Joplin - All That Remains

On May 22, 2011, an F5 tornado devastated Joplin, MIssouri. The storm was among the deadliest ever recorded, claiming the lives of 158 people. It caused nearly $3 billion in damages making it the costliest tornado in U.S. history.  

I arrived in Joplin on May 24. The immediate shock of the storm was still fresh. My goal was not to make pictures that were the classic news photographs of people trying to salvage what they could of their lives and belongings. My intention was to shoot panoramic photos incorporating some of those who had been affected by the storm. I wanted to make pictures that 50 years after the storm would be able to answer the question - "What did it look like."