Firefighters help in search and rescue efforts following tornado devastation

A group of firefighters from the Georgetown Fire Department, Kentucky, spent a week in Joplin, Missouri, assisting victims of the deadly tornado which recently ravaged the city, destroying homes and businesses.

The shocking scene of destruction was described by firefighters as humbling, but also a wake up call to the power of mother mature.

Chad Smith, a member of the fire crew which spent a week assisting colleagues in Joplin, said: “What I was expecting was obviously what I had seen in pictures and on the nightly news. When we arrived in the town, it was mind-blowing. I think all of us were kind of silent when we got there because it was so much different than what you’ve seen. It was a devastation that went on for miles. It wasn’t a single lens of a camera frame, it was just never-ending destruction it seemed like.

“I think everybody had the attitude that when they got there, they wanted to work. We expected long days. I was obviously hot. Everybody was on the same page. They wanted to do as much as they possibly could and do the most amount of good for the most amount of people while we were there.

“I really look at tornados differently. I look at tornado warnings a lot differently. It’ll drastically change the way myself and my family react when the next tornado warning comes toward us.”