years later and watched every minute of it ....Why is this man not our FEMA Director
FEMA would be the worst place for him; remember, he said that using government aid has harsher consequences than using the state or volunteers. If he was with FEMA, he'd have to deal with so much red tape it wouldn't be worth it compared to the freedom he has in the job he does now.
The panic mode is on. Can't believe I'm able to watch any clips of this. I seen it up close and personal. We are Joplin Strong. This video is very well put together. R.I.P Charlie and Malessa ( my son in law and his mom❤🙏❤
Fuck fema
Maybe because he is not a puppet
He seems like a smart and kind fellow. I'm sure FEMA would be a nightmare for him.
Very knowledgeable, yet heartbreaking video. Having an EF5 hit, you'll never forget that. We have had numerous, terrible tornadoes, here in Alabama. 1998 Oak Grove, Concord F5 slammed into the church we were in. April 27th 2011 outbreak, 250+ died that day in Bama. Blessings to all, and try to be prepared.
I was 5 years old when an ef5 decimated jarrel tx in 97. I lived in gtown with my parents and sister. We didn't get hit, but the way my mom piled us in the bathtub and covered us with pillows shook me. I've been studying tornadoes ever since
It’s absolutely unspeakable that people actually ARE VULTURES just waiting for disasters to occur so they can go LOOT the victims!!!!!
I can't believe anyone would complain over trivial things ,BE THANKFUL YOUR ALIVE
Very informative! This guy seems to know it all..
this shows how well things go when they’re properly organized and the personnel trained!
this man is a hero for all who were involved.
as he said, _he got things done_ and the community recovered.
Keith is exactly the kind of person who you want to be looking out for your interests. Amazing guy.
I’m just a ‘lay-person,’ I’m not an emergency organizer or worker, and I don’t even live in a tornado ‘prone’ area, but I found this video and this speaker to be very intriguingly interesting and informative, to say the very least.
He’s also extremely well-spoken and endearingly caring.
I love to learn new things, everyday.
And I do say, Mr. Stammer, I learn a whole lot from you.
It’s always good to be prepared and know at least the basics on all subjects, just in case.
Cause as we all know, everything can change in a flash.
I definitely would want this man, on ‘my team,’ and/or controlling whatever emergency situation that one could be involved in.
Well done, Sir!
Thank You for intelligently informing and teach future generations. Plus helping So Many, when they have been or are in the most desperate need.
‘learned’ a whole lot...
😚
Just found this video and as a resident of Madison, Alabama, I found it to be hugely informative. Mr. Stammer is to be commended for his role in dealing with the Joplin disaster. I did a quick Google search on his name and I'm pleased to find that he is still the Emergency Management Coordinator for Joplin, MO. Well done, Mr. Stammer, well done!
Former EMT in St. Louis. Hearing the cooperation and mutual aid from all kinds of cities, utilities and EMS….that’s impressive, and wonderful in an area and time of such devastation.
From nothing to instant wedge in about 5 seconds
With 25 minutes of warning! I live in Oklahoma City and we have had quite a few F5 tornadoes in the last 5 years. They are absolutely survivable if people aren't morons and take warning seriously. I can't believe the hundreds of accounts I've read of people disregarding the tornado warning that occurred 25 minutes ahead of time. What morons!
Audrey Moore not in a small house without a basement. You have to have somewhere to go underground in an ef5
@@Brend.0 not necessarily
@@Brend.0 you cant still survive with a shelter on the ground floor
I just watched a video about an EF5 in Iowa that sucked out basement contents. Not all EF5 are the same.
This is an amazing look into the disaster response and coordination efforts made by ordinary people in extraordinary circumstances. I'm not from there. I've never been anywhere near a tornado. And to see what it takes to come together as a community, clean up, rebuild.... it's amazing.
The thing in Joplin is that when the tornado formed, it wasn't immediately reported because the spotters could not see it. A chaser to the north of Joplin saw it and then said to a state trooper, "that's it. That's the tornado." It formed right on the outskirts of Joplin. The spotters from Kansas could see it, but they were not on the same frequency as the county that Joplin is in. It also formed so fast. It went from no tornado at all to ef5 in less than 10 seconds. The area where most of the people were killed in Joplin is right where the tornado formed. They had no warning at all, except for the type that says, "There is a severe thunderstorm capable of producing a tornado". It was after the tornado was already tearing up Joplin when the tornado emergency was issued. Don't wait for a tornado emergency to be issued. It means the tornado is already there or is just minutes or even just seconds away by the time the information is relayed to the people in the path. There is not such thing as instant warning unless you're looking out the window when it drops in front of your house on the street, at which time it's too late in an ef5. You're going to die if you wait until then.
