Joplin Missouri Tornado report.
When I got on the internet this morning and started to check email that had not been looked at since Sunday I found 2 emails from Active Rain. They were inquiries about my well being from AR members whom I have never met.
My initial reaction was surprise but it should not been. This is a very caring community and I want everyone to know it. In fact, our whole real estate community is very caring of one another.
As I wrote my reply to the first email from Lynda I thought I should post it on Active Rain for all to see. So below is my answer to Lynda and Emily. I want to thank you for your thoughts and prayers.
Lynda:
I appreciate your email. My immedate family is all fine. All of the agents at our Keller Williams office are alive. Several totally lost their homes and a lot of their homes were severely damaged.
One agent is in the hospital and his son is missing. (Will Norton who has made national news was on the way home from his high school graduation, in the car with his dad and was sucked out of the car thru the sun roof. Don't know if he is in an area hospital unidentified. We are all praying!!)
Pictures don't even begin to describe the scene here. I can not even drive to the office without crying. Saying that neighborhoods are flattened is no exageration!! At times you need a GPS to know where you are. All landmarks are gone.
As they check houses for trapped residents, they are spray painting a large X on the outside to show that it has been checked. (That is if there is a standing wall to spray)
The response for help has been overwhelming. Yesterday our board of realtors was set up with over 5000 pairs of shoes donated from another board in Missouri. People were picking out shoes and we were handing out toiletries, paper towels, blankets, bottled water, etc.
And of course we are all scrambling to find any listing that can be rented. We have all been on the phone for the last 2 days looking for places for people to stay. (Now that our cell phones will work again. The first 2 days all we could do was text.)
Our office was not damaged but 2 real estate offices were destroyed. We have all services back except internet at our office.
Our office has had a closed Facebook page for just our agents for sometime. I don't know what we would have done without it. From the beginning, people started checking in and also reporting on others they had talked to. It only took us one day to get everyone in our office accounted for.
It has been a place to post what we are needing for clients all the way from warehouses and office space to housing. If you don't have one set up at your office, you need to do so now. You never know when you will need it. With all the smart phones, we were all able to access it for info even without internet or phone service.
Again, I thank you for your inquiry. I am sure you did not expect this long disertation for a reply but I got started writing and could not stop. I am sorry it took so long to answer you but I have just looked at my email for the first time. It took a while to get power and internet services back. I have all of that here at home now.
Barbara Calwhite, GRI
Keller Williams of Southwest Missouri
Cell: 417-438-7387
Direct Line: 417-659-7556
-------- Original Message --------
Subject: are you okay in Joplin? (Sent via Activerain)
From: "Orange Co. Real Estate~Lynda Eisenmann, Broker-Owner,
CRS,GRI,SRES, Brea, CA" <Lynda@PreferredHomeBrokers.com>
Date: Mon, May 23, 2011 8:49 pm
To: "Barbara Calwhite, Specializing in Relocation"
<Barbara@BarbaraCalwhite.com>
You've received a contact message from your Contact Form on the ActiveRain network.
Message details:
From: Orange Co. Real Estate~Lynda Eisenmann, Broker-Owner, CRS,GRI,SRES, Brea, CA
Email: Lynda@PreferredHomeBrokers.com
Subject: are you okay in Joplin? (Sent via Activerain)Hi Barbra, I found you on AR and I'm so worried about all of you there. Are you okay, I've been watching the news (from my home in Southern Cal) and it's hearbreaking seeing the devastation. I hope you and your family are okay.
My best, Lynda EisenmannYou've received a contact message from your Contact Form on the ActiveRain network.
Message details:
From: Emily Medvec ~ Santa Fe NM | CRS SRES | 505-660-4541
Email: emilymedvec@gmail.com
Subject: Hope you all KW team OK (Sent via Activerain)Hi Barbara, I hope this finds you ok given what I just saw on the news. Still hard to comprehend. Reaching out to let you know your community is in my prayers.
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