Perhaps an unnecessarily masochistic exercise, but it helps me put things in perspective.

I just superimposed a 1 mile by 6 mile to scale rectangle over a map of my area of town to get to grips with the scope of the tragedy in Joplin, MO.

Community College - gone
Zoo - gone
Elementary School - gone
Another elementary school - gone
Public Library - gone

Major Stores:
* Target
* Walmart
* Publix
* Home Depot

All gone.

Residential Homes:
Without exaggeration, in the 1000s - gone

Amazingly no hospital in the area I covered, but shift the rectangle in any direction and one is easily added to the devastation.

Any politician who uses the ravages of a national disaster to make points about fiscal policy has a fundamentally flawed personality and is not fit to serve.

It is like a nuclear war zone. We had four tornadoes touch down in N.E. PA yesterday, but they were NOTHING compared to Joplin - sparklers next to a roman candle. I've seen several stories that claimed it was the most devastating tornado in US history and I believe it. What's really pissy is that people are sending boxes of used clothing with stained underwear and socks with holes in them. People who just lost their homes and possibly loved ones don't want someone's stanky undies. That would just add insult to injury. Fortunately, the people taking in the donations are filtering that crap out.

I know you used your own area so the stores aren't from Joplin, but I have a low opinion of WalMart, Home Depot and Target. As for the hospital, as I understand it Joplin DID lose one. It was deemed unsafe and they had to evacuate all of the patients. There's been so much in the news about the tornadoes that I'm not sure exactly where I saw that. I know the death toll is catastrophic (1500 are still missing), but frankly I'm amazed that people were able to seek shelter and that there weren't more deaths. I haven't seen much about the warning system, but it must be effective.

Walmart, Home Depot and Target decided to close up shop and move out of my town. They just happened to be where I plopped down the rectangle. I could just as easily have dropped it on another area of town that included an historic downtown area and major hospital. Random and creepy.

The story of the hospital in Joplin is a particularly scary and sad one.

Your comments about the donations reminded me of the relief effort I coordinated for Hurricane Katrina between my church and one in Galveston. I was one of the ones sorting through the clothing donations and it is probably one of the few times in my life I was almost overcome with rage. It really is nasty what some people think is an appropriate donation to people who have lost almost everything.