JOPLIN TORNADO RECOVERY

“We had a lot of people with a lot of heart. After the storm, instead of crawling into a hole and saying, ‘Come help me,’ they put on their work boots and gloves and started clearing debris and saving lives.”

Those are the words of Joplin (Mo.) Schools Superintendent, Dr. C.J. Huff, speaking of his district’s response to the tornado that devastated Joplin on May 22, 2011. The tornado severely damaged or destroyed 10 schools, causing $150 million in damages. One district staff member and seven students died.


‘Everyone Has a Story’

The tornado struck the city of Joplin just after the Class of 2011 graduates received their diplomas and were heading to post-commencement celebrations. A clock at the destroyed high school has its hands forever frozen at 5:40 p.m. In all, 160 people were killed and 900 injured. The 200-plus mph winds destroyed everything in the tornado’s seven-mile-long path. Even today as you walk about town, it is disturbing to see toothpick trees and so many people in casts and bandages.

Huff was in his car heading home from graduation when he drove into the tornado. He barely escaped. He knows personally the family who lost a son after he was sucked through an SUV’s sunroof, the father ferociously clinging to his son’s hand. Everyone in Joplin has a story.

As school administrators gathered to assess the damage, many of them were worried about close family members, their own homes, the whereabouts and condition of teachers, staff and students. One cannot imagine how paralyzing such destruction and death is to a school system. It was then, however, that Joplin Schools began a journey that would later be called their finest hour.
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Joplin Schools’ response to the tornado, its work right after the storm, its search to find all students and staff, the intensive communication effort it created and sustained, and the amazing first day of school, just 86 days after the storm, will be praised at conferences, written about in publications and become the stuff of PR legend.
School Leaders Did Many ‘Right Things’

Here is an examination of the things the staff of Joplin Schools did right, drawn from extensive conversations with district and FEMA leaders, Joplin citizens, and media sources that covered the events:

The first thing Joplin Schools did was ask, “What can we do to help you?” Nobody waited for the government for help. Everyone helped each other. Joplin Schools, instinctively, took a lead role in this first response. District leaders made school resources available to the public. Buses were used as ambulances; teachers became “search and rescue” squads.

Joplin Schools found its family. Ground Zero in Joplin was very disorienting. There were no street signs or landmarks, no houses or house numbers. It was here that teams of teachers walked every day, carrying pictures of their students. “Do you know this child?” they asked. Meanwhile, other teams of teachers were calling every student/staff contact number on file. The staff was relentless, and within days had accounted for every child and staff member.

Joplin Schools paid staff. First, to ensure payroll went out on time, the district finance team searched the basement at the destroyed administration center to get the data needed to process checks. Secondly, the district announced immediately that teachers would be paid for the final weeks of the school year, even though there was no school. “Teachers will need that money to recover,” Huff declared. The goodwill started to build.

Huff and his first lieutenants realized they had to make critical and challenging decisions in a hurry. They had to focus on the future of Joplin Schools in the midst of emotional chaos. The decision was made to extend summer school and provide free transportation to all students. Adequate, temporary school buildings had to be found and equipped for learning; building plans had to be initiated; whole new departments for receiving donations and empowering volunteers were needed “yesterday.” More to the point, district personnel had to be matched with newly defined critical needs to maximize existing skill sets and minimize time-consuming weaknesses.

Joplin Schools asked for help and then took good advice. A white-hot media crush threatened to overwhelm everyone. Credit Nicole Kirby, communications director for the Park Hill School District in Kansas City, Mo., and immediate past NSPRA South Central Region vice president, for offering assistance, and then organizing teams of school communication professionals from among our NSPRA colleagues to be on-site through the early weeks after the disaster. Credit Joplin Schools’ Director of Community Services Kim Vann, for welcoming the teams and incorporating their expertise smoothly and effectively into Joplin’s overall recovery plans.

Joplin Schools put community people in positions where they could put their skills and experience to work. Results mattered. Superintendent Huff immediately formed a team of community professionals to meet daily, assess the district situation and priorities, develop solutions, communicate plans and act as a steering committee. Because the district had already done extensive work in public engagement, this team was not formed in a vacuum. School district leaders knew the right people who could help them, and then empowered them to be responsible and effective associates for the schools.