There is also another problem that occurred, but has been denied by the Springfield National Weather Service Office. There was supposed to be a media briefing earlier in the day that was cancelled because of the magnitude of the risk. It was a teleconference kind of briefing that was supposed to occur earlier in the day before there were even any watches issued.
This is a learning experience.
I lived in the Kansas City metro area when in 2003, there was a major tornado outbreak. The meteorologists in Kansas City were warning people days in advance and telling people to take all necessary precautions that are needed beforehand, meaning to let every household member, employees, etc. where to take cover and what to do in the aftermath. It was in stark contrast to what occurred in 2011 in Joplin. The certainty wasn't as high as to what was going to occur that day in Joplin. The risk in 2003 was forecast as High 2 or 3 days in advance and the meteorologists were talking about it 6 or 7 days in advance. The risk was updated in the routine risk assessments issued overnight or very early morning the day the tornado hit in Joplin. It was upgraded to a Moderate risk, which is enough of a risk you should take heed that any storm that forms that day could develop explosively, rapidly, and produce large, long-track, destructive tornadoes. The day before it a slight risk was forecast. Since then there have been five separate levels of risk assessments as opposed to 3 in 2011. They are marginal, slight, enhanced, moderate, and high. If you get a moderate or high assessment where you live, make sure your family, neighbors, coworkers, and friends are aware. That does not mean they cannot happen in enhanced and lower assessments, but it is not nearly as likely. Also, when watches are issued, read the details of the warning so that you understand what the primary risks are. It only takes a couple of minutes, and you will regret not doing so if you are caught in a tornado emergency and have not gone over with your family what to do if it happens. You lose nothing if nothing happens for doing so.
reformcongress actually storm chasers were all over the area at the time. There are many accounts of this storm and the formation of this tornado. I too live around the KC area. Everyone is aware that spring is when most tornados form in this area. Weather forecasters can not predict with any certainty days ahead that a tornado may form. They will put the area in a watch but not definitely say in warning area until a spotter actually sees or radar indicates the possibility. That can happen in a short period of time. No way to predict days ahead. Even in a warning situation does not mean a tornado will actually touch down. This man is explaining the situation based on experience which will help any other municipalities. I went down to Joplin with my fellow teachers to help for a few days. Was down there when second storm came through a few days later. I was helping with kids at YMCA so parents could start cleanup. Best thing was keeping kids minds off storms. Did go down Rangeline Road to see business district which was hit. It was like nothing I had ever seen. No damage at all until all of a sudden looked like a huge bomb had went off. Cars on top of other cars. Trees looked like twisted sticks. Very humbling.
I know all of what you said. The point is that the tornado wasn't reported by those that should have been able to recognize it. I'm not talking about chasers in particular, but mostly people who are trained spotters. I'm well aware of how watches and warnings are. In Joplin, the tornado emergency tornado warning was issued after the tornado was already there. They are usually issued before they get there, but there was some lack of preparation by the NWS that day. What the man said I don't have a problem with. He did the best that he could do in this situation. The NWS cancelled the conference call with the media and spotters that morning when the risk was upgraded. Since then, they have changed they risk categories and even added a couple. There is marginal, enhanced(both of those did not exist before), slight, moderate, and high. The risk the day of the Joplin tornado was Moderate, but it wasn't updated until sometime early in the morning when everyone was asleep and the media was not briefed by the NWS.
reformcongress sirens went off
20 minutes before tornado hit. Survey taken said most people did not seek shelter immediately.
tornado sirens go off a lot of times and there isn't a tornado. The Tornado Emergency... that's the type of warning that says it is imminent, and it was not issued until after the tornado was already in Joplin. You don't understand I've been doing this for 30 years.
reformcongress There was a PDS Tornado Watch Issued at 11 AM CDT that Sunday Morning. I’m pretty sure you know what that is. Many people unfortunately were oblivious to it.
