Authorities to release list of 1,500 missing Joplin tornado victims

Authorities to release list of missing Joplin tornado victims

By the CNN Wire StaffMay 26, 2011 7:36 a.m. EDT

Joplin, Missouri (CNN) -- Authorities in hard-hit Joplin on Thursday will release a list of people unaccounted for as the community deals with the aftermath of a tornado that tore homes and families apart.

At least 125 people were killed and 1,500 remain unaccounted for, authorities said.

As the southern Missouri city grapples with the aftermath, residents are hoping to find their loved ones.

Christina, Caleb and Robert Hayward said they have not seen their mother since the tornado tore through the city on Sunday.

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/05/26/missouri.tornado/index.html?hpt=Sbin

that kicks in automatically when disasters happen?

C'mon FEMA, get with the program!

and with one of their main hospitals being destroyed they've taken people 3 hours away to hospitals, so I can see some difficulties here beyond just creating a Facebook group.

...they would litter the countryside.

That's what I"m wondering though...how far away could the tornado have carried some of these people? Will some of them even be found in the near future, or are they just out in farm fields to be found in the coming years? Definitely a gruesome thought but with so many still "missing" it has crossed my mind. I'm just hoping for the best.

They could indeed be "littering the countryside" and won't be found immediately. Or won't unless searchers are willing to scour all the surrounding lands with dogs and other sensing tech.

The fact that X-rays were found seventy miles away indicates that more than medical records were sucked up and tossed great distances away...

there was a tornado here a few years back. Several people were never found. :(

It's not the wind that kills you per say, it's the stuff that whipping around in the wind that does the job. :(

That's a pretty daunting number any way you look at it.

:cry:

http://news.blogs.cnn.com/2011/05/26/after-the-chaos-digging-through-the-damage-searching-for-the-missing/?hpt=C1

Officials will release a list of 232 people officially reported missing or unaccounted for following the tornado that destroyed much of Joplin, Missouri.

"Our goal is to get that number to 0," Andrea Spillers, deputy director of the Missouri Department of Public Safety said Thursday. "We will dedicate as much state resources as needed, around-the-clock, to make sure all of those family members that have loved ones that cannot be found are connected."

Authorities urged residents who may have been reported unaccounted for to let officials know they are okay by calling following number: (417) 895-6868. Those needing to report someone missing to law enforcement should call (417) 659-5464.

Site with the missing names when they are released - http://dps.mo.gov/