PRINTIt Figures: Joplin tornado
May 17, 2012 | 12:00 a.m. CST
5
The intensity of the Joplin tornado on the Enhanced Fujita scale. The scale, introduced by Ted Fujita in 1971, goes up to EF5, which is the category for tornadoes that have wind speeds greater than 200 mph.
161
The number of people who died in the Joplin tornado in May 2011. This makes the disaster the deadliest U.S. tornado in the past 60 years. The second-deadliest tornado killed 116 people in Flint, Mich. in 1953.
1,200
The number of oak, elm, maple, redbud and red buckeye trees planted in Joplin on May 5, 2012. More than 900 people from all across the state volunteered to plant the trees.
6,000
The number of buildings destroyed by the storm. St. John’s Regional Medical Center, one of the buildings most prominently featured in media reports, is expected to be rebuilt and re-opened as Mercy Hospital Joplin within the next two to three years. It will span 600,000 square feet and offer more than 300 beds.
$10,000
The amount of money raised for the Joplin tornado first response fund at a silent auction of St. Louis Post-Dispatch photos on April 27, 2012. The event featured images that photographers took immediately following the devastation.
126,804
The number of volunteers who have registered through various aid organizations to provide relief since the tornado, according to the city of Joplin.
$600,000
The amount needed to repair the pool in Cunningham Park. The town of Fort Scott, Kan., donated two new slides, which have already been installed.
$62,000,000
The amount of a bond issue that passed in April to help rebuild Joplin’s public schools. The school district called the bond issue “Operation Rising Eagle.” The money will go toward the construction of a new high school, a middle school and two elementary schools.
775,000
The number of service hours put into rebuilding Joplin by volunteer organizations as of April 4.
$311,000,000
The total value of building permits requested from the city since the tornado in May 2011.
