The Weather Channel’s Mike Bettes was on “The Great Tornado Hunt,” a show about storm chasers. The crew was exasperated chasing Friday, Saturday and Sunday. But when a tornado hit Joplin on Sunday, Bettes couldn’t help but shed tears.
(PHOTOS: Tornado damage in Joplin, Missouri)
The crew arrived 10 minutes after the tornado struck Joplin, and set up across the street that directly hit St John’s Regional Hospital. “It’s everything, it’s just completely demolished… all I can say is that it looks very reminiscent of what we saw last month….,” he said, before stopping and saying “Excuse me.”
As the camera kept rolling, showing a horrific scene of houses left in rubble, which has been described as a “battlefield,” Bettes felt so emotional he couldn’t speak.
The meteorologist had wanted to experience extreme natural beauty but instead, he witnessed raw devastation.
(MORE: frightening video: Tornado Rocks Joplin, Missouri, Killing Almost 100)