Tornado Town: nell'occhio del ciclone

According to NOAA, Missouri experiences approximately 50 tornadoes annually, while the Tornado Valley region comprising Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Oklahoma, reports around 300 tornadoes per year. The St. Louis area is particularly prone with 12-15 tornadoes occurring annually. While the peak tornado season spans March to June, tornadoes can strike at any time.

Missouri has witnessed several catastrophic tornadoes in recent years, including the devastating Jefferson City tornado (2019), Carl Junction tornado (2017), Oak Grove tornado (2017) and Perryville tornado (2016). These events resulted in extensive damage, injuries and loss of lives.(Ref: Google)

This documentary provides a gripping account of the devastating effects of Joplin tornado on May 22, 2011, in Joplin, Missouri. It was a devastating EF5 tornado that caused widespread destruction and loss of life. 158 people lost their lives in the tornado, including 7 students and 1 staff member from Joplin High School, over 1,000 people were injured, many critically, caused $2.8 billion in damages, making it one of the costliest single tornadoes in the US, nearly 1/3rd of Joplin was destroyed!!!

The documentary features personal storytelling, stunning footage and interviews with storm chasers and meteorologists. Witness accounts and survivor stories recreate the monster tornadoes in vivid detail. A scary yet good watch!

This documentary is excellent.

I grew up in Minnesota so am no stranger to tornadoes and the fear you feel when the sirens go off.

161 people died in Joplin and the city was obliterated.

I went into this not knowing what to expect and am so impressed by the first person storytelling - and that is what this is, a diverse group of young people (at the time) describing in detail and with original videos what happened to them.

It's terrifying.

I don't want to say much more as it will spoil it. Needless to say the people we come to know through their stories survived (one extremely luckily), but many others did not.

Joplin and its people are scarred but they persevere.

This documentary is two hours long but it flies by. It is never boring. And the stories are mesmerizing.

Recommended.

There is no doubt that what these people experienced was life-changing. These were stories of survival against all odds or rather against a seemingly unsurvivable monster tornado. I don't think I've ever read, heard, or seen an eyewitness account of anyone who survived being drawn into a tornado and survived flesh-eating bacteria. Those who complain about too much focus on religion are probably not complaining about the clips at the end with then President Obama visiting and talking to the residents of Joplin. That survivor is gay, religious, and happy to have had the President there to acknowledge their suffering and their community. Cecil is someone who unites people. He did his best to help keep others safe. He is a decent person. His beliefs and lifestyle might not align with yours but only God will judge us in the end. Until then, leave your prejudice behind and try your best to imagine what these people endured on that day.

The community of Joplin is hit by a rare force of nature, a devastating EF-5 tornado, a natural event that has catastrophic consequences.

First off, the negative reviews, are you guys serious? You must have watched something different to me.

161 people dead, this was a horrendous occurrence, but aside from that, how many lives, properties, businesses, structures etc were impacted and ruined by the damage.

It's very raw, very gritty, but very heartfelt and very human, don't expect the glass and nonsense of the recent Twister film, most of the footage is strictly audible only, but would you expect otherwise?

It's not glossy, it takes a bit of time to open up, and for us Brits, it's worth remembering that The US is a bit more religious than us lot over here.

One thing I will never understand though, storm chasing, I just don't get it, don't mess with Mother Nature.

7/10.

They only covered the main of the significant parts, there's tons of stories, especially there's stories of kids that were caught in the tornado and talk about how these butterfly people came down from the sky (angels) saved and protected them, even first responders, the national guard, nurses & doctors got tons of stories and first time experiences with such of a event like this, especially there's a marine who was called home from basic training right when the tornado. If I was a director and a journalist I'd want to hear more experiences than just 5 individuals. Especially the amount of damage that was done there's stories about the reconstruction even over 1800 companies that reached out to help Joplin.