Whether it's a Katrina-like hurricane, major earthquake or devastating terrorist attack, the decline in America’s industrial manufacturing base and the nation’s reliance on foreign suppliers for goods formerly made in the U.S.A. threatens our ability to prevent, repair and recover from a major catastrophe, a new report reveals.

Annie Deken, the AFL-CIO Community Services liaison with the Springfield, Mo., Central Labor Council, sends us this firsthand, day-by-day report of union assistance to victims of the massive and deadly Joplin tornado.

On Sunday, May 22, the Ozarks took a devastating blow. A F5 tornado blasted Joplin, Mo., and the surrounding areas. This tornado disaster has been declared the most deadly in years. So far the death toll stands at 132 and 156 people remain missing.