The Daily Journal from Franklin, Indiana • Page 6

JOPLIN, Mo. Rescue and recovery work in Joplin was shadowed by uncertainty Wednesday as crews still hoping to find survivors combed areas that had already been searched several times and engineers entered the battered Joplin hospital where the tornado killed five to see if it could be salvaged. The death toll has reached at least 122, with 750 people hurt, from a mighty twister that the National Weather Service said was an EF5, the strongest rating assigned to tornadoes, with winds of more than 200 mph. But officials in the southwest Missouri city of 50,000 people said they still hope to find more survivors after two people were rescued from the rubble Tuesday. are still in a search-and- rescue said Mark Rohr, city manager.

want to emphasize Tornadoes killed 14 in three states overnight, and warning sirens had residents ducking for cover before the storm brushed past without serious problems. Rescue and recovery work continued Wednesday as more storms rolled into the area. An eerie sense of calm gripped the streets, as police required residents and workers to have city- issued permits in order to drive in damaged areas. Residents began lining up at dawn for the permits, with some waiting for hours. Hospital transport worker John Brewer sat on his porch on largely deserted 18th Street, blocks from one of the hardest hit areas, as his 7-year-old daughter Shashanah rode her bicycle on the sidewalk.

The tornado destroyed company van, but his home, while damaged, was largely intact. just kick back and go on with he said. Officials at St. Regional Medical Center sent structural engineers into the nine-story building hit squarely by the twister to see whether it could be saved. truly was like a bomb went off almost on every chief executive Gary Pulsipher said.

Lynn Britton, president and chief executive of Sisters of Mercy Health Systems, praised the efforts by staff and others who helped in the aftermath and said a temporary hospital would be running near the site by Sunday. Patient information was safe after the hospital moved from paper to electronic records in May. Social networks were the tool of choice for many people trying to track the missing or to let their loved ones know they were OK. Several online efforts have focused on Will Norton, a teenager who vanished on his way home from his high school graduation ceremony. Norton was driving with his father, Mark Norton, when the storm hit his Hummer H3.

The vehicle flipped several times, and Will was thrown from it, likely through the sunroof. Sara Norton was on the phone with her father as the two drove home. Mark Norton asked her to open the garage door so Mark and Will could get inside quickly. But the two never made it. Mark Norton tried to grab his son, but the storm was too strong.

He was hospitalized Tuesday, seriously hurt but still able to talk to his family about what happened. NEWS DAILY JOURNAL, JOHNSON COUNTY, IND. THURSDAY, MAY 26, 2011 A6 Be the to see the newest community to serveGreenwood area seniors! Tour our community, and get a chance to meet our exceptional staff. Enjoy dinner catered by one of our favorite local eateries, Kitchen Entertainment will be provided by The Chicken Bone Band Come join the fun and be entered in a drawing to win an i-Pad and TV RSVPs appreciated by not necessary. Friday, June 3rd from 5-7pm Community Open House at Greenwood Meadows Greenwood EADOWS NEW ENERGY WELLNESS, MOVING FORWARD REHABILITATION, MEMORY CARE, SKILLED NURSING SERVICES, LONGTERM CARE, HOSPICE, RESPITE 1200 N.

State Rd. 135 Greenwood, IN 46142 317-300-2200 www.AmericanSrCommunities.com CMG111379 AMERICAN LEGION Franklin Post 205 317.738.9934 American Legion opens at 2:00 p.m. Please call for more information. Dinner Specials Friday May 27th Combination Seafood Dinner $9.00 Friday May 27th Karaoke 8 p.m. 12 a.m.

Lic: 123410 Veterans Biscuit Gravy Breakfast Saturday, May 28 from 7:30 10:30 am. Veterans free, guests $5.00 donation to DAV Van project. Friday June 3 Baked Cube Steak $8.00 Annual Memorial Day Program Monday, May 30 11:00 am at the Court House Pitch-in picnic at Noon at the Legion Storms bring more twisters; 14 dead Amid search, Missouri city turns attention to rebuilding PIEDMONT, Okla. When three tornadoes moved toward Oklahoma City and its suburbs late Tuesday, thousands of people in the path benefited from good forecasts, luck and live television to avoid the kind of catastrophe that befell Tuscaloosa, and Joplin, Mo. Even though 14 people died in the most recent round of violent weather, schools and offices closed early, giving many families plenty of time to take shelter.

And even stragglers were able to get to safety at the last minute because TV forecasters narrated the every turn. live in Oklahoma and we mess Lori Jenkins of Guthrie said after emerging from a storm shelter to find her carport crumpled and her home damaged. The people of Oklahoma City, which has been struck by more tornadoes than any other U.S. city, knew the storms were coming. Anxiety was perhaps running higher than usual after last twister outbreak in the South that killed more than 300 people and a Sunday storm that killed at least 122 in Joplin.