This was such an interesting video. I lost everything in 2012 tornado outbreak so this was so cool to see everything that goes into getting towns up and running and how the different entities work together to get all the residents help.
I live in Springfield, Missouri about 55 miles from Joplin. Absolutely horrific.
This man is so knowledgeable about what he's doing! Bravo!
As a weather fanatic/amateur storm watcher, id love to talk to this guy for half an hour.
I thought he had the brain of a mosquito!
Yes, he certainly Is. Very refreshing to see.
@@benlee913 If you genuinely think that then you’re the one with the small brain.
@@Yzerman1991 I have massive eggs that carry a boatload of goo
Mr Stammer needs to head fema .
Or if he prefers; toss fema out w/the bathwater and start over. I watch a lot of informational video on TH-cam. This gentleman deserves an A+. What a job and what a job well done.
I was going to say...he seems to nice, focused & capable to go THERE
😎👊
He could have easily crammed this 100 minute session into a full-length weekend seminar.
Wow. Wow wow wow. Just cannot wrap my head around the data. Good grief, such destruction is staggering! Mr. Stammer is so composed and efficient - Joplin/Jasper is fortunate to have such a level-headed person on their team. Great presentation!
Lecturer: "Storm spotters get kind of excited."
Reed Timmer: "Hold my beer."
Hold my sanity and manners.
People that complain about sirens going off need to shut up and get into shelter.no questions asked even if it's a test.
Someone complained that he turned one of the sirens off? "I didn't turn it off, it just up and disappeared! 400lb piece of steel just gone!" That made me laugh but also made me realize just how damn powerful that Twister was (and who tf complained??).
God Bless ALL of you.
I live in La Plata, Maryland and our town was destroyed by an EF 4 tornado back in 2002, now I take every tornado warning and siren seriously. It’s a shame that most of us have to the “it will never happen to us mentality” until actually does. We here in Maryland never thought it could happen to us, but we learned our lesson, at least for a few generations
I also take tornado warnings and sirens seriously. The last time my city had a tornado was in 1953. So I know that my city can have another tornado.
I’m from jersey but they have tornado sirens? I don’t even remember one when I lived in Reston VA
@@justintime2989 Im not sure about Virginia, I know southern MD has them, however I dont remember seeing any in my travels to NoVa
Yep. Never took a tornado seriously until the Joplin one hit. I didn’t live far from Joplin and course we had tornadoes but never ever imagined what was a sunny day would be black as night at 4pm. It was something that I still have ptsd from. As I’m sure you have on occasion too. It’s sad 😞
I grew up in Kansas. I have PTSD from growing up in Kansas. Many people do not take them seriously. I do take all tornado watches seriously.
I'm willing to bet 100 million dollars that the video of the tornado came from Reed Timmer. The man is an amazing storm chaser with good instincts but the dude has serious control issues. In almost every video of his that I've seen you hear him saying "Do you have it?" at least 3 times before he yanks the camera from whoever was filming it and films it himself. Every time. I imagine he could be very difficult to chase with.
Lol well you'd be out 100 million. That's a clip from the chase team known as Base Hunters. They actually interview that guy and his chase team in the Tornado Alley Joplin Tornado documentary.
Went through Joplin 1 month after the tornado hit on our way to my parents house in Texas. We always stayed in Joplin right off interstate 44 on Range line. Nice little town. The site of all the disaster relief trailers, countless blocks of trees with everything stripped off them, vehicles mangked with red x's on them it really hit home on how serious this was. Concrete slabs with nothing left on them other than the floor tiles. God Bless all the victims, families and all the heroes that gave everything they had mentally and physically.
Some of my extended family used to live in central Missouri and we went through a couple months later, seeing the destruction made my heart ache. I always stopped in Joplin on my way to visit family and seeing the town destroyed was just awful. You could still see the scars across the highway years later, even after they rebuilt.
I appreciate the honorable mention of Americorps. My younger brother (who, by the way, is *not* a hippie) was in Tuscaloosa on an Americorps chainsaw cleanup crew about the same time this disaster happened.
Emergency Management as it should be. A well done presentation that I'll definitely share.
