Moment of Silence Marks Joplin Tornado Anniversary

Much of Joplin has fallen silent to mark the precise moment the city was hit by a tornado one year ago.

A moment of silence at 5:41 p.m. coincided with the minute the monstrous tornado first hit the city last May 22. The storm killed 161 people, wiped out neighborhoods, destroyed a hospital and forever changed the look of the southwest Missouri city.

The moment Tuesday followed a 4-mile "Walk of Unity" in which politicians, residents and volunteers marched through some of the city's hardest-hit neighborhoods.

The procession ended with the moment of silence at Cunningham Park, which is across the street from what's left of St. John's Regional Medical Center.

(Copyright 2012 by The Associated Press.  All Rights Reserved.)