Natural Disasters

Fanning the Flames

Hurricane Isaac: Forget Louisiana, It's Great for Missouri!

Hurricane Isaac, the storm no Republican could stop, blew across the Gulf and hit southeast Louisiana on Tuesday. By Wednesday afternoon, the winds had slowed to a mere 70 miles per hour, which prompted the National Weather Service to downgrade it to tropical storm status. Nonetheless, storm water h ... More >>

New Madrid Fault Stretches, Rolls Back Over for Another Ten Minutes Sleep

​A 4.0 earthquake within the New Madrid Seismic Zone gently shook southeast Missouri Tuesday morning at 3:58 a.m. The quake was centered about nine miles east of Sikeston, Missouri, and no damage or injuries were reported.Just ten days ago, engineers, scientists, emergency first responders and ear ... More >>

Let's Twist Again, Vicariously

Judgment Awarded Against Suspect Charity Aiding Joplin Tornado

Photo: Albert SamahaThe Joplin tornado leveled the town and killed more than 160 people.​Here's an update to a story we originally reported on back in July. Yesterday, Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster announced that his office had received a consent judgment against Puerto Rico-based charity ... More >>

Missouri Sues Dubious Charities Collecting Money for Joplin

crowdrise.com/JoplinMissouriTornadoAlivio Foundation has raised more than $9,700 online for Joplin, but where is the money?​Missouri Attorney General Chris Koster announced today that he's filed suit accusing two alleged charities of defrauding donors who thought they were helping victims of the J ... More >>

June Rainfall Could Triple St. Louis Average for Month

Area rain gauges runneth over in June.​Surprise! It's raining -- again. The National Weather Service warns that St. Louis is likely to see strong thunderstorms mixed with heavy rains throughout the day and into the evening. Today's precipitation could help triple the region's normal rainfall for J ... More >>

Documentary Will Feature Joplin Globe's Tornado Coverage

​OK, so we get that it's annoying when journalists stroke each other within their own little media bubble, but permit us one moment of congratulatory naval-gazing. Today's Post-Dispatch ran a guest editorial written by editors at The (Washington) Missourian, singing the praises of Joplin's l ... More >>

Joplin Tornado Three Weeks Later: Looters, Do-Gooders and One Giant Mess

Albert SamahaThe mangled wreckage of a red car illustrates the tornado's merciless power. The vehicle's other half was found nearly fifty yards away.​ EDITOR'S NOTE: The Riverfront Times' Albert Samaha traveled to Joplin this weekend, three weeks after the southwestern Missouri city was struck ... More >>

Dine Out at These Local Restaurants -- Help Joplin [Updated]

Sweet TomatoesSalad bar Sweet Tomatoes is just one local eatery donating to the Joplin tornado victims. ​Update: Another restaurant is the latest in the string of eateries to donate to the Joplin relief effort. This time, area Culver's (4140 Rusty Road, South St. Louis County; 314-845-0964 or ... More >>

Rare Fungal Disease the Latest Horrible Thing to Hit Joplin

image viaZygomycosis: the next horrible thing to hit Joplin.​Just when you thought things in Joplin couldn't get any more post-apocalyptic, the Huffington Post reports this morning that a rare and deadly fungus is now infecting tornado survivors. Zygomycosis happens when soil or vegetative m ... More >>

Jam for Joplin Concert to Benefit Tornado Survivors is Tonight

​In the two-and-a-half weeks since a massive tornado leveled the town of Joplin, Missouri and left over 140 people dead and scores more injured and homeless, the enormity of the event is still staggering. People across the state and beyond have banded together to help survivors with food, clot ... More >>

4.2 Magnitude Earthquakes Strikes St. Louis

A 4.2 magnitude earthquake rattled the St. Louis region around 3:10 a.m. today, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. The temblor originated near Richwoods, Missouri, (approximately 51 miles southwest of St. Louis) and could be felt as far away as Alabama. No injuries or major damage have been re ... More >>

Joplin Tornado: 600 Animals Still in Limbo

Toto's not the only dog whose life was upended by a tornado -- rescue workers in Joplin have helped 900 animals.​You can see their faces on the web site for the Joplin Humane Society: eager, sad, hopeful.They are the animals of Joplin, Missouri, displaced by the tornado that tore through town two ... More >>

Joplin Tornado Relative to St. Louis (Map)

Struggling to get a sense of the size of the Joplin tornado? Look no further. Below is a map showing the twister's path relative to St. Louis. ​As you can see, the path begins at Lindbergh Boulevard and travels east though Ladue, Clayton, Forest Park and the Central West End before ending at the r ... More >>

Final Death Tally From Joplin Tornado: 134

Mike MezuelThe tornado that tore through Joplin on May 22 killed 134 people.​It's official.There are no more residents of Joplin, Missouri, on the missing person's list. There are no human remains that haven't been accounted for. The final number of fatalities, attributed to the tornado that tore ... More >>

Elephant Aids Joplin Tornado Cleanup (Video)

The Piccadilly Circus was scheduled to perform in Joplin over the Memorial Day weekend. But that was before the May 22nd tornado destroyed the town. Still, the circus arrived in Joplin over the weekend, not to perform -- but to help with the cleanup. In this clip below, an elephant from the circus p ... More >>

Eat at Hardee's -- Help Joplin

Hardee'sEat this at Hardee's to help the victims of the Joplin tornado. ​ If you're searching for ways to donate to disaster relief efforts following the deadly tornado that ripped through Joplin on May 22, Hardee's has a couple of options -- and one involves biscuits. On Thursday, June 2, s ... More >>

