Q & A

Q&A: Missouri Governor Nixon gave an inspirational message to Southern’s graduates on May 21, only to return two days later to comfort Joplin, a devastated city in need.

Q: When did you first hear about the tornado?

A: We had been monitoring that weather system that day, so certainly I knew that there was a possibility of severe weather. I was in Jefferson City that early evening when I was notified by one of my senior staff that a tornado had just hit Joplin. This was only a few minutes after it happened, and while there wasn’t a great deal of information, I knew we had a very serious situation.

We immediately dispatched the Missouri State Highway Patrol and the Missouri National Guard to Joplin. I headed down to Joplin on Monday morning, and the full scope of the destruction became more apparent. Certainly, those were sights I won’t ever forget.

Do you think MSSU was used well as a resource following the tornado?

Missouri Southern was a tremendous and invaluable resource, and one can’t overstate both the preparedness and responsiveness of the university and its faculty and staff. This is even more impressive because the MSSU family had also suffered losses in this disaster, and the people there stepped forward without hesitation to help at the same time the storm had greatly impacted them.

Only a few weeks before the tornado, MSSU had entered into an agreement with the Red Cross to serve as a shelter during times of disaster, and having those procedures in place was a great aid to the community. In the immediate aftermath, the university housed members of my staff, of the Highway Patrol, the Guard, and other responders, and served as the volunteer nerve center for AmeriCorps. We could not have asked for greater hospitality during this time of need.

Q: A:

Q: What are some of your thoughts on the Memorial Service held at MSSU a week after the tornado with President Obama?

A: Everyone at Missouri Southern did an outstanding job in hosting the memoTop, Governor Nixon speaks May 26 at a Community Response Meeting held in Taylor Auditorium. Above left, Nixon and First Lady Georganne Nixon talk with first responders at St. John’s Regional Medical Center on May 23. Above right, Joplin Teachers receive a hero’s welcome as they arrive for a meeting on August 15 at MSSU. The governor addressed the teachers as they prepared to begin the new year in a changed environment. — Courtesy, official State of Missouri photos

rial service that following Sunday. The service truly embodied the spirit of Joplin — how this great city and region may have taken a tremendous blow, but that the people here were going to rebuild. You really saw that spirit that day, and a nationwide TV audience saw and heard it, too.

Q: What do you see for the future of Joplin?

A: Since the very first day, I’ve said the same message: The state of Missouri was going to be here from the start, and we would see this through, no matter how long it would take. Even before the tornado, Joplin was a vibrant community — growing in population, an unemployment rate lower than the statewide rate, and two outstanding hospitals that served a region of several hundred thousand.

Rebuilding Joplin is not just about returning things to the way they were on May 21. It is about building a city that will continue to grow, and which leads our state forward.