#1-Jamie McMurray said not only was the house [in Joplin, MO] he grew up leveled on May 22, the tornado “took the whole neighborhood out.” Also destroyed much of the high school McMurray attended. The death toll reached 132 on Friday [readjusted to 129 on Sunday]. “Everyone that I know, or at least friends talking to friends, I haven’t known anyone that’s lost their life,” McMurray said. “I have a lot of friends that have lost their homes.” McMurray said crew members and sponsors have offered to assist in the relief efforts. McMurray and Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris will fly to Morris’ hometown of Springfield, Mo., on Thursday to collect food and supplies from Convoy of Hope. They’re then scheduled to go to Joplin and will join the mayor and chief of police on a tour of McMurray’s old neighborhood. “I had a friend that lives there and has witnessed everything tell me that Joplin would recover. He just didn’t know if it would recover in our lifetimes,” McMurray said. “I know there will be a big effort on my part over the next years to come to help with the hospital, the schools and the families.”(Joplin Globe)(5-29-2011)
