Sidra Zaidi’s Interview of Jacobo Oviedo – A Joplin Resident Who Was Missing for 24 Hours

• alright i’m gonna interview you
• where were you when the tornado hit

Jacobo Humberto Oviedo Jr.

• 29th and maiden across from the hospital

Sidra Zaidi

• across from st. john’s?

Jacobo Humberto Oviedo Jr.

• yeah

Sidra Zaidi

• what were you doing? did you know there was going to be a tornado?

Jacobo Humberto Oviedo Jr.

• I honestly had no idea it was gonna happen we were all outside looking at the sky and we looked over to the west side of the sky and saw all the lighting then I looked over at my friend Ian and I was like Ian man there’s no train tracks around here. and then literally after I said that sirens started and we ran inside and put six people under the stair case

Sidra Zaidi

• what do you mean there were no train tracks?

Jacobo Humberto Oviedo Jr.

• it sounded exactly like a train like when ur stopped and its passing by
• but it was loud

Sidra Zaidi

• so you thought a train was going by but then realized it wasn’t a train but a tornado?
• what happened after that?

Jacobo Humberto Oviedo Jr.

• na I just remembered what they said on TV of it sounding like a train and the sky looked so bad and tjw wind and atuff
• we ran and got under the stair case and we were under there for about five. mins and. when all the loud bangs and wind stopped
• we got out and all the houses in front of us were gone

Sidra Zaidi

• what was your first reaction?

Jacobo Humberto Oviedo Jr.

• we ram to them
• we started pulling people out asking if there were anybody inaode
• inside the buildings*

Sidra Zaidi

• how badly injured were they?

Jacobo Humberto Oviedo Jr.

• there was a lady trapped in her bathroom with a broken arm
• that was probably the worst we saw from that neighborhood

Sidra Zaidi

• what did you do next? did you try to reach your family?

Jacobo Humberto Oviedo Jr.

• ya somebody told me that it went all the way past rangeline and I immediately freaked out. so we took the car and made it to like main street bit the traffic and debris and people were getting in the way so I ran the rest of the way
• and when I got to my house it was horrible there was no roof my mother’s van was smashes in the driveway smashes by the trees that fell
• smashed *
• it was the most real life has ever felt. almost like a dream but to clear to be one

Sidra Zaidi

• how did you go missing?

Jacobo Humberto Oviedo Jr.

• all the phone towers were down and nobody knew where I was

Sidra Zaidi

• where were you? looking for your family? how did you get hurt?

Jacobo Humberto Oviedo Jr.

• ya I was just walking up and down 20th looking for anybody who would know where my family could be. I hurt my foot jumping into my house

Sidra Zaidi

• how did you finally reunite?

Jacobo Humberto Oviedo Jr.

• after awhile the phones would receive voicemail s
• and I heard my mom was at my brothers house
• with my family so this morning we met. up cause the phones started working again

Sidra Zaidi

• is your foot ok?

Jacobo Humberto Oviedo Jr.

• ya its fine just sore

Sidra Zaidi

• ok thanks so much