Article 4

May 22, 2011 was to have been a day of excitement as we prepared for my daughter Kristen’s high school graduation. We would attend the graduation at Missouri Southern State University and then go have a nice dinner to celebrate.

The graduation ended at 5:30 PM and as we were exiting, the tornado sirens began sounding. We decided to head straight for my ex-wife’s apartment even though the sirens had stopped. As we pulled in, I dropped off Kristen in front of she and her mother’s apartment and then had to made the circle to come back to find a parking spot.

As I pulled in it began to rain and then soon it was like a monsoon with the rain going sideways instead of down. Little did I know that this was the beginning of the rain wrapped tornado that would wipe out a third of Joplin, Missouri.

The building of my ex-wife and daughter

I decided to stay in the car since the rain was so heavy and within two to three minutes the passenger side window explodes and I am sprayed with glass. As I turn away, my back, shoulder and right arm are pelted with debris from the storm. I did not realize that my car had been picked up by the tornado and moved three spaces down and turned the opposite direction.

I was unable to exit the car because the driver’s side of the car was pinned to another car. I realized I was hurt and bleeding, but then I received a cell phone call from my ex-wife Debbie telling me that she and Kristen had both survived the storm. I told them that I was hurt and needing help as I could not get out of the car.

Soon after, a man came by and I asked him for help and he pried open the passenger side door, cleared some debris and pulled me out. I asked him if he could tell me which building would have been Debbie’s and we walked over and began screaming for them.

They came to the door and told me they were both OK and I told them that I was going to go seek medical help. There was so much debris in front of the apartment that I could not get to them. I began to see some movement about two blocks away and began walking to see if I could find someone to get me to the hospital.

View from inside my car

Finally, a car gave me a ride to where a policeman had began searching for survivors and a paramedic was tending to the injured in the back of a pickup. They helped me into the back of the pickup along with three children and an adult female who had been injured and then laid a female child next to me who had been killed in the storm.

The pickup then took all of us about four blocks away to where a triage had been set-up. They laid us all down and then began to examine us and tag us according to the extent of our injuries. Ambulances were already on scene and ready to move us to the hospital according to the extent of our injuries.

Parking lot at apartment

I was taken to Freeman West Hospital and put into a wheelchair and taken into the waiting area, little did I know there was three to four hundred people there already needing treatment.

I soon learned that my injuries were not near as severe as the many they were bringing in. I realized it would be some time before I would be seen. Phone lines were blocked, but I eventually reached my friends the Wynns in Neosho and asked if they would come and get me.

Rubble behind apartment

Soon after, I looked up and walking in the door was my former pastor, Daniel Koren from Neosho. I had attended church there in Neosho that morning and they knew I was in Joplin and were concerned about me. He immediately began to pray for me and I know that I have healed much more quickly because of this. My friends the Wynns showed up soon after. They took me to their home in Neosho, but after one look at my back, they took me to Freeman Neosho Hospital. There I was admitted to receive treatment for my lacerations and bruises. X-rays showed no broken bones for which I was so thankful.

I spent two days in the hospital recovering from my injuries. The next day, I returned to Joplin with Adam Wynn and we helped my ex-wife recover a few more of her possessions. Not until then did

I realize the extent of the damage the tornado had done to Joplin. My ex-wife’s apartment building had received major damage, her car, my daughters car and my rental car were all totaled. At his time, I realized it was the mercy of God that all three us were still alive and could tell this story.

I have returned to Casper , Wyoming and am back to work, my ex-wife and daughter are already in a new apartment completely furnished by friends and co-workers.

The generosity of Joplin people and the surrounding areas has been amazing, God has proved himself again so faithful and to him, I give the glory.

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