Chitika

Sunday, May 29, 2011

Joplin Missouri Tornado.....What's Next?


The death toll continues to rise for the community of Joplin Missouri. The town of of 50k people preparing for the next step in the process of death of a loved one. The burial or cremation.

The first funeral is that of Adam Darnaby, an Electrician, 27 years of age. The funerals are almost a week after the tragedy.  Many ask how can it take that long?  Resources are taxed and offline, simply put.  The sheer amount of volume of the tragedy, coupled with the city infrastructure limited and supressed; business cannot just move on.
One of the local funeral Directors, Tom Keckley is just overwhelmed by the friends and faces he knows and love, all being buried.  Of the 140+ deaths only 48 of the families have been notified.  The main reason is tramua poses challenged to identification.  People are scared and a week afterwards the missing are presumed dead, over 100 people are still missing.  This can lead to mistakes if the medical staff move too quickly.
There are so many stories that have touched our hearts.  Sixteen month old Skyular Logdson, he was pulled from his mothers arms as they were broken from the debris.  She was knocked unconcious.  She is in fair condition in the hospital presently.
Will Norton, is the college graduate on his drive home with his father.  He was sucked from his sunroof.  His father ripped his muscles holding on to him.  He could not over power the 200 mile per hour winds.
Coping with Death of this magnitude is incomprehensible.  Normally people would turn to their friends or family for support.  These people are also grieving on this level and it becomes more difficult to lend an ear.  The amazing thing that does occur in events such as these, is our sense of giving.  The needs of others top our needs for ourselves and we give and give to soothe the process of grief.
Finding a cause to move forward is exactly what the people of Joplin need.  The tenderness of their neighbors and fellow Americans will give them strength to draw from.  It is a long road but Joplin is strong and they will conquer with compassion and strength.

The Department of Public Safety will release a daily update of those individuals confirmed as deceased as a result of the tornado, following notification of next-of-kin. The updates will be available on the department Web site, www.dps.mo.gov.

http://www.hometownof.com/2011/05/life-after-death-in-joplin-missouri/

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