June 1, 2011

Cleanup efforts in Joplin will move ahead Wednesday, when Gov. Jay Nixon says crews will begin hauling away debris left by a massive tornado that leveled a third of the city and killed more than 100 people in the southwest Missouri.

Government officials say the rubble will be taken to three landfills, two in Kansas and one in Lamar, Missouri.

Environmental officials have said the debris must be handled carefully because it could contain asbestos used in the construction of older buildings and other hazardous waste.

The tornado damaged or destroyed more than 8,000 buildings.

Nixon says the federal government will cover 90 percent of the cost of the debris removal. He says the Missouri National Guard will lead the cleanup effort.

The city's Home Depot was destroyed by the May 22 tornado, but residents streamed into an outdoor area Tuesday to buy lumber, roofing and other supplies. The company hopes to have a 30,000-square-foot temporary building open in a couple of weeks.

Thirty-five-year-old attorney Scott Vorhees is among those starting to rebuild. He and his daughters were away when the storm hit. They returned to find their two-story house destroyed.

Vorhees says he's already met with a contractor and hopes to start construction soon. He says he thinks it's important for people to see rebuilding going on and to help the town build momentum to get going again.