I found one woman who was taking cover her bathroom and the walls had folded in on her. When I pulled on her legs to get her body out, a young boy probably her son, slid out too. He was unconscious, but ended up being the only survivor I found.
My dad was the EMS director for the City of Atlantic City for many years.
This gentleman and my dad have almost the same delivery and mannerisms.
Must be a safety guy thing.
I think its a consumit professional thing, people don't get these jobs unless they're serious about it... thank God that's the case, if only political jobs worked that way
Never really thought about how someone in a car could be thrown into a lake or pool or even a water treatment facility and drown in their vehicle. I mean,nit sounds like a no brainier but I guess I never thought about it. Such a sad story
I haven’t gotten there yet but I already know you’re referring to the will Norton story. 😢
@@aly5891 his story breaks my heart
This one man beats the heck out of all FEMA employees lumped together. I admire him tremendously. Thanks so much for uploading this. I have shared it on my channel (in my tornado playlist, Dangerous playlist, and Life Hacks playlist) for others to learn from.
All FEMA employees are NOT meteorologists. Also, if you listened to him, he was very clear that they didn't know everything and had to learn from other catastrophes. He repeats "lesson learned". Also, FEMA is activated by our presidents. Trump and G.W. did not activate FEMA for several weeks or at all (trump). Obama and Clinton, on the other hand were on top of it, doing something very right, at least.
It's his town. That's why. No one takes care of you and your neighbors better than you and your neighbors.
@@GottaWannaDance , that's because Clinton and Obama put people in charge who were experts in disaster relief, W and Trump put political turdlings in charge of FEMA who knew shit, fuck those 2 shits
@@GottaWannaDance State governors have to request FEMA first. Republican or Democrat presidents have nothing to do with how fast federal relief occurs. Good try but you failed.
Every community Needs a man like this professional. Rock on!
Absolutely agreed.
This must've been like another 9/11, except bigger. He does such a great job explaining the difficulties of mounting an effective and coherent response. He's so articulate. Communications during those first few days must've been a huge challenge. Having the emergency operations response professionals who would normally handle incident command duties be victims of the disaster themselves must've been really tough. The urge to micromanage the various specialties, particularly when folks were asking for it, must've been a constant temptation. Losing his parents during this crisis? Doesn't get much tougher than that. I wonder if he's working for the federal government with Homeland Security or FEMA at this point?
"ENCOURAGING" businesses or institutions to build tornado shelters seems like a soft approach. But I guess unless that includes local, state, or federal funding to do so, it's a moot point.
I'm surprised to hear him say that the city voted against requiring tornado shelters in all new construction. Maybe they figure the chances of another tornado like this one are very slim, although anyone from Moore Ok would probably disagree with that.
Keith is certainly the guy you want running the show if a disaster strikes your neighborhood. If he was able to manage the Joplin response, then he can probably handle anything
How he could handle the sudden loss of BOTH of his parents at the same time, while doing this job is another thing altogether.
Watching all the videos and seeing the destruction and to think... People took advantage of the situation... That thought disgusts me.
Excellent presentation Sir
my 2 cents: I'd rather sound a tornado siren if there isnt a tornado, than not if there is. You only have minutes to get to safety. I won't complain if i am made to take cover and there isnt.a tornado.
I live in one of the northern burbs of Kansas City (Gladstone). Gladstone has a policy to sound its tornado sirens whenever the wind rises above 90 mph. We were hit by a small tornado about 11 years ago and it created a scandal: 1.) The Nat'l Weather Service did not issue any tornado watch or tornado warning that that night. 2.) Without the tornado warning, the city did not blow the sirens. The tornado landed, ripped up about 5 businesses and 20 homes, and left town before anyone knew what happened. We had no warning whatsoever. It was every man for himself. People were livid. It landed in a neighborhood about 6 blocks north of me. Thankfully, there was only one injury. An 80-year-old lady was pinned under a bedroom wall when a section of her house collapsed. She survived.
Excellent summary
No family needs to go through the trauma of losing everything they had and then have the extra trauma of not being able to keep their beloved pet. Children are not split from their parents and rehomed and neither should any pet be done so.
TheRivrPrncess agreed, this really disturbs me that you have to be "financially stable" to get your pet back after a disaster and animal control finds your pet. Wtf.
