Massive debris removable from a deadly EF5 tornado that destroyed a third of Joplin, Mo., is about 96 percent complete. Gov. Jay Nixon announced a $4 million grant from the state to the city of Joplin to help finish the job of removing debris.
Statistics show just how huge the scale of destruction in Joplin. Around 1.5 million cubic yards of debris have been removed from just over 6,500 residential and 1,100 commercial properties. Of those, about 200 properties have yet to be demolished and nearly 1,300 concrete foundations and slabs must be removed in order for rebuilding to move forward.
The money is in addition to the nearly $200 million already set aside by the state to help Joplin rebuild. Funding includes help for homeowners as well as businesses.
Some of the commercial properties damaged include several day care centers. KYTV out of Springfield reports parents who are working in Joplin are having difficulty finding day care facilities for their young children.
Nearly 2,000 slots for day care centers in Joplin existed before the storm. Now there is just enough room for 795. The reason is that many day cares were destroyed while some day care providers simply moved away. The number of providers in the city dropped from 84 to 44. Parents heading back to work is a good thing. A shortage of viable day care workers isn't the best situation.
It all adds up to a slow but steady rebuilding process for the city of 50,000 people. Schools have returned for fall semesters. Parents and kids alike are getting into normal routines of work, school and play. Some places have already been rebuilt while other homes and businesses are taking longer than expected.
The tornado struck May 22. It has been nearly four months since the devastation and life is still trying to get back to normal. It doesn't help that these are lean economic times with jobs hard to find. While FEMA is still trying to take care of Joplin residents, Congress has been in turmoil as to the amount of funding for the federal disaster agency.
Healing from such a large wound takes time, no matter if it is a physical hole in your community or a tragic loss of life. Joplin has been resilient and the city will rebuild. Thanks to the activity of Nixon's office, Joplin now has another leg to stand on as it tries to get back to normal.
William Browning, a lifelong Missouri resident, writes about local and state issues for the Yahoo! Contributor Network. Born in St. Louis, Browning earned his bachelor's degree in English from the University of Missouri. He currently resides in Branson.
piccolo dema dema charlotte nc charlotte nc 311 ben bernanke
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.