The Safe Room That Held Everything

In 2011, a massive EF5 tornado tore through Joplin, Missouri, flattening entire neighborhoods in minutes. Wind speeds exceeded 200 miles per hour. Houses became kindling. Cars became missiles. The destruction was almost total. But in the days that followed, rescue teams kept finding the same thing — people alive inside interior closets, bathtubs, basement corners. One family of five survived beneath a mattress in their hallway while every wall around them disintegrated.…