Citizens living in Joplin whose homes were left intact would’ve been willing to foster the displaced pets until their owners were back on their feet. I don’t doubt it at all.
At least Joplin’s animal finally stopped putting dogs & cats into a gas chamber, a practice which went on for years.
*animal control shelter
I was living in Joplin when the tornado hit. I was raised there.After that nightmare, came to Tucson.
I've now watched or listened to this report / presentation around 20 times. It's a fascinating insight into a catastrophic moment in the history of this city, and the exceptional public servants who coordinated the redevelopment of the community. To everyone affected, your story is incredible. To those brilliant people who helped in the first few hours and into the long months and years beyond, well done for making a real difference to your fellow man.
Longest video I've ever watched on TH-cam and took my eyes off for 1hr 45 mins great video, very informative
This is an amazing presentation. I’m always looking for ground truth facts, and this is that. Excellent work and TY for sharing! May you never need to do this again 🙏
This is incredibly informative..I will never forget the smell after a disaster like this.
what is the smell?
@@conqururfear im guessing gas. There were alot of gas leaks everywhere.
@@unknowntrademark9992 That, and the smell of fresh wood from the destroyed trees and houses.
@@musicnerd72 oh for sure man
It's damn shame, when you have to call for military presence to discourage looting from people who lost everything including relatives. You would have to have a dark or no human soul to rob from these poor people!! SMH.
Unfortunately some folks just don't give a damn.
Fox Mulder the police are who requested the help. Nothing wrong with seeing an armed soldier. In fact I’d feel safe seeing them walking around after a disaster. They aren’t there just for law enforcement. They’re there to help and they did an outstanding job doing so.
To clarify; the Joplin Police Department asked the Missouri National Guard to stop potential looting. It's certainly better than the amount of looting that had taken place in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina devastated the city in August of 2005. I fault the New Orleans Police Department along with New Orleans mayor Ray Nagin and Louisiana governor Kathleen Blanco for not getting the Louisiana National Guard on the streets of New Orleans immediately after Hurricane Katrina cleared the New Orleans area.
Thank you for posting this!!!!
I could never imagine having to go through something like this. I'm in Minnesota and something like this would cripple us. This gentleman should deserve an award for his knowledge of the situation and execution
I'm at 21st & Wall. We took a solid hit but our apt house was spared. The sound was absolutely NOTHING like a "train" or etc. This was a sonic experience so intense it vibrated our ribs. Total body assault on the senses.
Mark Brock exactly same way we felt at the Flying J
Mark Brock glad you made it through. My Mom was in the Battlefield-Pierce City etc. tornado in 2003 and was okay but everything from her house on down was gone. She had just heard the local weather guy say he thought Battlefield was in the all clear when she said she felt the pressure change and her ears pop. By the time she got to the bottom of the stairs to the storm shelter a shed was landing right outside the basement window. Never did figure out who that belonged to. She always told us growing up it would sound like a train and we were close to one that kinda sounded like that but Mom said right before the pressure changed what struck her most was the almost eerie silence. Guess they are all a little different or what people remember is anyway.
The West Lafayette (Indiana) tornado in 1994 came within 100 ft. of my house. It was estimated to be an EF3. The closest thing I can think of to describe it is like having a passenger jet land in your front yard (and the roar when the engines reverse). Nothing at all like a train.
It's just AMAZING how they start off like a string then it goses up and comes back down with a vengeance it's so wide when it come's back down it's crazy
New Orleans could of used him for 2005 hurricane Katrina
They got Ws Brownie instead
As a German, I would definitely suggest that you have to build a lot of community shelters in all cities and villages across the tornado alley and a little bit over the border of the tornado alley in the USA! These shelters must be fully equipped with all the necessary things to survive such a disaster like a tornado or something like this! It must have medical supplies and medical emergency facilities, surgery rooms and ICU, rooms for families, cooking areas, bathrooms, telecommunications, generators for electricity and air-conditioning, clean water tanks, food storages, baby diapers and pacifiers and all the other things which is necessary in an emergency situation! These shelters must be available in a short distance from houses, schools, universities, shopping malls, on the highways, farmroads and so on! They must be available also for tourists and traveling people and truck drivers who are in danger in this case! That's my advice for this problem and how you could protect many many people who are in danger in this regions there! Think about it!!!!! Lovely greetings from Sarah and have a wonderful day and stay safe out there and take care of you 💖👍💖👍💖👍💖👍💖👍
Tornado Ally covers almost every state in the US from N. Dakota down to Florida. That's hundreds of thousands of cities. It's just not plausible. Also, literally every state in the US has experienced tornados of some sort.
