Photos: Aftermath Photos of Tornado Havoc in Joplin, Missouri
By IB Times Staff Reporter | May 25, 2011 06:26 AM EDT
The death toll from a monster tornado that hit Joplin, Missouri on Sunday, the deadliest in the U.S. since 1947, rose to 123 while at least 750 people were injured and many more were missing.
The tornado that hit Joplin with winds of nearly 200 miles per hour (328 km/hour) was the deadliest single twister in the United States since 1947, when a tornado in Woodland, Oklahoma killed 181 people.
Shortly after the tornado hit on 5:41 p.m. on May 22, Governor Jay Nixon declared a state of emergency in the Joplin area. Emergency responders and the Missouri National Guard quickly conducted search and rescue efforts.
Rescue and recovery teams scoured the wreckage of the small Midwestern city, which was devastated by a high-velocity whirl of wind that destroyed about 2,000 buildings.
Take a look at the aftermath photos:
A sign is seen in front of a destroyed home after a devastating tornado hit Joplin, Missouri May 24, 2011. A monster tornado killed at least 118 people in Joplin, when it tore through the heart of the small Midwestern city, ripping the roof off a hospital and destroying thousands of homes and businesses.
Source: Reuters
Cheryl Parker looks out from her destroyed home to her leveled neighborhood after a devastating tornado hit Joplin, Missouri May 24, 2011.
Source: Reuters
Workers remove debris from a destroyed home after a devastating tornado hit Joplin, Missouri May 24, 2011.
Source: Reuters
A woman looks through her destroyed home after a tornado hit Joplin, Missouri May 24, 2011.
Source: Reuters
Don Zolecki (L) of the Sunrise Beach Fire Department, leads rescue dog Amber Alert in a search for survivors in a destroyed home after a devastating tornado hit Joplin, Missouri May 24, 2011.
Source: Reuters
Residents look through their destroyed home after a devastating tornado hit Joplin, Missouri May 24, 2011.
Source: Reuters
A car is seen overturned in front of a destroyed home after a devastating tornado hit Joplin, Missouri May 24, 2011.
Source: Reuters
A sign is seen in front of a destroyed apartment complex after a devastating tornado hit Joplin, Missouri May 24, 2011.
Source: Reuters
Debris fills a pool as residents retrieve their possessions from a destroyed apartment complex after a devastating tornado hit Joplin, Missouri May 24, 2011.
Source: Reuters
