In Joplin, Missouri, 'telephone poles snapped like match sticks'
The storm snapped trees and telephone poles and flipped over cars.
May 23rd, 2011
11:38 AM ET

In Joplin, Missouri, 'telephone poles snapped like match sticks'

Editor's note: CNN producer Eric Marrapodi was on the ground in Joplin, Missouri, when the weather took another nasty turn Monday morning. Here's what he's seeing and witnessing as the sun comes up, but the storms keep coming.

It smells like fresh-cut lumber in Joplin, Missouri. It's the telephone poles, snapped like matchsticks.

We are taking cover in our live truck after the heavens opened up. There's a leak in the roof, but it's mostly dry.

As lightning pops and thunder booms, you can see the locals flinch. It's likely too close for comfort after they lost 89 neighbors to a half-mile wide twister.

The beating rain will wash away some of the dirt kicked up, but it won't unbend the basketball backboard that went from vertical to horizontal during the tornado.

I still can't figure out how the wicker chair got under the car that's under the snapped telephone pole.

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Filed under: Joplin • Missouri • On the Ground • Tornadoes • Weather
soundoff (27 Responses)
  1. Name*Scott Perry

    You know what surprises me most? You freaks talking your nonsense I find it hard to believe you found yourselves at the end of this column in the first place!

    May 24, 2011 at 4:36 am | Report abuse |
  2. beknoca

    How do you clean up from this? It seems near impossible. I just can imagine how major clean up is done. I've never lived in an area that's been hit so I haven't seen a disaster to rebuild process.

    May 24, 2011 at 7:44 am | Report abuse |
  3. JuliaYork

    PLEASE reassign Brooke Baldwin to a country office. She is not representative of real news reporting. She tries to be too casual and her voice is trying to copy Ivanka Trump. Give us a break!! I really want serious reporting at my lunch hour. We just viewed a very sophicated toast to the Queen of England by President Obama. Only to be followed by another ignorant remark by Brooke Balwin..."I know you all want to know what they were eating for lunch." Well, NO Brooke we are not all brainless bimbos like you. PLEASE take her away...she is the poor image of reporting that drives people away from CNN news.

    May 24, 2011 at 4:11 pm | Report abuse |
  4. Observer1290

    Obama shut down the weather forecasting satellites that could have warned of this disaster.
    Obama is either a liar or insane.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vsf2NvF2gxs

    May 30, 2011 at 1:58 pm | Report abuse |
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