JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) — Two months after a huge tornado split Joplin in half, the recovery here has barely begun, and the city remains focused on cleaning up massive mounds of debris. But local leaders say Joplin and the neighboring village of Duquesne already face another question: How much to rebuild and how much to reinvent?

In Joplin, city officials, neighborhoods and families are beginning to confront decisions that involve trade-offs of cost, speed, quality and uncertainty: whether to strengthen building codes to produce better houses, but also some delay; to plot out more parks and amenities that would raise the quality of life, but require detailed planning; to require new storm safety features that would balance peace of mind against more expense for those of modest incomes.

Following the experience of other storm-damaged cities is difficult because of the scope of the damage in Joplin.

More than 7,000 homes were destroyed in the city of 50,000. The May 22 tornado killed 159 people, displaced 5,000 workers, smashed 10 public school buildings and ruined 18,000 cars. The funnel left a trail of damage nearly 14 miles after touching down.

Many residents still are negotiating with insurance companies or awaiting federal disaster assistance. A 60-day city moratorium on new construction, enacted in mid-June, generated protests that it would keep those ready to rebuild now from returning to Joplin. The city announced Friday that it would start issuing building permits for a larger swath of the stricken area and already has issued nearly 1,700 residential building permits to repair tornado damage.

The short-term delay is designed to keep the focus on debris removal. City leaders want to get as much cleared as possible by Aug. 7, when the federal government's share of the cost will decline from 90 percent to 75 percent. That could mean an estimated $3 million a day.

One thing is clear: the scope of damage is making the rebuilding process difficult as city officials are literally faced with a blank slate. Before-and-after images below and on the following pages illustrate the amount of debris that had to be removed, and show the slow but steady progress Joplin is making towards digging out and rebuilding.

Joplin Rebuilds

This two-photo combo taken with a fisheye lens shows a scene taken on May 25, 2011, top, and again on July 21, 2011 showing progress made in Joplin, Mo. nearly two months after a tornado destroyed a large swath of the city and killed 159 people. In the top photo, David Turner, from Waco, Tex., sorts through belongings in a house occupied by his two sisters in a neighborhood now mostly cleared of debris. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Joplin Rebuilds

This is another two-photo combo that shows a scene taken on May 23, 2011, top, and again on July 20, 2011. In the top photo, Laura Vanzant looks for her dog at her home that was destroyed by the tornado and is today cleared of debris. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Joplin Rebuilds

In the top photo, Anita Stokes salvages items from her home, which today stands cleared of much of the tornado debris. This two-photo combo scene, taken on May 23, 2011, top, and again on July 21, 2011, shows the progress made in Joplin, Mo. nearly two months after a tornado destroyed a large swath of the city and killed 159 people. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Joplin Rebuilds

This two-photo combo shows a scene taken on May 28, 2011, top, and again on July 21, 2011. In the top photo, Patrick O'Banion salvages items from his devastated home in a neighborhood now mostly cleared of debris. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Joplin Rebuilds

In this July 21, 2011 photo, a worker walks among a pile of debris at a landfill in Galena, Kan., where some of the two million cubic yards of tornado debris have been hauled from nearby Joplin, Mo. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Joplin Rebuilds

In this July 21, 2011 photo, another worker unloads rubble at a landfill in Galena, Kan., where the majority of Joplin tornado debris has been hauled. Two months after a tornado destroyed a large swath of Joplin and killed 159 people, cleanup and rebuilding rebuilding efforts are taking shape across the city. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

RETURN TO PAGE 1

Special Reports /

Before and After: Joplin Digs Out from Debris Two Months After Tornado

Related Stories

Recommended For You