Superintendent Huff announced to his community that school would start on time, on August 17. That promise was bold and daring. It captured the imagination of residents and radically changed the city of Joplin. His goal communicated well because it was Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant and Timely (SMART). Huff understood that his team knew how to “do school,” so he called forth deeply rooted and empowering core values that put the district on a passionate mission. The disaster was placed squarely in the past.

Joplin Schools changed the message from the tornado’s destruction to the power of recovery. As soon as media coverage started wearing thin, Joplin Schools changed its message. Suddenly, the recovery website featured new schools being built, free backpacks and school supplies for all students, laptop computers, “school in a mall,” and the anticipated first day of school. A new narrative was developed, and it worked!

Joplin Schools “welcomed” the biggest media circus imaginable for the start of school. Opening day became the greatest event in school history, in part because leaders did NOT dread the media presence. In fact, unparalleled access was given to the media. Vann led a communication effort that included key components such as a classic “push-pull” connection to the district’s website, hundreds of electronic press packets filled with message points and emotional human-interest stories to encourage media coverage, and a three-day celebration script that included every detail and instruction. The result? On opening day, media trucks lined the drive to Joplin’s 11th-12th grade center. Every major cable news channel/network was there. USA Today and The New York Times gave Joplin Schools their top-of-the-fold, front-page story. Joplin Schools was “on message.”

Always, always, always Joplin administrators acted like the “adults in the room.” In private, the administration team was personally worn out and suffering unimaginable stress. But when representing the district, they always acted as professionals. Joplin leaders positioned the school district and the city as the “Can Do” center for America. It was a powerful and successful example of “product placement,” messaging and the use of symbolism.

The themes behind these 10 accomplishments — school culture, leadership and the importance of communication, to name a few — ran consistently throughout Joplin Schools’ response to the May tornado.
The Importance of Core Values and a Vision for the Future

Certainly, Superintendent C.J. Huff deserves much credit for leading Joplin’s steady progress and accomplishments in the months following the tornado. Time after time, his answers to questions and responses to dilemmas were grounded in his deep belief in, and caring for, his staff and community, as well as his vision for the future of Joplin Schools. But for three years before the tornado, Huff and Vann had been deliberate about creating and communicating core education values among staff and throughout the community. They had put communication tools in place that were familiar to, and routinely used by, school staff and the district’s constituency. A prime example was the role Facebook played right after the storm; it worked when every other communication system was down.

The payoff to everyone’s efforts has been astounding. The district continues to benefit from a stream of public good will and financial support. Almost everyone interviewed for this article eventually came to a common conclusion: Joplin Schools had created a school culture among staff and the community that truly was “family!”
Two ‘Indelible Moments’

As the district moves forward, two events have become indelible moments. One occurred as teachers returned for their Opening Convocation Celebration. Teachers and staff walked through a huge gauntlet of cheering community leaders and parents, and then found a copy of USA Today on every seat. The front-page story that day (with picture) praised Joplin’s recovery. Every detail of the event was planned and executed flawlessly, and the staff members were overwhelmed — in the best of ways.

The second event came August 17, when schools opened on time, as promised. Regional and national media outlets provided a steady stream of pictures and interviews featuring a wide range of student and adult speakers who had been selected and prepared as Joplin Schools’ spokespersons. Their consistent message of a “Bright Future for Joplin” was heard repeatedly, nation-wide. Missouri Governor Jay Nixon attended opening day, and called Joplin “the toughest town on earth.”
Epilogue

Finally, though the recovery story is miraculous and inspiring, Joplin continues to need a great deal of help and support, and will for months to come. So much was lost — not just houses, trees, churches, schools and businesses, but toys, pets and thousands of personal treasures. Go to www.JoplinSchools.org to find the latest stories, updates and information about how you can help.

Thanks to Superintendent C.J. Huff; Joplin School Board President Ashley Micklethwait; Director of Community Services Kim Vann; Assistant Superintendent Angie Besendorfer; Athletic Director Jeff Starkweather; community volunteers Peggy Fuller and Melanie Dolloff; high school Principal Kerry Sachetta; local/national media representatives; and Danny and Cindy Hollingshead for their immense help and contributions to this story.

Jim Dunn, APR, is president of Jim Dunn & Associates in Liberty, Mo., and an NSPRA Past President. He can be contacted at dunn830@gmail.com.