Removing Joplin Tornado Debris July 4

Arianna Raymundo, quality assurance supervisor, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Sacramento District, and Jim Matthias, quality assurance specialist from the Corps' Portland District, share notes on the debris removal mission the Corps has been tasked with by FEMA after a EF-5 tornado tore through Joplin, Mo., May 22. The tornado had sustained speeds of up to 200 mph and was a case that it caused such extensive damage to the affected areas that local and state asked for the help of FEMA, which assigned the Corps with the debris management mission. The Corps has established a Recovery Field Office in Joplin, with close to 250 individuals supporting multiple missions assigned by FEMA. These are Corps workers from around the country, many with some sort of affiliation or attachment to Joplin.