Time Top 10 2012 Comebacks
4. Joplin, Missouri
By Erin SkardaDec. 04, 20120
JOE RAEDLE / GETTY IMAGES
Zach Abrams plays basketball outside of the FEMA trailer where his family lives after their home was destroyed by a tornado that ripped through Joplin, Mo., one year ago, May 22, 2012.
On May 22, 2011, a high-powered EF-5 tornado swept through the Midwestern city of Joplin, leaving a trail of death and destruction in its path. It was the single deadliest tornado to hit the U.S. in nearly 60 years, killing 161 people and injuring 1,000. Approximately 7,500 homes and hundreds of businesses were destroyed. But one year later, things were already looking up for Joplin. Just weeks after the tornado, the community came together for a public meeting, where a plan to rebuild the city was launched on a series of sticky notes. Led by local business owner Jane Cage, the group started the Citizens Advisory Recovery Team to work with the local government and act as a voice for residents. In January, the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced a $45 million investment in the city, which will go a long way toward bringing the sticky-note plan to life. And for the high school students of Joplin, who returned to class three months after the tornado in a makeshift space in the local mall, a special guest visited the city in May to deliver their commencement address: President Obama. “My deepest hope for all of you is that as you begin this new chapter in your life, you will bring that spirit of Joplin to every place you travel and everything you do,” he said
Read more:
http://newsfeed.time.com/2012/12/04/top-10-news-lists/slide/joplin-missouri/
From the Joplin Globe:
Our View: Making the strong finish 12/10/2012 3:00 PM
It all began with a series of sticky notes.
That’s right. That was the genesis for the rebuilding of Joplin.
And the words on those notes were yours.
Some of you wanted Joplin to come back after the 2011 tornado with sidewalks and neighborhood parks and lots and lots of trees. You wanted safe rooms and efficient housing. You wanted bike and walking trails.
Others said Joplin needed a new library, a performing arts center, a convention center, even a minor league ball field.
Yes, some dream practical dreams and others dream big.
Those yellow sticky notes have caught the attention of a lot of people outside of Joplin. Most recently, they were mentioned by Time magazine, which has listed Joplin as No. 4 on its Top 10 Comebacks of 2012.
Here’s what it had to say:
“Led by local business owner Jane Cage, the group started the Citizens Advisory Recovery Team to work with the local government and act as a voice for residents. In January, the Department of Housing and Urban Development announced a $45 million investment in the city, which will go a long way toward bringing the sticky-note plan to life.”
Passage of the much-negotiated tax increment financing proposal will also fund the dreams listed on sticky notes. Residents should hear more about the outcome of that proposal this week.
We want the best for all of Joplin. We continue to put our support behind the TIF proposal as long as the Joplin School District does not lose the impact of the $62 million bond issue voters endorsed in April. That too was a comeback moment in Joplin’s post-tornado history.
But, as you all know, we really haven’t made a comeback until we finish the long, hard job ahead of us.
There’s a reason accolades are being heaped on our town. Joplin figured out how to help itself.
We applaud the ingenuity and the creativity.
Now, let’s finish the job.
http://m.joplinglobe.com/TJG/pm_105313/contentdetail.htm?contentguid=2rrVIbuE
Showing posts with label Joplin. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Joplin. Show all posts
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Joplin leaders endorse tornado recovery plan
Thu, Jan. 19, 2012, KANSAS CITY STAR kansascity.com
JOPLIN, Mo. | Community leaders in Joplin have resoundingly endorsed a long-term tornado recovery plan they hope will serve as a national example for other disaster-ravaged areas. The standing ovations and shouts of praise from a grateful public Thursday night were a good start.
The Joplin City Council, school board and Chamber of Commerce, as well as the Board of Aldermen in neighboring Duquesne, swiftly approved the recovery plan at a meeting that ended after barely 30 minutes, though it was scheduled to last two hours. The only hiccup: passing a microphone from one end to the other of a U-shaped table crammed with 45 elected officials and business owners.
