At Least 116 Dead in Joplin Tornado; Horror Stories Emerge

"JOPLIN, Mo. -- Rescue crews dug through piles of splintered houses and crushed cars Monday in a search for victims of a half-mile-wide tornado that blasted much of this Missouri town off the map and slammed straight into its hospital.

At least 116 people died, making it the nation's deadliest single tornado in nearly 60 years and the second major tornado disaster in a month. An unknown number of people were hurt.

Authorities feared the toll could rise as the full scope of the destruction comes into view: House after house reduced to slabs, cars crushed like soda cans, shaken residents roaming streets in search of missing family members. And the danger was by no means over. Fires from gas leaks burned across town, and more violent weather loomed, including the threat of hail, high winds and even more tornadoes."

Alan Scher Zagier and Jim Salter report for the Associated Press May 24, 2011.

SEE ALSO:

"Obama To Visit Tornado-Hit Joplin" (CBC)

"Frantic Search in Joplin as More Storms Loom" (CBS)

"Survivors of the Joplin Tornado Share Their Stories" (Kansas City Star)

"Survivors Recount Joplin Tornado" (Neosho Daily News)

"Joplin, Missouri, Tornado: Warnings Pale in Season of Violent Twisters" (Christian Science Monitor)

Opinion: "A Link Between Climate Change And Joplin Tornadoes? Never!" (Bill McKibben/Washington Post)

"Social Media Playing Major Role in Joplin Tornado Recovery" (Tulsa World)

"Tornado Outbreak Possible in Kansas and Oklahoma" (Dot Earth)

"More Trauma in America's Tornado Hot Zone" (Dot Earth)

"Obama To Visit Missouri Sunday; Deadly Tornadoes on  the Rise" (Washington Post)

"Glenn Beck Uses Joplin Tornado To Make an Argument Against FEMA (Video)" (Examiner)

"Scientists At A Loss To Predict Bad Tornado Seasons" (NPR)

"Tornado Forecasting Still A Short-Term Science" (NPR)