‘The Twister’ a Chilling Telling of Joplin, Missouri’s Worst Day

As we approach the 14th anniversary of that terrible day in May that changed Joplin, Missouri forever, there's a new documentary that has just debuted on Netflix and it's a chilling retelling of the worst day.

"The Twister - Caught in the Storm" just debuted on Netflix today. I just finished watching it with my wife and I have some thoughts. It brought back vivid memories of how May 22, 2011 transpired that few in Missouri will ever forget.

I don't want to spoil how this documentary tells its story, but I can share that it touches on the memories of several groups of friends who all lived through May 22, 2011 in different places around Joplin. You'll hear the story of 3 friends who decided to head to the Kansas border when the storm first began to impact the area.

It also shares the story of many Joplin students who were graduating that night only to hear tornado sirens as they and their parents went outside into the parking lot. That high school would take a direct hit from the twister.

There's also the amazing story of a 13-year-old who had just flown into Joplin with his mother to job shadow with one of the TV meteorologists who would end up covering one of the worst tornadoes ever.

May 22, 2011 is also recounted by some families who lost loved ones in that storm including one senior who had a huge following on YouTube only to lose his life that night.

The last 10 minutes of the documentary closes with how Joplin overcame the tragedy of that day and pulled together to bring their city back from disaster. Should you watch it? I will warn you that it's not for the faint of heart. The stories are real and some are heart-wrenching. I will say that it was very well done by the filmmakers. It's worth reactivating your Netflix account all by itself.