Joplin Tornado Hits Close to Home

I'm sure everyone has heard about the massive tornado that hit Joplin, Missouri on Sunday.  Joplin is about 3 hours south of me and I know many friends and family who live there.  I was driving through some severe weather myself when I heard about the tornado.  I immediately started worrying about my friends and family there.  Everyone I know is safe...so thankful.  I'm just sickened and brought to tears as I look at the images coming out of Joplin...it doesn't seem real.  It looks like a scene out of a really bad scary movie.

One of my good friends lost her home.  The Wal-Mart they've shown on tv numerous times is managed by my mom's cousin...he was not there at the time.  Another one of my friends had no damage to her home and immediately went out to help rescue others and saw casualties as she helped pull people out of a church.  I also know someone indirectly who was in the St. John's Hospital at the time, and ended up being airlifted to another hospital and is recovering there.  Unfortunately, Joplin is not out of the woods yet.  They are under a high threat for tornadoes again today.  Please keep the people of Joplin in your prayers.  The death toll is around 117 currently and expected to rise.  The city has a LONG road of rebuilding ahead.

Here are some images that just make my heart ache:

Video from Weather Channel as the Reporter gets very emotional

Front Page of Newspaper in Springfield, MO