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The harrowing experience of the Joplin tornado is the focus of a new documentary, released nearly 14 years after the powerful storm ravaged Missouri, devastating a hospital, destroying neighborhoods, and causing approximately 160 fatalities. “The images of the destruction after the bombing in World War II are what came to mind,” Kerry Sachetta, the then-principal of Joplin High School, recounted to The Associated Press on the evening of May 22, 2011, following the school’s destruction. “That’s the closest comparison,” Sachetta said. As he spoke on that tragic night, fires ignited by gas leaks burned across the town. The EF-5 tornado, one of the deadliest in six decades, carried winds reaching 200 mph (320 kph). At times, its width extended to nearly a mile (1.6 kilometers). The aftermath was a scene of crushed vehicles and shocked residents searching for missing family members. Approximately 7,500 homes were damaged or destroyed. “The Twister: Caught in the Storm” was released by Netflix last week, following a series of recent severe storms that brought tornadoes, blinding dust storms, and wildfires. Hospital transformed into a disaster zone St. John’s Regional Medical Center suffered some of the most extensive damage in Joplin, with staff having only moments to move patients into the hallway before the 367-bed hospital was severely damaged. Flying debris shattered windows and disabled the hospital’s backup generators, causing ventilators to fail. The winds also scattered X-rays and medical records as far as 75 miles (121 kilometers) away. Five patients and one visitor died immediately following the storm, and several other patients later succumbed to their injuries. The morning after the tornado, Dr. Jim Riscoe told the AP that some of his emergency room staff arrived with their own injuries but worked throughout the night. “It was a testament to the human spirit,” Riscoe said, comparing the scene to a nuclear disaster. “Cars were tossed like playing cards. Power lines were sparking. It was unbelievable.” The building was so severely damaged that it was demolished the following year.
