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Bob Parsons is a photography/video teacher at Lansing High School, and a native of Joplin, Mo. He recently returned to Joplin and took some photos of the tornado devastation.
1, How did you feel when you found out just how destructed Joplin was?
My mom originally called me, but I didn't answer the phone because I was busy working on a project. She left me a voicemail crying about the storm. She told me that she and my father were fine, but she didn't know about my brother. At that point in time I learned my lesson about not answering phone calls. My brother worked at a local restaurant that was in the middle of the storm. It took me hours before I could get anyone on the phone. That was very nerveracking. My brother had to drive on the highway before he could get a signal. The cell towers in Joplin were completely wiped out. Luckily he was fine, but it took him several hours before he could find an open road to get home. I remember watching Weather.com's live internet feed of the aftermath, and thinking it looked straight out of a Stephen King novel. When I saw the destruction in person I felt sick. After seeing the destruction over the last two weeks I'm still having a hard time digesting it all.
2. What were some of the places you visited while you were in Joplin?
The three main locations I visited were the St. John’s Hospital, Joplin High School, and some of the local neighborhoods. While taking pictures I felt like I was in a Twilight Zone episode. On the Twilight Zone, there's an episode called the "Last Man On Earth." What I was seeing really reminded me of it. Homes were completely flattened, cars were thrown through trees, and restaurants were wiped out. It was hard navigating through the streets without street signs and familiar land marks. It looked like someone had dropped a bomb on us. There were police officers on every corner, roads were blocked off, and homeowners were looking for valuables. It looked like a war zone.
3. How badly damaged was your old neighborhood/home?
Luckily, my family lives on the outskirts of town so they weren't effected. My girlfriend’s aunt completely lost her home, and her mom/uncle lost a vehicle.
My mom works at St. John's and she's been dealing with the loss of the hospital. They're currently operating out of a large series of tents similar to the show M.A.S.H. My mom and dad have both been working around the clock because of the storm. It's been stressful for the both of them. It's been stressful for everyone.
Bob Parsons is a photography/video teacher at Lansing High School, and a native of Joplin, Mo. He recently returned to Joplin and took some photos of the tornado devastation.
1, How did you feel when you found out just how destructed Joplin was?
My mom originally called me, but I didn't answer the phone because I was busy working on a project. She left me a voicemail crying about the storm. She told me that she and my father were fine, but she didn't know about my brother. At that point in time I learned my lesson about not answering phone calls. My brother worked at a local restaurant that was in the middle of the storm. It took me hours before I could get anyone on the phone. That was very nerveracking. My brother had to drive on the highway before he could get a signal. The cell towers in Joplin were completely wiped out. Luckily he was fine, but it took him several hours before he could find an open road to get home. I remember watching Weather.com's live internet feed of the aftermath, and thinking it looked straight out of a Stephen King novel. When I saw the destruction in person I felt sick. After seeing the destruction over the last two weeks I'm still having a hard time digesting it all.
2. What were some of the places you visited while you were in Joplin?
The three main locations I visited were the St. John’s Hospital, Joplin High School, and some of the local neighborhoods. While taking pictures I felt like I was in a Twilight Zone episode. On the Twilight Zone, there's an episode called the "Last Man On Earth." What I was seeing really reminded me of it. Homes were completely flattened, cars were thrown through trees, and restaurants were wiped out. It was hard navigating through the streets without street signs and familiar land marks. It looked like someone had dropped a bomb on us. There were police officers on every corner, roads were blocked off, and homeowners were looking for valuables. It looked like a war zone.
3. How badly damaged was your old neighborhood/home?
Luckily, my family lives on the outskirts of town so they weren't effected. My girlfriend’s aunt completely lost her home, and her mom/uncle lost a vehicle.
My mom works at St. John's and she's been dealing with the loss of the hospital. They're currently operating out of a large series of tents similar to the show M.A.S.H. My mom and dad have both been working around the clock because of the storm. It's been stressful for the both of them. It's been stressful for everyone.
4. What exactly were you trying to capture in your pictures?
I was trying to capture a "feeling/emotion." The rubble is absolutely heartbreaking, but the American flags that have been placed around town give you a sense of hope. When I was driving around town I saw a house almost completely flattened. Outside this house were two chairs sitting side by side. I thought it really personified the entire relief effort. The Joplin people have done a fantastic job making sure nobody feels like they're alone in this. Volunteers are offering water/food on every corner. I believe everyone who wants help is getting it. I heard that even Brad Pitt donated $500,000.
5. Was there any particular images you remember seeing that were shocking?
Everything was shocking, and I'm still shocked, but I will say that I was most surprised by the smell. It caught me completely off guard. Many homes have broken sewage and gas lines. When you have thousands of homes with similar issues, and people are burning rubble it's absolutely toxic. I applaud every single person who has volunteered for the relief effort. They are much stronger than I.
I would like to share a disturbing story. According to my brother, a local police officer mentioned to him that a local sporting goods store had a large percentage of it's guns stolen. He said whomever stole the weapons had to have crawled over numerous dead bodies to collect them. Last week I was trying to sell a laptop on Craiglist and I was offered a brand new AR-15 for it. It makes you wonder if these stolen weapons are being circulated. The amount of people looting during this crisis has been heavily overlooked.
– Mika Cummins
