Netflix Documentary Explores Joplin Tornado, Deadliest in Recent US History

Miami Herald

01-04-2025

Netflix's latest documentary The Twister: Caught in the Storm, turns a powerful lens on the 2011 tornado that devastated Joplin, Missouri-revisiting the deadliest tornado in modern American history. The EF-5 twister, which tore through the heart of the city on May 22, 2011, killed at least 158 people, injured more than 1,000, and displaced over 9,000 in a community that had little time to prepare for the destruction.
The new film arrives as Joplin reflects on recovery efforts over the past 14 years, underscoring the resilience of a town that saw a third of its buildings destroyed. With extensive footage and firsthand accounts, the documentary explores not just the force of nature, but the human stories behind the headlines.
The 2011 Joplin tornado reshaped how emergency managers across the country issue tornado warnings because it revealed critical gaps in both public communication and behavioral response.
According to a National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) study cited by Weather.com, despite a 17-minute lead time from the National Weather Service's warning, many residents delayed taking shelter because the tornado was rain-wrapped and did not resemble the classic funnel shape. This visual ambiguity, combined with public confusion over warning messages, led to what experts later identified as "confirmation delay"-a dangerous tendency to wait for additional cues before taking action.
"Warnings aren't enough when it comes to violent tornadoes," Greg Forbes, former severe weather expert at The Weather Channel, told Weather.com. "Homes are no match for a violent tornado."
In response to these failures, emergency managers nationwide began reassessing how warnings are disseminated, placing more focus on behavioral science to ensure that alerts not only reach people but also spur immediate, life-saving action.
Netflix's The Twister: Caught in the Storm uses both archival footage and new interviews to document the tornado's path and its impact.
The storm carved a path nearly a mile wide and six miles long through Joplin. According to TheGuardian, it destroyed 4,000 homes and more than 500 businesses. The documentary revisits these numbers with visual evidence and survivor accounts, giving fresh gravity to statistics that once stunned the nation.
In the aftermath, federal and state agencies coordinated the delivery of more than $2 billion in aid and recovery funds. The response became a benchmark for subsequent disaster planning across the Midwest.
Joplin remains one of the largest cities in southwest Missouri, although its size is modest compared to other urban centers.
It is located in the southwestern corner of Missouri and serves as a regional hub for commerce and healthcare. At the time of the tornado, Joplin's population was around 50,000. As of 2024, the U.S. Census Bureau reports that the town has grown by 6 percent or to 53,095 at last estimates. Despite the population rebound, scars from the storm remain visible both physically and emotionally across the city.
What Time Did the 2011 Joplin Tornado Hit?
The tornado touched down around 5:30 p.m. local time on Sunday, May 22, 2011. It formed just outside of Joplin and quickly intensified as it entered the city limits. According to reports cited by USA Today, the tornado reached its peak intensity within minutes and continued for about 48 minutes before dissipating.
According to the NOAA, the tornado directly killed 158 people, but USA Today reports that it also caused "indirect deaths" that bring the total number of fatalities to around 162.
It was the deadliest single tornado in U.S. history since modern record-keeping began, according to the National Weather Service. The death toll was exacerbated by the tornado's path through densely populated neighborhoods and a busy commercial corridor. According to the Associated Press (AP), emergency workers and local volunteers pulled victims from the wreckage for days, with some of the dead found far from where they had last been seen.
Just before the tornado touched down, 445 graduates of Joplin High School had just completed their graduation ceremony and had to scurry to find cover. The celebratory day was cut short as many students were impacted by the tornado.
Will Norton, 18, had just left his high school graduation when it struck. As he rode in his family's SUV, he was pulled out through the sunroof despite his father's attempts to hold on. His body was found five days later in a pond nearby, reported the AP.
More than 1,000 people were injured, and entire families were affected.
The 2011 tornado was also one of just a few rated E-5 ever recorded, with winds estimated at over 200 miles per hour, reported the AP.
The event reshaped how emergency managers across the country issue tornado warnings, as the Joplin tornado highlighted failures in public communication systems and the public's response to warnings.
Then-principal of Joplin High School Kerry Sachetta told AP on the evening of May 22, 2011: "You see pictures of World War II, the devastation and all that with the bombing-that's really what it looked like."
Director of 'The Twister: Caught in the Storm' Alexandra Lacey posted to Instagram: "Thank you again to the community of Joplin and the young contributors who have shared their stories with such authenticity and bravery."
As the anniversary of the tornado approaches, the film is expected to serve both as historical documentation and a call to continued vigilance in communities vulnerable to extreme weather.
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