I would like to take a moment tonight to remember the victims of the EF- 5 tornado that tore through Joplin, MO on May, 22 2011. The tornado touched down at approximately 5:34 PM traveling 22 miles and causing roughly 2.8 billion dollars in damage. The tornado destroyed over 7000 homes not including businesses and public buildings. Wind speeds over 200 mph left people dead and over 1,000 injured as the mile wide tornado tore through town. This tornado currently holds the record as the deadliest tornado to strike the United States since the Glazier-Higgins-Woodward tornadoes in 1947, and comes in seventh on the list of deadliest tornados overall. It also ranks as the costliest single tornado in U.S. history.
