Joplin Mo

I've been off the net for a few days because I went to Joplin. Four friends took me along, and we did damage clean up with Samaritans Purse. It is shocking and sad that 142 people died in the tornado, yet as I looked at the devistation, my thought was that it was amazing that only 142 people died. The destruction stretches for roughly thirteen miles and a mile or more wide. Some one compared the total area to 1800 football fields, it may be more. There has been a lot in the news about the St Johns Hospital and the damage there. Further east, its far worse.
The next six weeks will be spent on cleaning up the wreckage, a monumental task. Much is needed. As a friend posted, don't send cloths if you can send money. Don't send money if you can sponsor a worker. Don't sponsor a worker if you can go. All the help they can get is appreciated. Salvation Army, Red Cross, Samaritans Purse, and others are working to coordinate volunteers with people in need.
We will be returning in three weeks. We take equipment, and when we work, we some times break the machines. Of three skid loaders that we started with, two got broke. When we went to Greensburg, our biggest problems were tires. This time we took solid tires, and eliminated that hassle. Instead we shredded cylinders and pumps.
I am debating on posting any pictures. I only took a few, my friends took a lot. In some ways it feels like an intrusion to take the pictures and post them.