The Joplin Tornado, May 22, 2011

May 22, 2011 started off like any other day for me. I woke up, got ready, and went to work at the AT&T wireless retail store. The store was located at 1702 N. Rangeline Rd, Joplin, Missouri, in the Southeastern portion of the city. 

The work day came and went. The day had been beautiful, sunny and very warm. As myself and four other co-workers/friends of mine were preparing to finish up closing duties, the day started to change.

The sky started to switch from sunny to gray and the wind started to pick up. Then came the rain. Storms and quickly changing weather were very common in Joplin. None of this was out of the ordinary for anyone who had ever lived a spring or summer in Missouri. 

My co-workers and I noticed a vehicle pull up beside our store as the rain was pouring down. Rain so heavy you could barely see, even feet in front of your vehicle, was common. You pull over, wait it out and then move about your day once the rain lightens up. 

There were five of us still in the store, Myself, Sharyl, Kelly, Sean, and David. Sometime after about 5:30 PM that day, something less common happened. I started to see items blowing around wildly through the windows of our store front, which faced East out to Rangeline Rd. Then I saw a larger object blown through the air, what I believe may have been a shopping cart. It almost flashed me back to the Wizard of Oz movie. 

Before we knew it, the power went out. Something definitely was not right and I think we all sensed it. I vividly remember the hair on my neck standing straight up. Everyone started to assess the situation. Without hesitation, I pulled out my cell phone and dialed my mom to tell her I love her. The call was about that quick, as we realized that we needed to get the family who parked outside, into the store.

All five of us went to the front doors and unlocked it. The doors were instantly sucked open by the strong winds. Two co-workers ran out to signal for the family to hurry inside. There were two adults and four children who came inside from the vehicle. Once the family was inside, it took several people to pull the door shut and lock it.

It hadn’t been until those doors opened that tornado sirens could be heard outside. I knew we needed to get to a safe place. Growing up, I had always been told to go to a basement, central room or bathroom for safety. With no basement or centralized rooms in our store, the bathroom was our only option, and I yelled for everyone to get there right away.

As everyone was moving toward safety, the entire storefront made of glass windows exploded. We all ran into the mens bathroom, packed all eleven of us inside, and shut the door. I told everyone to get on the floor and cover their heads.

As the loudest rumble, which sounded like hundreds of trains passing overhead, started to consume us, I looked up and saw the sectioned ceiling tiles shaking. Several tiles were sucked into space, leaving me starring at a pitch black sky. Everyone was calling out and praying. 

Myself and Sharyl were knelt down on the floor near the sink in the bathroom. I quickly wrapped my arms around her and held tightly onto the pipe underneath of the sink. Next thing I knew, I was holding on for dear life, as the tornado tried to suck me from the building. My feet were in the air, and the only thing keeping me on the ground was the pipe I clenched onto so steadfastly. Everything happened so quick, it felt like a bomb went off. When the building was enveloped, I was dragged along with the pipe under the sink. Sharyl was somehow ripped from my arms. Everything went black and I only remember waking up to the sound of debris and maybe hail hitting the rubble on top of us. 

Our store was completely demolished as we laid on the wet floor, with the ravaged building overtop of us, trapped, and unable to move. I heard one of the children say that they could not feel their legs. 

I could only see one child nearby and David, who was down near my feet. Sharyl somehow ended up on the other side of David. I remember David telling Sharyl how good she was doing at staying calm. It was not long after, we realized Sharyl was not calm, but amidst her last breaths as she passed away beside us. 

Kelly and Sean had been sucked from the bathroom when the building was taken. Sean was thrown to the end of the strip mall where a large piece of equipment landed on his feet. This forced Sean to have to wiggle out of his shoes to get free. We could hear Sean and Kelly yelling in from the outside. We yelled back for them to go get help, but after almost an hour, we realized that they may not be coming back. Kelly and Sean had tried to get help, but due to the incident, nobody was able to easily travel or help, which we did not know until later.

I lay there on the cold wet floor and began to smell the odor of gas. I knew that we could not wait until help came. Everyone left trapped under the rubble was starting to panic. I talked to everyone and tried to ease their fears. I asked where everyone was located, and how people were holding up. 

Everyone seemed to be able to calm down enough that we were able to somewhat game plan an idea to get out. David, trying to calm himself, pulled out his phone and played the song “Forged by Fire” by Hank Williams Jr. David also took a photo of me while we were trapped under the building. Cell phone towers were down and no calls could be placed from this area. I had three phones, one which was out in my vehicle. One in my pocket, which was water damaged from the storm, and the other I had to break off from my belt clip to be able to move. 

I remember the child I could see, said she could see light and the sky. I could not, but I figured if I can see her, and she can see light… that must be a good sign. I moved a busted toilet out of my way, which helped cleared a small path. Everyone feared the toilet might be holding the building up from collapse. I was able to see the toilet was not bearing any weight. I began breaking obstructions in my path and crawled slowly as David followed suit behind me. 

