OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) — Mayors from two communities hit by deadly EF5 tornadoes in recent years say more than three-quarters of residents who were displaced have rebuilt their homes or intend to do so.
Joplin Mayor Melodee Colbert-Kean and Moore Mayor Glenn Lewis says about 85 percent of residents whose homes were destroyed have rebuilt homes or plan to rebuild their homes.
The two mayors were part of a panel discussion at the third annual National Tornado Summit in Oklahoma City on Monday.
On May 22, 2011, an EF 5 tornado with wind speeds topping 200 mph whipped through Joplin, killing 161 people and destroying nearly 7,000 homes. Twenty five people were killed and 1,100 homes destroyed in an EF5 tornado in Moore on May 20, 2013.
Colbert-Kean says the recovery process is continuing.