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May 29, 2011

Obama Surveys Storm Damage, Oh Glory

By Michael Shaw


What was that about making domestic disasters about an attack on the American way of life?

From: White House photo of the day and White House Alabama storm tour photo gallery.

(photo 1: Pete Souza/White House caption: President Barack Obama greets Hugh Hills, 85, in front of his home in Joplin, Mo., May 29, 2011. Hills hid in a closet during the tornado, which destroyed the second floor and half the first floor of his house. (photo 2: Samantha Appleton/White House.  caption 2: People gather along President Barack Obama’s motorcade route in Tuscaloosa, Ala., April 29, 2011.)

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  • BooksAlive

    Unfortunately, Joplin is probably too big to rebuild with green technology, like Greensburg, Kansas, has done. The Kansas tornado was 2 miles wide and over 200 mph winds, but the population is only 1/50 (900). Similarly, Brad Pitt’s group in New Orleans, the Make it Right Foundation, held a competition to design environmentally friendly and hurricane-resistant homes, and many are now being built.

    See the NYT report on the Greensburg achievement and it’s new art center:

  • BooksAlive

    Unfortunately, Joplin is probably too big to rebuild with green technology, like Greensburg, Kansas, has done. The Kansas tornado was 2 miles wide and over 200 mph winds, but the population is only 1/50 (900). Similarly, Brad Pitt’s group in New Orleans, the Make it Right Foundation, held a competition to design environmentally friendly and hurricane-resistant homes, and many are now being built.

    See the NYT report on the Greensburg achievement and it’s new art center:

  • http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=810889128 Molly Whipple Douthett

    Nice truck!

  • Marie

    Mr. Hills has a determined grip on his flag – they’re not going to take my flag! – or maybe the wind is putting up a stiff resistance.  It’s interesting that given the opportunity to shake the President’s hand, he had the urge to plant the flag front and center.  Or perhaps he was already planted there and it made the best visuals for the day.

    Why the flag? I’m guessing, roughly:flag = president/country = determined persistence = cultural and personal survival = pride and relief
    The other thing that grabs my attention is all the other cameras capturing and being captured in frame. Who is documenting whom? “I lost my house, but I still have my camera!”  In the second image, replace “camera” with “flag.”

    • http://www.bagnewsnotes.com Michael Shaw

      Great point about Mr. Hills and Obama, and the role of all the
      cameras. Pete Souza is all about portraying the Prez in a candid way
      but this pic — beyond the flag show, the supposed vics of the tornado
      Barack-papparazzi — is totally “stagy.”

  • Glen

    My first thought was to wonder how that truck weathered the storm. Great truck..

  • Joplin Fan

    I know this family personally.  The truck belongs to Hugh’s son-in law who lives across town; it was not in the damaged area of town.  The people with the cameras are Hugh’s son and grandchildren who did not live in the path of the storm.  They were all at Hugh’s house trying to find some of his possessions that the tornado didn’t destroy.  Hugh’s grandson’s apartment was also destroyed. 
    This is a wonderful Joplin family.  They are as patriotic as they come.  Hugh and his wife raised three terrific children in Joplin; two of them have raised their children in Joplin. 

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