The plan was developed by a group of volunteers based on comments offered by area residents at a series of public discussions that began several weeks after the May 22 tornado, one of the nation's deadliest, killed 161 people and destroyed thousands of buildings, from homes and churches to big-box retail businesses and one of the city's two hospitals.
Recommendations include creation of four new business districts that would also allow residents to live and shop nearby. The plan also calls for a city committee to ensure new construction meets certain design standards, including more landscaping to offset commercial projects and parking lots.
Wednesday, December 21, 2011
Joplin: A city rising from the rubble
| By Eric Adler, Laura Bauer and Mike McGraw, The Kansas City Star, Mo. | |
| McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
Last month,
"We would all love to be seven months into this and say everything is rebuilt and we're all done,"
As the year that will define
Attitude aside, the tornado also heaved up a wave of problems that many acknowledge will take more than bricks, mortar and a can-do spirit to stem.
Exactly what the rebuilt city -- population some 50,000 before the tornado -- will or should look like continues to be debated.
In November, the city's Citizens Advisory Recovery Team, a panel of some 100 residents, community and city leaders -- offered the
The thinking is that the black cloud that tossed homes, schools, businesses and some 15,000 cars into twisted heaps might also offer a silver-lining opportunity -- urban planning by tornado, just as tiny
The recommendations from the team, known as CART, ranged from bike lanes in all areas of new construction to storm shelters in new schools. It included a mixed-use pilot neighborhood that might serve as a model for future urban core construction: energy-efficient homes with underground utilities on a block where retail mixes with residential.
"I don't think we do justice to the lives that were lost, the people who were injured in the storm, if we don't do our part to build back better than what we had before," said Joplin School Superintendent C.J. Huff, a CART member. "If you don't take this opportunity to build back better and stronger, then we weren't the community I thought we were when I decided to come here."
But there lies a tension:
While planning for the future, city leaders also know they must deal with the here and now, striving to rebuild the city as quickly as possible and return to normal knowing "normal" will have to be redefined.
If displaced residents don't return -- and no one knows how many will -- city and school coffers are certain to suffer.
"I have no doubt we're going to lose families," said Huff, who is nonetheless hopeful. "I know we're going to gain some families in the years to come."
Sixty percent of the district's budget comes from property taxes....
FULL ARTICLE
But there lies a tension:
While planning for the future, city leaders also know they must deal with the here and now, striving to rebuild the city as quickly as possible and return to normal knowing "normal" will have to be redefined.
If displaced residents don't return -- and no one knows how many will -- city and school coffers are certain to suffer.
"I have no doubt we're going to lose families," said Huff, who is nonetheless hopeful. "I know we're going to gain some families in the years to come."
Sixty percent of the district's budget comes from property taxes....
FULL ARTICLE
Saturday, November 19, 2011
Six Months After Joplin Tornado, Recovery Efforts Continue
COLUMBIA, Mo. -- Six months after the May 22 EF-5 tornado destroyed a large section of the city of Joplin, Jasper and Newton counties have received an estimated $174 million in federal assistance provided by the Federal Emergency Management Agency through various programs, according to federal recovery officials...
...A robust Long Term Recovery Committee is present, with more than 50 agencies providing long term recovery assistance to help with disaster survivors unmet needs. Disaster case management services are being provided through a collaborative effort among the American Red Cross, Catholic Charities, and Salvation Army. Aggregately, more than 1,000 cases have been assisted with services such as rental and utility assistance, transportation, household items, food and clothing. In addition, Mennonite Disaster Services, United Methodists Disaster Response team, and Convoy of Hope have provided demolition assistance to owners of more than 500 residential structures in Jasper and Newton counties. Voluntary organizations’ assessments for survivor unmet needs are estimated at $4.6 million. The state of Missouri has applied for a $5.7 million disaster case management grant for unmet needs.
