Heartfelt empathy for Joplin, Missouri

Hello my friends. Sadly, it's been another week of destruction in the midwest and my heart goes out to the citizens of Joplin, Missouri as well as those who experienced life threatening storms and tornadoes in their hometowns in Iowa recently and in states all around us. I can't imagine what it would be like to endure a tornado so strong that the path of destruction is 3/4 a mile wide by 6 miles long through the heart of town. In Joplin, a city of 50,000 residents, hundreds of houses are wiped out and currently 123 people are dead with hundreds more injured. The search is still on for survivors. This is reportedly the deadliest tornado since 1947. The images only begin to show the damages to Joplin, as it is estimated that the tornado destroyed about one third of the town.

All Photos via MSNBC 

It's been a record breaking Spring already when it comes to the number of tornadoes not to mention the baseball-size hail, damaging straight-line winds, and flooding that Iowa and other areas have experienced this year. Hopefully things will calm down soon but with the hot heat induced storms that Iowans usually experience during the summer months, I think it's best to stay cautious.

Do you have a safety plan in place with your loved ones for severe storms? What about your pets or livestock? Do you have a safety kit with a radio, water, flashlight and batteries? Even if you are a young adult you can start talking to your family to take steps towards safety.

Are you looking for a way to help? 

Click here for a link to MSNBC for further consideration of ways to help. 

xo

Tonya