January 27, 2012

You are here: Home / 2011 / Archives for May 2011

Tide Loads of Hope truck helping tornado victims ‘clean up’ (AUDIO)

May 31, 2011 By

Tide started it’s Loads of Hope program after Hurricane Katrina, and has been laundering clothes for disaster victims since. Joplin’s EF-5 tornado has broken several historic records already … now laundry is among them.

John Russell says as of day three on the scene, they’d taken in more loads of laundry from the victims of the Joplin tornado than at any other disaster — about 1,400 loads. Tide is parked at the Wal-Mart that’s still standing, bagging and tagging dirty laundry for those affected by the storm. The mobile laundro-mat is equipped with more than 20 washers and dryers.

And though the Tide truck as been all over the country, Russell says he can understand why the needs in Joplin exceed those of most natural disasters he’s worked through… he says it’s the worst devastation he’s ever seen. And coming from someone in his line of work, that’s saying something.

But he says Joplin’s spirit and character matches the scope of the disaster, and he’s been impressed by the kindness, helpfulness, work ethic and determination of its people. Some of which he’s been working alongside …. washing and folding laundry to ease the strain of its victims.

Russell says they’re not just giving victims clean clothes, they’re giving them time, and one less thing to worry about. He says he sees their faces, hears their stories and can tell that he and the Tide crew eases the strain, makes a difference.

AUDIO: Jessica Machetta reports [Mp3, 1:23 min.]

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters, Weather

State has to find 10 percent (AUDIO)

May 31, 2011 By

The federal government is going to pay 90 percent of the cleanup costs in Joplin.  But that still leaves millions of dollars for the state to pay and the state doesn’t have any money stashed away or just laying around that it can spend on disaster relief.  The governor already has said he’s going to have to withhold about thirty million dollars or more to keep the state budget in balance after the new fiscal year starts a month from today. .

Governor Nixon already has pledged 25-million state dollars for tornado relief in Joplin.  But spokesman Scott Holste says a lot more might be needed. “There are some significant costs that are associated with disaster,” he says.

It’s not just Joplin needing disaster recovery funds.  Sedalia took a pretty good hit last week and other cities have incurred tornado damage, either in conjunction with the storm system that ravaged Joplin or in storms since then.

 Listen to interview with Scott Holste Approx 4:40 mp3

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters, Weather

Joplin update: 120 deaths confirmed (AUDIO)

May 31, 2011 By

Joplin officials say only ten people are considered unaccounted for after Joplin’s tornado. Relatives have been told remains of 120 people have been identified. Several other sets of remains or possible remains have not been identified, making an exact death-count difficult to determine.

City manager Mark Rohr says organized cleanup is about to begin. The Federal Emergency Management Agency has assigned the task to the Army Corps of Engineers. Rohr says the cleanup will go “very quickly” once it is fully underway.

Listen to the briefing 1:30 mp3

Filed Under: Fires/Accidents/Disasters, Human Interest

Insurance program growing slowly (AUDIO)

May 31, 2011 By

One of the first direct impacts of the federal healthcare overhaul law to reach Missouri appears to be gaining some steam, but slowly. . 

The federal government has given Missouri 81-million dollars to set up a new high-risk insurance pool for people with pre-existing conditions who cannot get coverage from insurance companies.  Fewer than 100 people enrolled in the firt six weeks last summer.  But insurance department spokesman Travis Ford says enrollment has more than doubled in the past four months and is nearing 500.   [Read more...]

Filed Under: Health & Medicine, Human Interest, Insurance

Joplin human remains stands at 146, unaccounted for down to 10

May 31, 2011 By

The department of public safety reports there are 146 human remains from the tornado in Joplin.

The death toll had been around 130 previously, but because some of the remains in the coroner’s custody now might be for the same person, authorities are not assigning a number to those killed by the historically devastating storm that hit May 22.

The names of 120 people killed have been released because positive identification and notification of next of kin has taken place.

State officials have been working to narrow down a list of those missing since the storm hit and today released an updated list of unaccounted-for individuals — only 10 remain from what began as 232 just a few days ago. (On May 27, the number had been reduced to 156; on May 28, the number had been reduced to 100; on May 29, the number had been reduced to 43; and on May 30, the number had been reduced to 29.)

“All persons once classified as reported deceased by their families, but awaiting scientific confirmation of their identities, have now been identified and their next-of-kin notified,” the Department of Public Safety reports.

The Department of Public Safety provided the following updated totals:

  • 10 persons are unaccounted for
  • 144 persons have been reported located
  • 37 additional missing persons reports have been filed
  • 4 persons have been confirmed to have been reported on the list twice or under different names

Those categorized as “reported located” are individuals who the Missouri State Highway Patrol has received credible information indicating that they are alive.

“Following the release and posting of the initial list on May 26, the Highway Patrol received many phone calls and e-mails that included credible information about the location of individuals,” the department reports. “The Patrol is also monitoring postings on facebook and other social media sites.”

The names of unaccounted-for individuals are being cross-referenced with all hospitals that admitted or treated patients injured during the tornado, shelters housing tornado survivors, applicants for disaster assistance and the Red Cross Safe and Well program. Additionally, the Department of Public Safety is working with cell phone service providers to check whether cell phones have been used by individuals who have been unaccounted-for since their names were added to the list.

To see those still be sought, view www.dps.mo.gov — the list is updated daily. The list of the confirmed 120 deceased individuals is also posted there.

The public is asked to call the Missouri State Highway Patrol Found-Persons Hotline at 417-895-6868.

To get direction on filing a report about an unaccounted-for individual, families and loved ones are encouraged to call 417-659-5464 or file a report with the Highway Patrol in person at the Billingsley Student Center on the campus of Missouri Southern State University.

Filed Under: Briefs
« Older Posts