Joplin Tornado

JOPLIN, Mo --  The demolition process is underway for St. John's hospital in Joplin. Sunday marks a new beginning. The iconic image of the Joplin tornado is in the process of being torn down. A wrecking ball struck the building a few times to symbolize the start of the demolition.  It was an emotional ceremony with music and stories from the night of May 22nd. The hospital took a direct hit from the E-F5 tornado. Terri Edens is a nurse that worked in the emergency room that night.

JOPLIN, Mo  - In the days following the Joplin tornado, numerous people reported finding personal documents and photos scattered by the fierce winds. Now the Joplin Police Department is trying to help victims recover those priceless items lost in the storm. The Joplin Police Department has been so busy recovering from the tornado they hadn't yet got around to reuniting owners with their lost and found items; so they've put up a website to help the process along. If you'd like to look at the list and see if you have some lost and found property, you can go to the city's website; www.joplinmo.org, and click on the link 'Lost and Found Property Listing'; or just click here . This list is just people who had some sort of identifying record among the items found so they knew who it belonged to; like a drivers license or passport.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo -- The latest and greatest technologies and trends were on display at the Home Builders Association of Greater Springfield's 2012 Home Show. Energy efficiency and "green" technology was a common theme at the Springfield Expo Center. Solar panels are becoming more affordable--as are wind turbines. Geothermal heaters and air conditioners offer an alternative to the standard. The technologies combined can save more than 50% on your utility bill. Innovations in home insulation were on display as well.

JOPLIN, MO-- The controversy continues over diverting FEMA money from Joplin to help those affected by Hurricane Irene. A rising number of disasters, coupled with federal budget shortfalls, has left FEMA coming up short. The agency said it will have to postpone fulfilling new aid requests for tornado-stricken Joplin to free up money for the Irene victims.       Southwest Missouri Congressman Billy Long said he is not too worried yet. "Money delayed is not money denied.  I feel very confident that the money will be there.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo -- In the aftermath of the Joplin tornado area hospitals were swamped with injuries and critical patients. A St. John's physician came across something unusual in the midst of it all. Efforts at the local level helped health care providers all over the state diagnose something potentially deadly. When it comes to issuing health alerts there is a fine line between getting out much needed information and causing a panic in the general public. However, when the Springfield Greene County Health Department caught wind of a tissue destroying fungus, they decided to take action.

Houston, Mo  -  A Texas County Hospital is applying lessons learned in the Joplin tornado.  St. John's Hospital in Joplin took a direct hit from the May, 22 twister.  The destruction prompted Texas County Memorial Hospital to change it's strategy to keep patients safe. The hospital qualified for a FEMA grant to pay some of the cost of building a tornado safe room.  Patients, staff and anyone nearby will soon be able to seek shelter to safely ride out the storm. "It doesn't matter if there's an F-5 out there, if I've got patients in the hospital, I've got to take care of them," says Texas County Memorial Hospital physician Schaun Flaim.

JOPLIN, Mo -- For more than ten years the Missouri State Symphony Orchestra has hosted concerts featuring local high school string orchestras. This year is special. It is the first time the concert has been used as a fundraiser. The Joplin Orchestra lost most of their instruments, all of their music, and the place they practice. Now, like many students in Joplin, they have to go to another school to practice. "We're practicing here because our other high school was completely destroyed," explained Joplin Orchestra Violist Quinton Anderson.

JOPLIN, Mo. - It's been more than two months after the Joplin tornado and the state of Missouri will cover the 10 percent of the debris removal costs the federal government won't cover through the August 7th deadline set by the feds. With only 6 days remaining until that deadline, things look to be ahead of schedule. "We're just over 93 percent done," said Mark Haviland with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. "Our crews work 12 hour days from the moment they arrive to the moment they leave, working very hard out here, working with the contractors to get this mission complete.

JOPLIN, Mo -- It's been more than a year since a tornado devastated the community of Joplin. It left many without a home. Some residents still don't have a home. Habitat for Humanity is trying to change that, and they are getting a little help from theSt. Louis Cardinals.    It's a new house and a new beginning for Sharon Brumley and her family. "This is ours forever. You don't have to move no more. Isn't that exciting?" Brumley said to her daughter. The Brumley's added a new member just days before the Joplin tornado hit. "We had lost my sister prior to that so I'm raising my nephew as well as my two children," she said.

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. -- Half of the upcoming special legislative session in September will be to figure out how to pay off the state's bills for the Joplin tornado cleanup and flooding in southeast and northwest Missouri.  The other half of the session is to try to help grow jobs. Gov. Jay Nixon was here on Wednesday to promote what's called the “Made in Missouri” Jobs package.  One major part of the plan, which his staff hammered out with Republican legislative leaders, is turning Lambert Airport in St. Louis into an international export hub, with an eye toward more business with China.  A factory in Springfield that makes something a Chinese industry needs was the backdrop for Nixon's visit.