Tornado Alarms Got You Down? Move to Corvallis, Washington

The Ingalls would have been better off staying in Wisconsin. And why, oh why oh, did we ever leave Ohio?​With all the flooding downstate, and the tornadoes that destroyed one wing of Lambert and almost all of the city Joplin, and the golf-ball-sized hail that pummeled parts of St. Louis yesterday, ... More >>

Tornado in Joplin, Missouri, Kills at Least 89

Not the actual tornado that struck Joplin, Missouri, yesterday afternoon -- but pretty scary, too.​So the world didn't end on Saturday. But residents of Joplin, Missouri, could have been forgiven for wondering yesterday if the apocalypse was merely a day late. A tornado ripped through the town in ... More >>

Insult to Injury? Missouri Offers Flood Victims Free Campsites

Meet your new neighbor!​Are you one of the unlucky souls who lost their home in the recent flooding? The State of Missouri is really sorry about that. In fact, they'd like to do something for you. They'd like to give you a temporary new home! A place that real-estate agents might generously descri ... More >>

Tornado Relief at Ferguson Restaurants This Friday, May 6

Jennifer SilverbergCork Wine Bar in Ferguson​Between the devastating outbreak of tornadoes in the South and this past weekend's killing of Osama bin Laden, the tornadoes that struck north county last month might seem like a distant memory.For victims of that storm, however, the need for help remai ... More >>

The "Tornado Alley" Menu: Terrible Timing or Terrible Taste

Courtesy Erin K. Thompson, Seattle Weekly​Mike Seely, former RFT staff writer and now editor of our sister paper Seattle Weekly, passes along this item from the Emerald City: 5 Spot, a restaurant that adopts the cuisine of a different region every few months, is currently featuring the foods of... ... More >>

Let's Twist Again, Vicariously

Nine Confirmed Tornadoes Touch Down Near St. Louis New Year's Eve

crh.noaa.gov​The National Weather Service has confirmed that nine twisters struck ground in and around St. Louis around mid-day December 31. The tornadoes destroyed several homes in Robertsville and Sunset Hills. In St. Louis an EF-1 twister with winds between 80 and 100 m.p.h. carved a path (righ ... More >>

Artgasm: This Weekend's Art Openings, October 29 - 31, 2010

German photographer Murat Türemis traveled to Indonesia right after the 2005 Tsunami and again in 2010 to document the progress and changes. View his black and white photographs of the devastation at the Webster University May Gallery through November 24. Find details on this event and more in the ... More >>

When the Water Recedes

For Your Next Vacation, How About Some Twister Chasing?

Yes, it's the end of September and summer vacation season is officially deader than the Cardinals' playoff hopes. But it's never too early to start planning for next year. A couple of University of Missouri professors report that Missourians who are sick of float trips and paranoid about the e coli ... More >>

Study: Region Unprepared for Massive Quake from New Madrid Fault

​A University of Illinois study released last week reports that St. Louis, Memphis and other towns near the New Madrid fault line are ill-prepared for a possible 7.7 magnitude earthquake. The study commissioned by the Federal Emergency Management Agency found that such a temblor could leave 3,500 ... More >>

Photo: Tornado Track Through Des Peres on Saturday

​It's official. The National Weather Service confirms that a tornado did touch down in Des Peres during Saturday's violent storm front that hit the St. Louis region around 4:30 p.m. April 24. According to the weather service, the twister touched down in a Des Peres subdivision and traveled northwe ... More >>

New Madrid Fault Overdue for Earthquake

​Betcha didn't know that February is Earthquake Awareness Month in Missouri. Betcha also didn't know that Missouri is overdue for a significant earthquake. Those two issues were what Governor Jay Nixon and other officials discussed last week at a meeting in the town of New Madrid, home to the faul ... More >>

Schlafly Tap Room Benefit February 24 to Aid Haitian Earthquake Victims

Though it has been six weeks since the devastating earthquake in Haiti, the situation remains dire, as rescue and recovery workers struggle to provide the most basic of assistance and services. To meet this need, individuals, organizations and corporations continue to dig deep to help fill the gaps ... More >>

St. Louis Man's Home Becomes Epicenter of Haiti Earthquake Correspondence

Photo: Emily GoodBob Corbett​When Bob Corbett woke up at 4 a.m. Wednesday he had no clue what kind of day was ahead of him.

The St. Louis native and retired Webster University professor operates a Haiti email discussion list with thousands of subscribers, and at one point, owned the largest p ... More >>

Euclid Records Starting Limited-Edition 45 RPM Singles Series, Culled from Live Performances. Steve Wynn First Performer, Art Chantry Designing Sleeve

Tremor Time Again: Did You Feel the Earth Move?

The Morning Brew: Wednesday, 6.11

Local scientists can predict the far-reaching effects of rumblers through the Earthquake Hazard Mapping Project

Yes, a 4.5 Earthquake/Aftershock Just Happened in Illinois, Was Felt in St. Louis, Missouri. Again.

In St. Louis and Illinois, a 5.2 Earthquake Wakes Us Up.

Eat for the Cause

Nature Revealed

Life After the Storm

One year later, a glimpse at New Orleans' music scene.

Critical Fatwa

Week of February 16, 2006

Big River Hurricane Relief Concert

Thursday, December 29; The Sheldon Concert Hall (3648 Washington Boulevard)

Critical Fatwa

Week of October 5, 2005

Boyle 'N' Water

Lauded writer T.C. Boyle visits Left Bank Books

ON SHAKY GROUND

The earthquake hazard here may be greater than you think. And planning for it is less than you'd expect.

Lost in the Flood

Of Wetlands and Wal-Marts

One development at a time, Missouri has lost 87 percent of its wetlands. And that means more floods, more damage, more levees, more bucks. The story of one Supercenter and how progress comes at a price.