By Kristin Hoppa
The St. Joseph News-Press
JOPLIN, Mo. — More than a year after a violent tornado ripped through Joplin, Mo., emergency responders from that city relived the experience with their Northwest Missouri counterparts.
“We all got 10 years of experience in two weeks,” said Scott Cranford, Joplin Fire Department assistant training chief. “Multiple causalities, injuries, gas leaks and thousands upon thousands of structures torn down.”
Mr. Cranford joined Lt. Darren Gallup of the Joplin Police Department and Kenneth Kennedy, chief of campus police at Missouri Southern State University, as they detailed their experiences on May 22, 2011. Buchanan County emergency responders, city personnel and service agencies personnel packed a crowded room at Missouri Western State University for the talk.
“You can never plan for the enormity of an event like that,” Mr. Gallup said. “We had so many sick and injured people coming up to you, injured people all around, and I remembered calling on the radio for ambulances. And dispatch returned, saying there were no ambulances.”
Mr. Gallup said nearly all law enforcement and emergency responders reported for duty without being called. Volunteers and other residents offered assistance for searches and rescues.
“The biggest thing is, that everyone needs to work together,” Mr. Gallup said. “We hear this all the time, but when you actually live it, you realize how important that is.”
As bodies were pulled from the rubble, Missouri Southern State University served as a shelter and a hospital.
“We were the only facility large enough to be the response base for the rest of the city,” Mr. Kennedy said. “Everything else was basically gone, so if something like this were to happen here, (Missouri Western’s) campus might need to become that, too.”
As the three concluded their presentations, the panel opened it up for questions from the audience. Questions ranged from emergency personnel organization to issues with communication and telephone service.
“We are really lucky here, because we practice and we plan,” said Bill Brinton, Buchanan County emergency management director. “You never know when something this big is going to happen.”
More than 13 months after 161 people died and hundreds were injured, Joplin continues to rebuild, Mr. Cranford said.
“No one would have ever imagined doing a disaster drill with the scenario to wipe out half the town of Joplin, take out a hospital and five schools,” he said. “This was truly unprecedented ... but looking back on it, we can better prepare when another disaster occurs.”
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