Talk of ‘Tornado Tourism’ Stirs Anger in Joplin, Missouri
Talk of ‘Tornado Tourism’ Stirs Anger in Joplin, Missouri
Eight months after a tornado laid waste to much of this city, Joplin, Mo., is wrestling with an emotional question: Should the community market its devastated neighborhoods to tourists?
When the convention and visitors bureau recently discussed offering guided bus tours and even a smartphone app, storm victims bristled, imagining that their shattered homes could be put on display for legions of curious sightseers.
But the bureau director says he wants to promote Joplin’s recovery to outsiders, insisting that the effort is “not about busted-up homes or destroyed cars or body parts.”
Signs of revival are slowly emerging from the ruins left by the May 22, 2011, tornado, which killed 161 people. Debris has been cleared, and Home Depot and other stores have rebuilt. Hundreds of construction permits have been issued, too.
http://www.insurancejournal.com/news/midwest/2012/02/02/233918.htm
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