Storm Chasing the Joplin EF-5 Tornado A Journey Through Tornado Alley Limited Edition DVD

The three stars are deceiving but let me explain.First, the DVD is produced very well and tells a great story regarding Jeff and Kathryn Piotroski's journey into Joplin and are the only chasers who were able to capture some unbelievable and fantastic footage of this tornado (most of the chaser community was in Oklahoma that day excluding Basehunters Chasing who caught the formation of the tornado on the southwest side of town and Roger Hill's Silver Lining tour group who were chased out of Joplin by the tornado). There are many, many angles of this tornado they took (often repeated over and over) and the survivor stories and are very dramatic and well worth the purchase of the DVD. The only real complaint I can give about it is that it doesn't show other people's views of the tornado but then obviously this DVD was only meant to highlight Jeff and Kathryn's footage. (The best alternative to their DVD might be "Witness: Joplin Tornado" which aired on National Geographic but is easily viewed on YouTube - it also contains some of Jeff and Kathryn's footage).Here's where I have the problem though. This DVD only tells part of the story. They make note that this is one of the deadliest tornadoes in the history of the United States. Many people get hooked in the hyperbole here - this is one of the deadliest tornadoes in history but only ranks seventh overall in the top ten deadliest single tornadoes as of the writing of this review (2015). One thing not explored here is why? Why was this tornado so deadly? What happened? What went wrong? Interestingly enough, they do interview Keith Stammer, the then director of Joplin Emergency Management and he gives no explanation as to why he sounded the sirens the way he did nor why they were not operating when the tornado was hitting town.As a companion piece to this DVD, I highly recommend Mike Smith's monograph "When The Sirens Were Slient: How The Warning System Failed A Community". Find out, as Jeff and Kathryn were driving through Joplin while the tornado hit, what was really happening and why so many needlessly died in this disaster. Obviously, this DVD gives us the drama without the politics, but for those interested, there is much more involved with what happened in Joplin than just the storm hitting and the aftermath.Thus, the three star rating is not because of the quality of the DVD, but simply for the fact that only part of the story is being told here. Still recommended though for those interested in some great survival stories and excellent storm footage.

Excellent account of the horrific carnage in Joplin by experienced storm chasers. The video includes touching first person stories told by individuals caught up in the aftermath of this deadly twister. I found myself on the verge of tears for the suffering in the stricken city. On a lighter note, the viewer is treated to some husband-wife interplay as Jeff and Kathryn Piotrowski briefly argue over how close to approach the behemoth. I am with Ms Kathryn: I would be saying "back up!" as well!The Piotrowskis not only filmed breathtaking images of the storm, but they also jumped in to help the survivors in the aftermath. They are really good folks whom anyone would like to have for neighbors.Their film is definitely effective: I recently showed this video to a friend and she remarked that she would never take storm warnings casually again. Recommended highly for those interested in this historic tornado.

May I start out by saying due to the graphic nature of this video, be selective about showing to young children. The video is a real eye opener as it shows the destructive path of an EF-5 tornado in Joplin Missouri. You get to see the tornado and the aftermath of how it practically destroyed Joplin. It looked like a war zone. But the residents got together saying they would not be defeated. This is an up close and personal documentary of the worst tornado in US history.

Bought this as I live a few miles from Joplin and remember the day well. Had many family members affected by the tornado, including a sister who lost nearly everything but was safe away from Joplin at the time. Was a bit hard to watch as I knew people involved in the tornado and knew the locations in it too well. I frequent many of the businesses destroyed. Glad I got to see it, but not sure I would watch again.

This video was put together by two storm chasers who were in Joplin, MO during the tornado. The first part of the film contains footage of the storm chasers driving in and around Joplin during the actual storm. The remainder includes interviews with several residents who survived the storm. Very powerful film. I would recommend this for anyone who is interested in learning about the human aspect of how the storm affected the community.

Amazing and Stunning up close video of the EF-5 Tornado in Joplin. Husband and Wife storm chasers risked their lives..At times the video seems more like a tribute to the husband and wife..Husband is walking in Joplin after the EF-5 Tornado. He says "you can hear people screaming for help". Yet he continues filming himself..Put the video camera down. Help the trapped people..

My 7 yr. old son is interested in tornados. He watches Tornado Alley on Weather Ch., so he wanted something on Joplin.He was enthralled by it. I still do not like the idea of him wanting to be a storm chaser. Hoping it is just a phase. ;-)

Shows how frightening these storms can be and how devastating they are. I cried for the people who were affected and pray that global warming does not mean that the storms aren't even deadlier or more frequent.