What I think we need is better construction in the South and Midwest
Uhh with what money?! You realize that tornado alley is thousands of miles. This is absolutely not even a remotely doable in the real world. It’s a nice thought though I wish we had the resources to do it.
Doesn’t work that way unfortunately - community awareness is key. Luckily warnings are extremely accurate now, and most cell phones will automatically get them. There’s usually somewhere safe in a normal house, if not people need to know where the nearest safe location is.
But yeah during the middle of the day when people are at work, school, etc - they aren’t hopping in a car to drive to a shelter. Same thing at night when people are in bed, not going to happen.
I never thought about how what a nightmare people coming in would contribute to the aftermath of confusion. My goodness. I know one thing for sure……wish we had him running Washington DC, but he seems like a nice man and we don’t want to ruin him.
Thoroughly enjoyed this video, thank you for sharing and bless Joplin and it's many residence
At 48:00... I knew this.... so when I built my house in 1995, I installed hurricane ties on EVERY rafter, and didn't nail, but SCREWED them in.
This was really long and a few times I almost blew off the rest of it, but it was also so interesting in a lot off places that I couldn't leave. As a Katrina survivor I wish this guy had been here; not one thing he talked about happened here. The storm was a disaster but the response was equally terrible. I hope that other cities have learned from this and will be more prepared in the future.
Seeing the devastation in New Orleans after Hurricane Ida is upsetting and extremely eerie because Ida struck New Orleans on the sixteenth anniversary of when Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans.
Both were so so awful. I have not experienced hurricanes but when I experienced the Joplin tornado , ppl from Joplin and surrounding cities an hour away all never seen anything like it. I’m sure you felt the same regarding Katrina. Just so devastating.
This man is truly a wealth of information - amazing. Wow!
Mannn me and my family Goins enterprise did so much of water work for Joplin . My uncle call during the tornado told us be ready go to work and work we did every bit of it.
When our team rolled into Joplin that night, it was utterly devastating to see. I'm pretty familiar with Joplin and we went right down main street to the command center they had south of 32nd just off main. I remember vividly passing through the damage zone. It was so dark, but you could tell where the path was because of the fires. We ended up at Freeman. The carnage was unbelievable. They were flying people out for medical reasons and from what I understand they didn't per say even know who that person was. The story of people that would come up to you, as I was at the doors to the emergency room, per staff requests. People were just wandering in there looking for loved ones. They had people laying in the hallways waiting for treatment, etc and some were covered with sheets or clothes. Triage in the parking lot. Thank god at least 1 of the hospitals were spared! When I got back home the next day, I broke down thinking of some of the people that came up to me asking me about their loved one. I've shed some tears just watching this. Now I know why the whole commander center thing we went to seemed so unorganized. Very good presentation.
lifts a tire stop up off the parking lot, holy shit
Wow. I rarely comment on videos but this was really a spectacular presentation. With tornado season always around the corner, I hope other emergency management teams have this level of skill. I learned a lot, thank you.
I have been looking for another video with a similar explanation for other storms, none exist. This is hands down the best explanation I have ever heard.
I can't believe people would take advantage of someone else's tragic event. Also, it didn't even occur to me that donated goods, would need to be inventoried. What a huge responsibility.
A very interesting inside view. Respect to all the people that take care of the aftermath of such a disaster
Give this man a medal! I'd vote for him for President. So informative, so well spoken, answered every question and kept that group attentive..watched every minute 😁
Holy shit was that Reed Timmer in that first video clip???? Sure sounded like his all to common freaking out and screaming at everything signature style.
Actually no. He was chasing that day though, I think in Oklahoma. There's an episode of Storm Chasers Season 5 that was set on this day.
@@hunterwolff-schollmeyer3902 Yes, I knew it wasn't Reed Timmer. I know he's not part of the Basehunters group. I was mostly being facetious, just because the guy in the video was freaking out so bad, and it reminded me of Reed. Sorry for the false implication.
