An EF5 tornado—the strongest rating possible—ravaged Joplin, Mo., on May 22, 2011, killing more than 150 people. The storm flattened countless businesses and homes and damaged St. John’s Regional Medical Center so badly that it could no longer operate.
Chesterfield, Mo.-based Mercy, the hospital’s parent system, has built a $335 million, storm-resistant replacement, renamed Mercy Joplin. The 875,000-square-foot facility is scheduled to open in March.
Photos of the previous facility’s damage show shattered windows and a hospital without power. The new facility is designed to withstand at least an EF3 tornado, thanks in part to laminated glass throughout the building and exterior glass designed to withstand winds of at least 140 mph, said Ryan Felton, the project’s director from McCarthy Building Cos., which built the hospital.
In the intensive-care unit, emergency department and other areas where patient mobility is limited, exterior windows are rated to withstand winds of 250 mph, which is within the EF5 classification.
“I believe it’s one of the strongest facilities that we’ve built,” Felton said.
The hospital will be able to operate for 96 hours if it loses power, thanks to an advanced generator system. All utilities are located 25 feet underground to protect them from the weather, and the hospital will have two feeds for electricity and two options for water.
