Fifteen years after an EF5 tornado killed 161 people and flattened much of Joplin, Missouri (a city of roughly 50,000 in the American Midwest), the community is being remembered less for its destruction than for the resilience it forged in the aftermath. More than 100,000 volunteers poured in to help residents clear wreckage and rebuild, a wave of solidarity that locals say permanently deepened the city's sense of mutual commitment. The recovery has drawn in unexpected residents, including veterans and others in recovery, who found in Joplin's rebuilt schools, affordable housing, and tight-knit neighbourhoods a place worth calling home.