Lethal Fungus Compounds Joplin Misery

FindWillNorton Facebook page had attracted national attention

(NEWSER) - A charismatic Joplin teenager whose disappearance in Sunday's tornado captured national attention has been found dead, reports CNN. Will Norton was driving home from his high school graduation with his father when the violent storm snapped his seat belt and pulled him through the sunroof of his Hummer H3. His body was found in a pond nearby. More»

Liquid chemicals, asbestos, burning pollutants all threats of disaster cleanup

(AP) - As residents confront a gigantic cleanup following the tornado that savaged Joplin, environmental dangers could lurk amid the mountains of debris, and even in the water and air. But EPA teams are saying the damage could’ve been much worse—they’ve turned up no serious pollution issues in the first week, although the search is continuing, a spokesman said. Damage from tornadoes, like floods and hurricanes, often goes beyond what is readily visible; liquid fuels and chemicals can leak from ruptured containers and contaminate groundwater, ruined buildings may contain asbestos, and fires generate deadly smoke containing soot, dioxins, and other pollutants. More»

For one thing, don't open the windows

(NEWSER) - The tornadoes that have rampaged through the South and Midwest this year didn't need to be as devastating as they were: NPR talks to experts and finds that an ounce of prevention can make the difference between life and death, even when 200mph-winds are involved. Some things you can do:

• Have a plan: The truly prepared in tornado-prone areas have steel- or concrete-walled tornado shelters to protect from things like two-by-fours that become missiles as a tornado shreds a house. Even if you're not going to install a shelter, at least plan your course of action before the winds start howling.

Powerful pair of tornadoes rip through Central Massachusetts

(AP) - Central and western Massachusetts today surveyed the widespread damage after at least two late-afternoon tornadoes shocked emergency officials with their violence and caused the state's first tornado-related deaths in 16 years. Sens. John Kerry and Scott Brown joined Gov. Deval Patrick on a helicopter tour of the damaged areas, including Springfield, the state's third-largest city. Kerry said it looked like a "blast zone" and was confident that federal disaster aid would be forthcoming, particularly because of damage to businesses. More»

But first woman on the list still alive

(NEWSER) - Joplin officials have released a list of 232 people still unaccounted for in the wake of the deadliest tornado ever recorded in the US. Search and rescue teams haven’t found any new survivors of the disaster since Tuesday, but Joplin officials tell the AP that they don’t think everyone on the list is dead—they suspect many have simply been cut off from communicating with their families because of still-spotty cell phone reception. More»