Rainbow after the tornado.
The first wave of storms passed by. Everything was calm again. Then the power went out for more than 8 hours.
Gary and Alicia Meyer sent us an emergency radio, which I quickly found. It has a hand-crank for power, in case there are no batteries or they wear out. Mrs. Ichabod got tired of turning the crank, so I dug up a box of AA batteries. We listened to Joplin news all night on three AA batteries.
LI's family went to their closet three times for the tornado siren. The second time two of the children brought their electronic games along. The third time everyone was too sleepy to do anything but wait. A tornado was spotted closer to them, along 412, which is south of Bentonville-Rogers.
We are on the NW corner of Arkansas, north of them. Not long ago we visited Carthage and Joplin, twin cities only 50 miles away from us.
The Joplin Walmart store on 15th street was destroyed, with loss of life. No one really knows the extent of the damage and loss of life in the area. I have heard estimates of 35 to 75% destruction of Joplin. One person said, "South Joplin was wiped off the map." The tornado grew in the town to more than a mile wide.
Walmart and other big retailers are gathering relief supplies and sending them to Joplin. Few people realize how quickly they use their logistical expertise to help out during disasters, before the government can mobilize.
Volunteers were heading to Joplin immediately after the tornado struck. One man said over the AM radio station, "I have a truck with water and other supplies. I'm coming in from the north. Where can I take it?"
We have been near tornadoes before, in New Ulm, Minnesota and Sturgis, Michigan. They were fast and relatively small, compared to the Joplin disaster. We take for granted how calm Creation is, until the big disasters strike.
We are now enduring another whole day of thunderstorms, with more tomorrow.
