How a spirit of kindness grew in the aftermath of a tornado — and remains 15 years on

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+ Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Planet Money Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics How a spirit of kindness grew in the aftermath of a tornado — and remains 15 years on Fifteen years ago, after a massive tornado flattened much of Joplin, Mo., nearly 100,000 volunteers helped the town rebuild.

+ National How a spirit of kindness grew in the aftermath of a tornado — and remains 15 years on May 22, 20264:46 PM ET Heard on All Things Considered By Pauline Bartolone How a spirit of kindness grew in the aftermath of a tornado — and remains 15 years on Listen &middot; 3:35 3:35 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5828466/nx-s1-9782449" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript Fifteen years ago, after a massive tornado flattened much of Joplin, Mo., nearly 100,000 volunteers helped the town rebuild. A spirit of community service lives on in Joplin today. Sponsor Message JUANA SUMMERS, HOST: On this day 15 years ago, one of the deadliest tornadoes in U.S. history ripped through Joplin, Missouri, killing nearly 160 people. But within months, Joplin became known not for its tragedy, but for its recovery. Almost 100,000 volunteers helped the town rebuild. Today, reporter Pauline Bartolone brings us the story of how that spirit of compassion lives on.

+ PAULINE BARTOLONE: The tornado hit on a Sunday evening. When Nanda Nunnelly heard the sirens, she jumped in a closet with her husband and dog. NANDA NUNNELLY: Then within just seconds, it was so loud that it was quiet. The sound of the tornado was so extremely loud that everything was shut off. BARTOLONE: The winds tore off parts of her roof. When she peered through the closet doors, she saw broken glass flying around the room. NUNNELLY: Stuff spinning around - it looked like fairy dust. BARTOLONE: She thought she might die and asked God to make it painless. And then the face of a girl she knew decades ago flashed in front of her eyes, someone she bullied in middle school. NUNNELLY: Thinking, this is it. This is going to be the last thing that happens to me. And I'm like, oh, my God, I never got to tell her I'm sorry. BARTOLONE: Nunnelly lost her house that day. The following year, she found the woman she bullied as a girl and sent an apology. Scientists say acting this way after trauma is not unusual. JAMIL ZAKI: This is what's known as altruism born of suffering. BARTOLONE: Stanford psychology professor Jamil Zaki studies kindness and empathy. People recovering from addiction become addiction counselors. Veterans with trauma help other veterans. But what happened in Joplin specifically is what Zaki calls catastrophe compassion. ZAKI: That after something terrible happens, people, instead of falling apart and focusing on themselves, come together and try to do for one another. BARTOLONE: Zaki says, humans tend to group themselves into identity categories, such as left-wing or Christian. But when disaster hits, suddenly you have an affinity across those differences. ZAKI: You're part of a tribe - you know, a tribe that you might not have chosen to join, but one that unites you really powerfully. BARTOLONE: Studies show that compassion can fade in just months. But in Joplin's case, traces of that kindness are still going. Nicole Brown directs an organization called One Joplin, which formed after the tornado and now focuses on the working poor. NICOLE BROWN: Evolved over the years. But really, at its heart is really just to continue that sense of community and sense of connection and commonality of just wanting a better community for all. BARTOLONE: Nanda Nunnelly's keeping it going, too. Fifteen years after narrowly surviving the tornado, she helps run a community center that shelters people during extreme weather. NUNNELLY: I don't know how anyone could go through that and come out and not think about, how can I help the next person? BARTOLONE: Kindness shows up after many disasters, says Zaki, but we could all get better at seeing it. Pauline Bartolone, NPR News. (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Copyright &copy; 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. Facebook Flipboard Email Read & Listen Home News Culture Music Podcasts & Shows Connect Newsletters Facebook Instagram Press Public Editor Corrections Transcripts Contact & Help About NPR Overview Diversity NPR Network Accessibility Ethics Finances Get Involved Support Public Radio Sponsor NPR NPR Careers NPR Shop NPR Extra Terms of Use Privacy Your Privacy Choices Text Only Sponsor Message Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor (function () { var loadPageJs = function () { (window.webpackJsonp=window.webpackJsonp||[]).push([[22],{1169:function(e,n,c){e.exports=c(321)},321:function(e,n,c){"use strict";c.p=NPR.serverVars.webpackPublicPath,Promise.all([c.e(1),c.e(2),c.e(3),c.e(4),c.e(82)]).then(function(e){c(3),c(1141),c(116),c(95),c(52),c(491),c(240),c(102),c(104),c(1142),c(144),c(1143),c(239),c(48),c(1144)}.bind(null,c)).catch(c.oe)}},[[1169,0]]]); }; if (document.readyState === 'complete') { loadPageJs(); } else { window.addEventListener('load', function load() { window.removeEventListener('load', load, false); loadPageJs(); }); } })();