[willrun4chocolate]

<p>I just can't get over the devestation. <em> </em> I can watch the same interview with people, or see the same footage, and every time, I am just shocked at the destruction.</p>
<p> </p>
<p>We've had a couple of tornados on the outskirts of town and although I went to the basement I've never been that worried.  Not anymore.  I remember a couple of years ago driving from a town a couple hours north, and there were tornado warnings and we could see the storm, and I just snapped picture after picture of the clouds, waiting for the point where I would see a funnel.  It was many kilometers away, I wasn't worried, I can't say that I will every "enjoy" a big storm again, and I love thunder storms.</p>
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<p>Some of the stories of survival and the people working together is very inspirational though.  </p>
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<p> </p>

 

[4boysmom]

<p>Last summer on the way to a race I drove through an area that had been hit by a tornado.  An old brick school had been hit.  Old brick buildings aren't supposed to crumble like that.  Yet, the stadium had not been touched.  At a truck stop semis had been tossed like toys.  The front of a large new church had been hit.  Somehow they found a place to worship because the parking lot was full that Sunday mornign.</p>

 

[GaReb770]

<p>Last Wednesday I drove from Atlanta to Oklahoma City.  I saw some of the tornado damage in Birmingham as I passed through and just missed the tornado activity in OKC Tuesday night which killed 10 people in that State.   The only rains I ran into was maybe 15 minutes worth in Arkansas and it wasn't bad.  So I just missed the storms.</p>

 

[akern]

<p>I live in the St. Louis area and I'll admit with all the tornado's around here, I don't sleep as soundly during a storm anymore. They used to never bother me. My sister lives just outside of Joplin and luckily her and her kids are fine. She is a nurse at the hospital that got hit (luckily she was not on duty) so she has been helping out with the wounded. Her stories are absolutely heartbreaking!</p>

 

[willrun4chocolate]

<p>We have friends that are travelling down there right now.  They just left St. Louis! </p>

 

[lkschiller]

<p>Last year I ran the Boomtown Run 1/2 marathon in Joplin (2 hours down the road from us)...this year they have cancelled it obviously but you can still register and your donation goes to the United Way to help with the tornado relief efforts.  They are also inviting all runners, registered or not,  to be at the starting line on June 11,which would have been race day,  for a day of work.  It's pretty cool.  Runner's World posted a link and folks were registering from all over and doing their own half or 5K on 6/11.  Check it out at <a href="http://www.boomtownrun.com" target="_blank">www.boomtownrun.com</a></p>
<p> </p>

 

[akern]

<p><br><br>
That's awesome! Thanks for the link.</p>
<div class="quote-container"><span>Quote:</span>
<div class="quote-block">Originally Posted by <strong>lkschiller</strong> <a href="/forum/thread/74020/the-joplin-tornado#post_2001851"><img alt="View Post" class="inlineimg" src="/img/forum/go_quote.gif" style="border-bottom:0px solid;border-left:0px solid;border-top:0px solid;border-right:0px solid;"></a><br><br><p>Last year I ran the Boomtown Run 1/2 marathon in Joplin (2 hours down the road from us)...this year they have cancelled it obviously but you can still register and your donation goes to the United Way to help with the tornado relief efforts.  They are also inviting all runners, registered or not,  to be at the starting line on June 11,which would have been race day,  for a day of work.  It's pretty cool.  Runner's World posted a link and folks were registering from all over and doing their own half or 5K on 6/11.  Check it out at <a href="http://www.boomtownrun.com" target="_blank">www.boomtownrun.com</a></p>
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