A tornado hit Joplin, Missouri on May 22, 2011 at approximately 5:40 pm. With a population of approximately 50,559, it killed 161 people and injured approximately 1,100. The estimated cost in damages was $2.8 billion. American taxpayers had to donate about $500 million in recovery money. This made it the deadliest tornado since 1950, when modern record-keeping began. Since it was an EF5 tornado, it destroyed everything in its path. The city was destroyed and only piles of debris remained. It was half a mile wide when it hit Joplin and grew to three-quarters of a mile. It destroyed nearly 7,000 homes in Joplin and damaged hundreds more. It covered over 1,800 acres of land. The warnings Joplin residents received came in three different ways. The tornado warning issued for Joplin County came from the Jasper County Emergency Operations Center (JCEOC) and they say the first siren sounded at 5:11 p.m. Two other warnings for Joplin residents were that they saw the tornado heading in their direction and the media coverage, which was all local electronic media, switched to wall-to-wall coverage seeing live footage of the tornado. The reasons why there was such a high number The number of victims was due to the magnitude of the tornado, its path through a densely populated area, the desensitized attitude of people towards tornado warnings, the lack of facilities of safety and to the error of the National Weather Service. First, the magnitude was so large that it swept away everything in its path. Winds from EF5 tornadoes exceed 200 mph and are deadly. Second, Joplin has thousands of residents and could have killed many people. Third, people didn't react to the first siren that went off because they were... middle of paper... inside the house and in safe rooms on the grounds. These are only made of steel or concrete and give them a better chance of surviving these deadly tornadoes. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) gives grants to some states to build one. They give $3,000 to $5,000 in funds to build them so everyone can go safely in the comfort of their own home. Overall, Joplin was heavily affected by this massive tornado. Some warnings were sent out but there were problems, however many changes were made today because of that tornado, such as adding safe rooms to homes in Joplin. Additionally, the area's recovery has changed the city thanks to the thousands of people who contributed. All these factors changed Joplin and the tornado that struck on May 22, 2011 is one of the largest ever recorded in the history of the United States