@@hunterwolff-schollmeyer3902 Yup Reed went to OK and was watching it all unfold.
@@jeremybr2020 no worries.
20:30 high school football and volleyball teams survived the Plainfield, IL, F5 by sheltering in a hallway, the only part of the school to be left standing.
I Live in La Grange IL just about 30-40 min away from Plainfield, and I've got Family and friends in Joliet.
My family and I were visiting Chicago, NW Indiana around July of 1990 just before the Plainfield Tornado struck. My Dad later moved the Family to Chicago in Dec of 92.
I'd actually Like to drive through Plainfield Soon just to see the growth of the area.
During the Tornado, I heard only 4,450 resided there. I hear nearly 40,000 Live there Now. Quite a Rise in numbers since the Tornado.
May the Memories of those Lost be remembered Always.
I work in Plainfield now and remember this hitting my grandparents house when I was little. Devasting
You should watch the videos he’s talking about. I had the same thoughts as him when I watched them before I saw this video, kids would’ve gotten shredded by debris.
@@Kdubsurf14 Was crazy hearing the stories from my teachers at PSHS when I went there in 2003, Took weather seriously ever since
Listen to the alrams, watch the weather, if you can observe for yourself and above all else if you have time to get out do it, if you cannot get out get into the safest room at basement level of you house or lowest level of your house. Do not stop to take oitems you will miss - hirlooms etc may be lost but a life is somethign precious to lose.
My kids went down there a half year later and helped with clean up ....But our house blew down in Hallem Neb from a E5 tornado so they knew what to do ..it was still a mess when they arrived
That was a very nice presentation.
I came to Joplin with a group a day later. The hospital had been twisted up and ruined the foundation. I had never seen devastation like this until then. Many of the older homes held together. In front of the hospital and down that road west to east was the main path. 26th street. This street had many " newer" homes. Most were gone. I was a school teacher in Fayetteville, Ar ; 70 miles south. I never liked the hallway policy and said so long before this tornado. I was a science teacher and knew about the Venturi effect. Volunteers were wonderful here. People from all over came.
It was around 6 or 7 that morning that the convective outlook was upgraded to moderate. It was only slight before that. The archives are at the SPC website. It would be beneficial to look them up. Another lesson of this is that the spotters on the Kansas side and those on the Missouri side should use the same frequency in those counties that border each other from each state. That was another thing that I found. The spotters in Kansas were trying to tell those in Missouri, and only a very few storm chasers are also spotters with a code with the NWS to talk directly with the NWS. Most chasers do not communicate to the news media or the NWS. Chasers and spotters are not the same thing. Spotters sit in a site and report conditions they can observe from that one site.
Mike what a news Anchorman you are I hope you read my texts I'm sending to you you're outstanding you are a man with compassion and love it's so sad I'm crying with you goodbye from Atlanta Georgia
Sometimes Ham Radio is the best way to get accurate weather reports!
This guy should fix fema
My uncle lived in Rapid City, SD in 1972 before the flood. He had been transferred and his house was already for sale. His house was out of the flood zone. One day a man showed up with $50,000 cash in a briefcase and bought the house.
Absolutely fascinating. What an amazing talk. What an amazing presenter. What an amazing town full of amazing people! Thank you & God bless
And hello to the speaker that is showing everybody on the video would happen on this tornado thank you very much sir we love you and appreciate you hello from Atlanta Georgia
Great job....very interesting....👋👋👋👋
This is one of my favorite tornado videos to watch. It’s so interesting and informative. But also heartwarming to hear how people come together after a disaster.
It breaks my heart and makes me question humanity to know that there were people who swooped into the devastation to LOOT! It really takes a special brand of shit person to do something like that. I can't even wrap my head around something so disgusting.
Shitty people are always shitty. It’s hard to fathom for normal people, but to shitty people, it’s just another day and another chance to help themselves.
We could all only be lucky enough to have such people as this man running our communities.
We all know big corporations are evil but it was nice to hear Walmart and Tyson didn’t flinch second with the requests and over delivered
This guy is shot out of a cannon. Never have I seen a government official who was so dedicated, knowledgeable and passionately bonded to the protection of his community. What a rare unicorn in today’s typical examples of ineffectual government service assistance.