Emergency communication system
161 people were killed and at least 990 injured when an EF5 multiple-vortex tornado hit Joplin, Missouri. Because Joplin is located in a tornado-heavy area of the country, many people considered the tornado sirens routine and ignored them. Instead, many residents waited until they received confirmation from another, non-routine, source, such as seeing the tornado, a radio or TV report, or hearing a second siren. In the aftermath, an assessment team recommended that emergency warnings take risk perception into account to convey a sense of urgency. NOAA Officials are considering ways to change the warning system to distinguish smaller tornadoes from more deadly ones.
Chip Gubera
In 2011, Gubera's home town of Joplin, Missouri, was destroyed by a massive tornado. He documented the event with a feature documentary called "Joplin, Missouri - A Tornado Story". The film was narrated by Cost to Cost AM radio host George Noory. The film picked up a number of honors including winning Best Feature Documentary at the 2012 St. Louis Filmmaker's Showcase and being nominated for a 2013 Mid-America Emmy.