Joplin tornado survivors experience PTSD Share Updated: 5:47 PM CDT May 18, 2021 Share Updated: 5:47 PM CDT May 18, 2021 Hide Transcript Show Transcript HAPPENED. I REMEMBER COMING DOWN HE AREND RIGHATT THE BOTTOM OF THE HILL WAS THE HELICOPTER. JUST LAYING ON ITS SIDE ON THE GROUND AND EVERY WINDOW WAS BLOWN OUT. IT WAS ACTUALLY MOVED OFF ITS FOUNDATION. SO HOSPITAL WAS MOVED OFF. ITS OFF ITS FOUNDATION. AHYE A HOSPITAL, WHICH IS CRAZY THE CONDITION OF JOPLIN AFTER THE SINGLE MOST DESTRUCTIVE TORNADO IN US HISTORY WAS ESSENTIALLY TTHA OF A WAR ZONE IT LOOKED LIKE A NUCLEAR BOMB. AND IT REALLY DID THERE WAS. NOTHING LEFT AS A RESULT IN THE WEEKS AND YEARS FOLLOWING THE TORNADO PTSD BAMEEC EREXTMELY COMMON AMONGST RESIDENTS AND FIRST RESPONDERS SAYSOP JLIN CHIEF METEOROLOGIST, DOUG HEDY PEOPLE WHO SAW THAT WTEN THROUGH THAT HEARD THE SCREAMS IT IT’S ABSOLUTELY AWFUL. THE STRUGGLE WAS JUST AS REAL FOR DOUG. HIS BRAIN WENT INTO OVERDRIVE. I HAD SEVERAL YEARS OF COUNSELING AFTERWARD BECAUSE I CONSTANTLY WOULD THINK OF MY HEAD. IF I WOULD HAVE DONE THIS, YOU KNOW MORE PEOPLE WERE TO SURVIVED DOUG WAS ONHE TIR A BEFORE THE TORNADO ENTERED JOPLIN’S CITY LIMITS. GOOD EVENING, EVERYONE. MISS DGOU HAD H ON OUR TORNADO WARNING IN WESRNTE PARTS OF JASPER COUNTY. THIS IS NOW A CONFIRMED TORNADO ON THE GROUND. THAT COULD BE IT RIGHT NOW RIGHT THERE. IT’S RAIN WRAPPED, BUT FOR MANY RESIDENTS THERE WAS LITERALLY NO SAFE PLACE TO GO. THERE WAS NOTHING LEFT BESIDES. YOU KWNO SOME CEMENT THAT’S IT. IT WAS A IT WAS AWFUL THE ENTIRE CITY IN THE MORNINGS WOULD GO DOWN INTO THE GROUND ZERO AND START DIGGING AND IN THE WEEKS THAT FOLLOWED REBUILDING REALLY EVERY MAJOR BUSINESWASS OPEN WITHIN A YEAR WITHIN THREE OR FOUR YEARSF O THE TNAORDO THE ENTIRE PATH. WAS ALREADY REBUILT IT WLEHI HE SAYS SOME EMOTIONAL SCARS REMAIN EVEN WITHIN THE KOAM NEWSROOM WHERE DOUG WORKS OUR MAIN ANCHOR THE ONE THAT TOOK, YOU KNOW WAS INT I AND FLEW A COUPLE HUNDRED YARDS. YOU CAN’T YOU CAN'’ MAKE ANY KIND OF JOKES OR ANYTHING. HE GETS REAL SERIOUS REAL QUICK FOR BETTER OR WORSE LESSONS WERE LEARNED AND I NEVER TAKE MY FOOT OFF THE PEDAL. I’M ACTING LIKE THE WORST THING COULD POSSIBLY HAPPEN TO SYTA ON TOP OF IT IN THAT SENSE OF PURPOSE. EXTESND BEYOND THE KOAM WEATHER CENTER. I’VE ALWAYS FELT LIKE THERE WAS A REASON I WAS SUPPOSED TO BE HERE AND I FEEL LIKE THERE’S STILL MORE TO COME TNHA I’M SUPPOSED TO DO. TO HELP THIS COMMUNITY OUT. AND TODAY NEARLY 10 YEARS AFTER THE STORM STRUCK. IT’S ALMOST IMPOSSIBLE TO EVEN ESE THE SIGNS OF THE TORNADO BRANDON PAGE THAT SPEAKS. IT TLYRU DOES TO THE GREAT JOB