On November 21st, officials from the National Institute of Standards and Technology released a 400-page draft report for public comment on their two-year study of the May 22, 2011 tornado that struck the Joplin area. The public is invited to comment on the report until January 6th, 2014. The report includes 16 recommendations on a number of topics, including improving how buildings and shelters are designed, built and maintained in tornado-prone regions, emergency communications, etc.
As a result of this report, the city has assembled a team of staff members to study the findings & recommendations and determine whether and how they would apply to Joplin. Said City Manager Mark Rohr, “It’s clear from an initial review of the report that the Joplin tornado is an important launching pad for a national-level discussion on improving the safety of buildings and the protection of life for residents living in areas that can be impacted by tornadoes. Our response to the 2011 tornado has set the standard for disaster recovery, and we look forward to working with officials at the state and national levels to continue to play an important part in how communities can prepare for and respond to future events.” Any recommendations for local changes will be presented to the city manager and to City Council at a later date. Joplin residents would be invited to participate in that discussion as well.
To view the NIST report, please visit the link below. Comments can be emailed to disaster@nist.gov or mailed to NIST Technical Investigation Joplin, 100 Bureau Drive, Stop 8611, Gaithersburg, MD 20899-8611.
For more information, contact Lynn Onstot, Public Information Officer at 624-0820,
ext. 204.
ext. 204.
Thanks a LOT for bringing this to our attention. From just skimming the findings in the executive summary I can tell there's a lot of solid stuff in the report.
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