Note: This video is from May 2011.
JOPLIN, Mo. – Almost 14 years after the deadly EF5 tornado tore through Joplin, Missouri, Netflix released a documentary Wednesday highlighting the immense impact it had on the town and its residents.
The hour-and-a-half long film, titled “The Twister: Caught in the Storm” takes viewers into the lives of several individuals on May 22, 2011.
From those who were just graduating from Joplin High School to amateur storm chasers, these stories recount the hours and minutes leading up to the development of the storm that tore through the heart of the town in southwest Missouri.
Interviews hone in Joplin citizens who took a direct hit from the tornado, meteorologists and reporters who were working to inform the public that day, and other witnesses. Additionally, the film showcases many videos from that day, filmed through cell phone or captured on surveillance footage.
“I looked up and I saw clear blue sky. We were in the eye, totally surrounded by chaos,” one survivor, Kaylee, said in the documentary.
They reflect on the moments realizations hit them before, during, and after the storm, as well as how their lives changed forever following the devastating aftermath.
The Joplin tornado marked one of the deadliest and most violent storms in modern history. More than 150 people were killed as the nearly 1-mile-wide tornado traveled over 20 miles.