The true story behind The Twister: Caught in the Storm – What really happened in Joplin?

Now with the 14th anniversary of the devastating tornado approaching, what really happened in Joplin that day?

Read on to learn more about the tornado that is unpacked in new Netflix documentary Twister: Caught in the Storm.

What happened in Joplin?

The Joplin tornado is also known as one of the deadliest twisters in American history.

In May 2011, a rare EF5 mile-wide tornado tore through Joplin in Missouri. There had been a number of tornados in that month across the Midwestern and Southern regions of the US prior to the devastating natural disaster.

The tornado damaged nearly 8,000 buildings and destroyed over 4,000. This included one of Joplin's two hospitals and much of its infrastructure, including homes and schools.

It wasn't just the city that encountered such devastation, with the tornado causing 158 deaths and over 1,000 injuries.

What is Joplin like now?

It took years for Joplin to recover to what it once was, with a state of emergency declared in the area in an effort to recover and rebuild it.

Following the storm, over 100,000 people volunteered, with five homes rebuilt on average every week, as per People.

The city's high school reopened in time for the 2014 school year and the St John's Regional Medical Center opened in 2015.

As of 2019, Joplin's population is larger than it was before the tornado struck.

The Twister: Caught in the Storm is available to watch on Netflix now. Sign up for Netflix from £5.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.

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