A year later, Joplin is ’on the mend’

On the blank canvas left behind by last year’s tornado, new homes are slowly popping up in Joplin, Missouri. Every few blocks the buzz of power saws and the pop-pop-pop of nail guns from construction crews signal another step toward making the city whole again. "Joplin is on the mend," said Mayor Melodie Colbert-Kean. "We have a long road to travel, but the way that everyone is joining together and unifying and chipping in, we’re going to make it." A year ago, the city suffered a direct hit by a massive EF5 tornado with wind speeds over 200 mph. The May 22 twister leveled homes and businesses, killing 161 people.