Three days after the Joplin tornado struck, we made a pilgrimage to the damaged downtown area. What we witnessed changed us forever. The outpouring of well-organized help and volunteer initiative blew us away. This is what the town looked like then. I heard yesterday from a women who is selling birdhouses constructed of Joplin debris (20% going to the Salvation Army), that the area you see in these pictures is almost completely cleaned up and reconstruction well underway.