Long Term Community Recovery (LTCR): FEMA ESF-14 specialists assisted with the formation of the Citizens Advisory Recovery Team (CART) which encouraged citizen participation in planning and rebuilding Joplin. The CART is composed of city officials, business leaders, community leaders and residents. Through the summer, CART hosted several public meetings to gather citizen input. From those sessions, they distilled the information, developing recovery and rebuilding priorities. On Oct. 13-14, FEMA LTCR arranged a design charrette sponsored by the American Institute of Architects. More than 60 architects, landscape architects and planners volunteered their time to create drawings, diagrams and realistic renderings of many potential projects that could be catalysts for recovery. On Nov. 7, CART presented their report to Joplin City Council. CART will continue to work with the City in developing specific projects
...A robust Long Term Recovery Committee is present, with more than 50 agencies providing long term recovery assistance to help with disaster survivors unmet needs. Disaster case management services are being provided through a collaborative effort among the American Red Cross, Catholic Charities, and Salvation Army. Aggregately, more than 1,000 cases have been assisted with services such as rental and utility assistance, transportation, household items, food and clothing. In addition, Mennonite Disaster Services, United Methodists Disaster Response team, and Convoy of Hope have provided demolition assistance to owners of more than 500 residential structures in Jasper and Newton counties. Voluntary organizations’ assessments for survivor unmet needs are estimated at $4.6 million. The state of Missouri has applied for a $5.7 million disaster case management grant for unmet needs.
Long Term Community Recovery (LTCR): FEMA ESF-14 specialists assisted with the formation of the Citizens Advisory Recovery Team (CART) which encouraged citizen participation in planning and rebuilding Joplin. The CART is composed of city officials, business leaders, community leaders and residents. Through the summer, CART hosted several public meetings to gather citizen input. From those sessions, they distilled the information, developing recovery and rebuilding priorities. On Oct. 13-14, FEMA LTCR arranged a design charrette sponsored by the American Institute of Architects. More than 60 architects, landscape architects and planners volunteered their time to create drawings, diagrams and realistic renderings of many potential projects that could be catalysts for recovery. On Nov. 7, CART presented their report to Joplin City Council. CART will continue to work with the City in developing specific projects
Friday, September 23, 2011
Open House hosted by the Citizens Advisory Recovery Team in Joplin
Joplin, MO, August 16, 2011 -- The Citizens Advisory Recovery Team, which works with ESF-14 Long-term Recovery, hosts a second community meeting for community members to vote and make recommendation for prioritizing recovery projects. The EF-5 tornado on May 22, 2011 tore a path through Joplin seven miles long and half a mile wide. FEMA is in the city to provide assistance to the disaster survivors. Photo by: Elissa Jun/FEMA
Friday, August 19, 2011
Joplin officials consider rebuilding options, keeping building codes, safety in mind
aturday, July 23, 2011 | 5:19 p.m. CDT; updated 12:33 p.m. CDT, Monday, August 1, 2011
BY ALAN SCHER ZAGIER/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
JOPLIN — Empty concrete pads where houses once stood. Untouched playgrounds still riddled with broken glass. A once-bustling retail district, eerily quiet on a weekend night.
Two months after a tornado split Joplin in half, recovery has barely begun, and the city remains focused on cleaning up massive mounds of debris. But leaders say Joplin and the neighboring village of Duquesne already face another question: How much to rebuild and how much to reinvent?
"Ninety-nine percent of the time, what we really want to do is return to business as usual, go back to exactly what was there at the earliest possible time, get everyone back in their homes," said Bob Berkebile, a Kansas City architect and disaster recovery specialist who has been working informally as a consultant in Joplin. "But I have never seen a community where they couldn't have made a decision to build back something different."
In Joplin, city officials, neighborhoods and families are beginning to confront decisions that involve trade-offs of cost, speed, quality and uncertainty.
They could strengthen building codes to produce better houses, which might also cause some delay; plot out more parks and amenities that would raise the quality of life but require detailed planning; require new storm safety features that would balance peace of mind against greater expense for those of modest incomes.
more... click on article title
BY ALAN SCHER ZAGIER/THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
JOPLIN — Empty concrete pads where houses once stood. Untouched playgrounds still riddled with broken glass. A once-bustling retail district, eerily quiet on a weekend night.
