JOPLIN, MO -- This week marks nine months since the devastating tornado in Joplin. It damaged nearly eight thousand buildings.

The city and local contractors are facing years of work getting
things back to normal.

"Some people want to be part of the rebuild, and kind of see this thing
come back together," said Joplin builder Tony Philpot. “Other people were so traumatized by the devastation, they don't want to look out their kitchen window everyday and see what used to be full of trees to a barren landscape."

Business for Joplin builders Tony and Gary Philpot has picked up during the last few months.

"Obviously, when you lose four thousand-plus homes," said Gary Philpot, "there's going to be a whole lot of activity."

The family company, Sherwood Forest Homes, is behind a dozen home and office construction projects.

Many people are choosing to "go green" and build safe, using energy-efficient materials and concrete tornado shelters.

Building for the May 22nd survivors comes with its rewards and its challenges.

"The fact that they're having to put up with this headache of building a new home that they had never intended to do is stressful for a lot of people," said Tony Philpot.

The F-5 tornado's path left thousands homeless and unsure of their
next step.

The city lifted a sixty-day moratorium on new construction in July.

"We set a goal early on that we didn't want to lose population base," said city manager Mark Rohr.

Joplin leaders, like Rohr, pressed FEMA to have housing alternatives in place, hoping to keep survivors nearby.

Less than seventy days after the storm, the city and volunteers had cleared more than 2 million cubic yards of debris.

"I think it's important, psychologically, to see the progress," said Rohr.

On December 23rd, Joplin officials learned that more than 50 percent of families and businesses within the devastation zone had applied for
permits to rebuild.

"We're pleased, but not satisfied," said Rohr. "We realize that we're only halfway there."

With a third of the city gone, Joplin is also looking to make the best out of one of the worst disasters in U.S. History.

"Good things can come out of bad if you have the right approach," said Rohr.

A team of local residents and businesses, called C.A.R.T., spent months gathering ideas from residents.

The city plans to hire a "master developer" to carry out the team's recovery plan for the devastation zone.

"We want to make sure we take full advantage of that opportunity to
rebuild, and rebuild better and stronger than we were before the storm," said Rohr.