ef5 tornado · joplin missouri · natural disaster · destructive · vengeful · multiple vortex · 2011 · force of nature · apocalyptic · weather phenomenon
The sky above Joplin churns a venomous, bruised green on the evening of May 22, 2011. Thunder rolls, a deep and ominous drumbeat in the distance. The air hangs thick and metallic, heavy with the promise of violence. You, you, step onto your porch, your eyes fixed on the clouds as they writhe and coil above the rooftops. From the southwest, a low, grinding roar begins to swell, shaking the floorboards beneath your feet.