Incredible tornado videos and photos from Joplin: The first mention of Joplin, Missouri on BreakingNews.com yesterday came from a frantically-worded tweet by @stormchaser4850: “**MULTIPLE VORTEX TORNADO REPORTED NEAR JOPLIN, MISSOURI** TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY!!” Minutes later, we followed up with the ominous post, “Tornado has struck Joplin, MO.; local hospital reportedly on fire.”
Since that moment, we’ve been scouring social media for the latest photos and videos from the tornado-ravaged town. What stands out the most, however, is a dark video clip (above) with the horrific sounds of the tornado — the breaking windows, the howling winds and the terrifying screams and prayers from a group of Joplin residents who took shelter in the cooler in the back of a store.
Fortunately, everyone in that cooler escaped with their lives — over 100 others were not so fortunate. Video from two separate storm chasers (here and here) illustrate the ferocity of the tornado, which tore a deep channel of destruction through the city. Flickr photographer Cloven Leaf captured the devastation in a serious of stunning photos, and Thomas Stout was one of the first to post a video of the aftermath. Chris Reilly shot this amazing photo of a car literally wrapped around a pole. And there are many more.
Our favorite tweet of the story comes from the newspaper in Tuscaloosa, which just endured its own tornado tragedy: “To our friends in Joplin, MO: the thoughts and prayers of Tuscaloosa are with you. May the world support you as it has supported us.”