Two months after a tornado split Joplin in half, recovery has barely begun, and the city remains focused on cleaning up massive mounds of debris. But leaders say Joplin and the neighboring village of Duquesne already face another question: How much to rebuild and how much to reinvent?
"Ninety-nine percent of the time, what we really want to do is return to business as usual, go back to exactly what was there at the earliest possible time, get everyone back in their homes," said Bob Berkebile, a Kansas City architect and disaster recovery specialist who has been working informally as a consultant in Joplin. "But I have never seen a community where they couldn't have made a decision to build back something different."
In Joplin, city officials, neighborhoods and families are beginning to confront decisions that involve trade-offs of cost, speed, quality and uncertainty.
They could strengthen building codes to produce better houses, which might also cause some delay; plot out more parks and amenities that would raise the quality of life but require detailed planning; require new storm safety features that would balance peace of mind against greater expense for those of modest incomes.
more... click on article title
Friday, July 1, 2011
Officials hope to form community group to draw recovery map
A steering committee could be formed today to establish a framework for planning a recovery road map for the 30 percent of Joplin that was wiped away by the May 22 tornado.
In a statement released Wednesday, the city said the “process will integrate a multi-disciplinary team of professionals and volunteers supporting recovery planning, comprehensive planning and economic development strategies.”
Community participation will be a key component. Residents’ views will be sought in public meetings that should begin in mid-July.
A session to organize the public meetings will take place at 5:30 p.m. today at the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce.
“It’s a framework that FEMA has used, beginning with Greensburg,” said Rob O’Brian, president of the chamber, referring to the Kansas town that was decimated by an EF-5 tornado in 2007. “You set up a broad-based advisory group and get them organized. Then you begin the sessions to generate citizen input and involvement.”
More...
In a statement released Wednesday, the city said the “process will integrate a multi-disciplinary team of professionals and volunteers supporting recovery planning, comprehensive planning and economic development strategies.”
Community participation will be a key component. Residents’ views will be sought in public meetings that should begin in mid-July.
A session to organize the public meetings will take place at 5:30 p.m. today at the Joplin Area Chamber of Commerce.
“It’s a framework that FEMA has used, beginning with Greensburg,” said Rob O’Brian, president of the chamber, referring to the Kansas town that was decimated by an EF-5 tornado in 2007. “You set up a broad-based advisory group and get them organized. Then you begin the sessions to generate citizen input and involvement.”
More...
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Leaders from tornado-hit towns getting lessons from Greensburg
June 29th, 2011 | GREENSBURG, Kansas (KSN) – A FEMA-sponsored workshop brought together city leaders from communities in five states to Greensburg to compare notes on tornado recovery after one of the most active tornado seasons on record.
“This conference is giving us a chance to not only view the devastation that has transpired here in Greensburg but in four short years how they have come back,” said Gary Box with the Joplin Chamber of Commerce...
Abby Attoun, guest columnist: Planning should be led by residents, businesses
June 25th, Joplin Globe
With the tornado that demolished a third of the community now more than a month in the past, Joplin must look to the future.
The way the city rebuilds today will affect not only current residents but residents for generations to come. Joplin will never be the same. There will be families who decide not to rebuild and businesses that never reopen, but with vision and sound city planning Joplin can lay the foundation for a vibrant future. This effort should be facilitated by trained city planners, but it should ultimately be led by residents, civic groups and business owners.
Read more...
With the tornado that demolished a third of the community now more than a month in the past, Joplin must look to the future.
The way the city rebuilds today will affect not only current residents but residents for generations to come. Joplin will never be the same. There will be families who decide not to rebuild and businesses that never reopen, but with vision and sound city planning Joplin can lay the foundation for a vibrant future. This effort should be facilitated by trained city planners, but it should ultimately be led by residents, civic groups and business owners.
Read more...
Monday, May 30, 2011
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