7 Years After Joplin Tornado Mercy Builds Hospitals with Disaster in Mind

The 2011 Joplin tornado decimated St. John’s Hospital. This article describes how builders designed an addition to a different hospital (Mercy, in Festus, MO) to withstand storm damage. Builders used window glass that can withstand winds greater than 100 miles per hour; encased power sources in the attic; reinforced stairwells; and built a wall around the perimeter to protect the hospital from floodwater.