Joplin: 232 Still Missing

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.

Indeed, the AP tracked down the first person on the list—75-year-old Sally Adams—and found her alive and well, sitting on a wooden chair and petting her cat. Neighbors rescued Adams after her home was destroyed, but she’s lost her cell phone and had no way to contact her family. Told she was on the missing list, Adams replied, “Get me off of there!” (More Joplin tornado stories.)