Dam, almost forgot, How is the recovery going in Joplin after that big Huricane, can't remember her name
Big tornado. They don't get names though I personally named this one Rachel (long story but it fits).
The large commercial store losses are rebuilt. 30-35% of the smaller business lost is reopened. Lots of housing rehabilitated but much much more gone. Lots of open space in that swath through the center of the city now. It's still a dark zone at night. My mom still gets lost driving through there because she's lost all her stores that were her landmarks.
The cleanup was very successful though. There is still small debris areas of course. And some housing and buildings mostly untouched and abandoned. Civil condemnation will eventually claim them. The city hasn't had time to get to that yet though. But those are surprisingly few.
The schools that were lost haven't been cleared so quickly. The structures that were deemed unsafe were allowed to be razed what you'd consider "quickly." Just pushed over and hauled away. Those deemed structurally secure, however, had a hold put on their razing for asbestos removal. Work on the area for the new hospital began very recently also. Though the old hospital is still a hollow wreck standing there with temporary chain link around it. It's become the source of ghost stories.
Thank god for FEMA here. The city and the State could never have afforded or so quickly managed the cleanup efforts. It would still be a festering sore without the Federal support.