The Oklahoma twisters proved to be weaker than the other torna- does. But the minute-by-minute accounts of the developing weather helped thousands of people stay abreast of the danger. Television helicopters broadcast live footage while the system approached the metropolitan area of 1.2 million people calling out to specific communities like Piedmont to cover In Guthrie, about 30 miles north of the capital city, Ron Brooks was watching when he learned that a tornado was barrel- ing toward him. He heeded the warning, scooped up his two children and took cover with his wife in their laundry room. they told us to get into the shelter or interior room, we did Brooks said.

first year I moved to Oklahoma, in 1997, I saw a funnel drop out of a wall cloud. seeing one, always taken it pretty He emerged 20 minutes later, relieved to learn that the tornado passed just north of his home. A few other storms were reported in Indiana, St. Louis and Illinois on Wednesday. Back in Oklahoma City, broadcasters offered live coverage of the storms for two hours before the bad weather actually hit around the evening rush hour.

But across the border in Arkansas, people in the tiny hamlet of Denning have such a luxury. A tornado killed at least one person there. Storms left three others dead elsewhere in Arkansas and killed two in Kansas. The storms arrived in Denning in the darkness, with a warning posted only about 10 minutes before a tornado nearly obliterated the town of 270 shortly after midnight. Troy Ellison even have that much time.

He was watching a movie in his mobile home when he switched on the TV news. The tornado was four minutes away. were going to take the work truck and get Ellison said. looked out the back door with my son and it was He dove under the kitchen table with his wife and two sons just before the tornado hit. got that growling sound and the windows he said.

The tornado ripped the roof off his home and collapsed his work- shop next door. Somehow, the family escaped unharmed. Then Ellison went outside and saw the family dog, Jager, his paws splayed out on the ground. The animal like someone stepped on Ellison assumed he was dead. But the dog, a pit bull-boxer mix, turned out to be fine.

By Wednesday, he was prancing around in the sun as the Ellisons moved belongings out of their home. must have known to stay low to the Ellison said. Oklahoma City has been hit by tornadoes 146 times, according to the federal Storm Prediction Center. That history brings respect for severe storms and a simple rule for people who find themselves in a path: Get out of the way or get underground. think Oklahomans, simply because around it so much, take very seriously the threat of severe weather.

something we live with said Michelann Ooten, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Emergency Management. have a genuine respect for the severe weather Part of that comes from learning to deal with bad weather at a young age, Ooten said. The Associated Press The Associated Press JOPLIN TORNADO People killed: 122 People hurt: At least 750 People rescued: Nine Buildings destroyed: About 8,000 About the tornado: Deadliest single tornado since 1950; National Weather Service rated the storm an EF5, the highest rating based on inflicted damage. AP PHOTO An El Reno, resident tries to find anything to salvage among the rubble left behind after a tornado destroyed his home Tuesday night. The dangerous storms arrived Tuesday night and early Wednesday, just days after a massive tornado tore up the southwest Missouri city of Joplin.

WASHINGTON Senate votes down House budget proposal The Democratic-run Senate on Wednesday rejected a House budget plan that included a controversial provision to overhaul Medicare and also unanimously voted down President Barack 2012 budget proposal. The House budget measure had been expected to fail in the Senate due to overwhelming opposition by majority Democrats, plus wavering support for its Medicare overhaul among Republicans. The Senate GOP has recognized the unpopularity with senior citizens enrolled in the government-run health insurance program. Senate Democrats forced vote in order to make Senate Republicans go on record in support of the Medicare overhaul. The final vote was 57-40 against the measure.

BRIEF NATION INDIANAPOLIS Planned Parenthood extends care to mid-June Planned Parenthood of Indiana said it will continue serving Medicaid patients through at least June 15 after receiving more than $100,000 in donations from 46 states and several countries. The organization said donors are responding to a new Indiana law cutting off much of its public funding. Planned Parenthood said Wednesday the donations are a temporary fix that will allow 9,300 Medicaid patients at 28 health centers across Indiana to continue receiving care such as Pap tests, breast exams and testing for sexually transmitted diseases. A federal judge has set a June 6 hearing on Planned request for an injunction blocking the new state law that was pushed by Republicans. The judge has said rule on the matter by July 1.

INDIANAPOLIS Crowd protests ruling over illegal police entry A rally organizer urged people to vote to remove the Indiana Supreme Court justice who wrote a ruling that residents have the right to resist police officers who illegally enter their homes. About 250 people showed up at the Indiana Statehouse to protest the ruling Wednesday. Some sported American flag T-shirts or waved tread on flags, while others carried signs with sayings like not and warrant? No Organizer Jeff Houk urged people to vote against Justice Steven David, who wrote the ruling. David will be up for retention in the November 2012 election. Critics contend the 3-2 ruling violates the U.S.

Fourth Amendment protection against illegal searches and centuries of common law precedent regarding rights and the limits of police power. BRIEFS STATE.