| Two days after the May 22 EF5 tornado in Joplin, several of us met at a widow's house on 15th Street. The roof was missing, but almost everything remained inside. It was a shame to see most of the items had been water damaged. We filled a moving truck and some pickups with items and drove the to an empty warehouse 45 minutes away for storage. While we were there, a group of FFA students from nearby Diamond came around with work gloves and water. The scene is depicted in Out of the Wind, told through young Hailey Kelly's point of view. At the same time, Hailey knows something her dad and another of the church deacons doesn't. She knows that high school girl, Carly Simmons, has run away to try to find her boyfriend Boyd. |
It has already been three years since the EF5 tornado devastated Joplin, Missouri. We bow our heads in memory of the ones who left us on Sunday, May 22, 2011, and we pray for their families and friends. Tragedies tend to remain with us throughout our lives. May we only be made stronger in our adversities. These are some of the first images we took with cell phones on the evening following the tornado. With the strange scents in our nostrils, the mild feeling of the air, the enveloping sounds of sirens, and a tingle from within ourselves, we immediately went into action to help our neighbors, directing traffic, giving directions, and consoling the "refugees" as they emerged from the "zone".
Missed the interviews? Look what we found online:
The first interview went well. Now get up early and watch the next live interview for my book, Out of the Wind, on KSN's morning show, Local News Today. I don't drink coffee, but I will appear on the show sometime after 5:30 in the morning. |
AuthorD. Ed. Hoggatt is an award-winning fourth grade teacher. Click Titles to Order Now
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July 2017
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