It seemed to take forever as I busted through materials and aluminum beams to clear the way. My hands were bleeding from punching my way through, but adrenaline was at full force, and I don’t recall ever feeling any pain at that time. 

Before I knew it, I was able to see light also. I began to climb up through the tangled mess. No longer on the floor, I made my way to the top of the pile of debris, that was once our store. As I climbed up and out, I looked around briefly to see mass destruction all around me. I looked back down into the hole and told the little girl to climb up. I lifted her out and then helped David, who I always called “Big Dave,” out of the hole. His bigger broader shoulders would not fit and we had to lift up a steel beam so that Dave could squeeze free. 

Once the three of us were out, we started yelling for help and flagged some people down, from the top of the massive pile we stood upon. People began to gather and ran over to help. With the help of the unknown heroes, we were able to dig everyone else out who had been pinned down and trapped. 

Eleven of us got in a fight with a building and mother nature that day, sadly only ten of us made it out. Sharyl was an amazing friend/co-worker and more so, a loving mother and wife. Sharyl saved multiple lives that day and she will never be forgotten.  

Everyone shaken and scared, began running to get more help as there was such a large amount of destruction. Destroyed buildings, vehicles, body parts in the roadways… it literally looked like a war zone from a movie. A co-worker, Daniel, who had left work earlier, came back to check on us, fearing we may have still been there when the tornado hit. Daniel took us back to his home where he lived with another co-worker of ours, Mandy. The two of them allowed us to stay in their home and took care of us. I don’t remember the drive back to their home. 

Once we arrived at Mandy and Daniel’s home, I was able to borrow a phone. I called the only number I had memorized, which was to a childhood family friend back in my hometown, and explained what happened. I asked them to call my mother and give her this number to call me. 

My mom had been terrified and watched the weather on the news as the tornado was passing through Joplin. My mother was living nearby about 20 miles away. I was so glad to hear her voice the second she called me.

For the next several days, I was stiff and in a lot of pain. My body had been beaten and bruised, and needed rest. After some rest, I made my way back to our old store. The drive back was unreal. I could not believe the amount of damage our city had sustained. I was able to take some photos along the way. Once we arrived I saw my vehicle, which was a silver Ford Explorer. My vehicle had been picked up and carried, where it landed upside down, where the sales floor had once been.

Orange X’s appeared on vehicles, doorways, and other items, indicating that they had been checked for people trapped or deceased. 

The Joplin tornado occurred at 5:34 p.m. on May 22, 2011 and dissipated at 6:12 p.m. The area we were located, during the tornado, was among the strongest and widest part of its path. The tornado was nearly a mile wide and rated as an EF5 with winds over 200mph. It claimed 158 lives and well over 1,100 people were injured. Causing over $2.8 billion in damages and impacting the lives of thousands. It ranks as one of the most catastrophic tornados ever recorded. 

After the tornado, AT&T jumped into action and did an incredible job of trying to do whatever they could, not only for the 11 of us in the AT&T store, but for the entire city of Joplin as a whole. It was a proud moment being able to say I was their employee during that timeframe. 

They brought in mobile cellular towers to restore services, a nascar trailer and RV’s with full working stores inside, and tons of support. I was told to take some time off of work until I was ready and able to come back. 

Months after the tornado, AT&T flew myself, Kelly, Sean, David and Sharyl in spirit, down to the AT&T Headquarters in Dallas, Texas. They presented the five employees in the store, with the Theodore N. Vail Gold Award for the life saving actions taken on May 22, 2011. I don’t think the award was necessary, as we acted as most human beings would have. It did however, show the amazing kindness of the company and those I worked with.

This incident has weighed on my mind since the moment it happened and truly changed me as a person forever. PTSD took over me, and I was terrified of storms after this event. At first I was barely able to function when storms were on the horizon. It is my belief, this incident is what laid the groundwork for my anxiety that was uncovered years later. 

This day may have started off like any other day, but it ended being one of the single most tragic days I have ever lived through. It is a day I will never forget and has impacted my life forever. The aftermath of this incident left many injured physically, but also mentally, and in a way we will probably never fully understand or know. 

Later in 2011 I ultimately decided to move for numerous reasons, but the tornado being a significant part of it. I moved to St. Louis, Missouri, which is still located in Tornado Alley and was less than helpful with my PTSD and resulting anxiety. I ultimately relocated to Denver, Colorado where I have now found some peace, with lower probabilities historically, of severe tornados such as the one in Joplin. 

To all my friends who experienced this tragic day or were impacted in some way, I love you all, I hurt with you, and if you’re still struggling… please reach out for help. This event will never leave our memories, but hopefully we can all find a way to use it as a grave learning experience and move forward with it in a positive way. 

To Sharyl Nelsen, your courage was like no other. I don’t know why you were taken so early in life, but you will never be forgotten and are truly loved and missed. You were an inspiring person and I am proud to have known and worked with you. There are no words that will every be able to express how I really feel.

With Love,

Logan August