Is disaster tourism a financial opportunity to help communities rebuild, or does it prevent communities from emotionally healing? This is just one of the tough questions being asked by Joplin, Missouri residents following the publication of a controversial “tourist guide” to the city. The guide, published by the Joplin Convention & Visitors Bureau, is a map to different parts of the community that were affected by the devastating May 22, 2011 tornado. Now, outraged residents have started a Facebook group protesting the guide, saying that it puts financial profit ahead of the town’s emotional recovery. The F5 tornado ripped through Joplin on the day of the town’s high school graduation, killing 161 people and destroying more than 4,500 homes and structures. Nearly a year later, some neighborhoods have yet to be rebuilt, and some condemned buildings still sit, waiting to be demolished. Patrick Tutall, Director of the Joplin Convention & Visitors Bureau, says they published the guide in response to questions from visitors.

Joplin sits at the crossroads of two major highways that are frequented by tourists headed to Branson, Missouri, the entertainment capital of the Ozarks. Visitors traveling to Branson started pulling off to visit Joplin and spend money to help the economy.

"People don't realize they [tourists] are already pulling off and taking a look," he told ABC News. "The Joplin Welcome Center saw folks who said they want to stay in Joplin to help the economy."

Tourism to Help Rebuild Disaster-Affected Areas

Joplin sits at the crossroads of two major highways that are frequented by tourists headed to Branson, Missouri, the entertainment capital of the Ozarks. According to Tutall, visitors traveling to Branson started pulling off to visit Joplin and spend money to help the economy. When hotels weren’t able to effectively answer many of the visitors’ questions about the tornado, Tutall responded by publishing the map. The free tourist map is designed to keep visitors on main thoroughfares and out of neighborhoods, while accurately showing the storm’s wide path of destruction. "We found that as the six-month point of this thing passed us, people in our restaurants and front desk people at hotels couldn't really answer questions to guests about the volume and the magnitude of the storm and the destruction," Tuttle told ABC News. "You know, 4,500 homes were destroyed, and so it became a tool to pull together facts so people confronting the tourist market could speak knowledgeably." But did creating the map without community involvement fail to treat Joplin’s “disaster tourism” with the proper reverence and respect? Residents who have joined the Facebook group protesting the map say that they feel “blindsided” and “sickened” by the idea that their town is encouraging visitors to come and see their damaged buildings.

In New Orleans, several tour companies ran “post-Katrina” tours, taking tourists to see the destruction of the lower ninth ward.

At first glance, natural disasters and tourism don’t seem to mix. But recent world disasters, like Hurricane Katrina, suggest otherwise. In New Orleans, several tour companies ran “post-Katrina” tours, taking tourists to see the destruction of the lower ninth ward. Jennifer Day-Sully, who works with the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau, told ABC News that the tours were a “double-edged sword.” “You have to be sensitive to the communities that these buses and tours are coming through because it can be perceived as being very insensitive,” Day-Sully told ABC News. “But on the other hand, you can educate people from out of town and encourage them to make donations and participate in volunteer work." In Joplin, the tourist map proved so popular that many hotels have now run out of copies. For now, however, the Joplin Convention & Visitors Bureau is holding off on a reprint.

It’s tornado season and this year has been unusually active—more than 300 have touched down so far, with the latest in Joplin, Mo., this week. Tornadoes can strike with little warning and transform a landscape within a matter of minutes. And while their damage can be deadly, so can the confusing myths about tornadoes that continue to put people at risk. Here are five commonly held misperceptions about twister safety.

Myth #1: Opening windows to equalize air pressure will help minimize damage.

Do not waste precious time trying to open windows if a tornado is on its way. Doing so may only let in violent winds and flying debris. Seek shelter immediately.

Myth #2: The southwest corner of a basement is the safest place to seek shelter.

This used to be the prevailing belief because many tornadoes travel from southwest to northeast. In reality, the soundness and design of your building determines the safest area. However, experts now agree that the best place to go during a tornado is the center part of your basement or the lowest level of a building. The idea is to get as far away as possible from exterior walls and windows.

Myth #3: Tornadoes never strike big cities.

Major cities such as Miami, Nashville and Oklahoma City have all been hit by tornadoes in the past few years. Although three out of four tornadoes in the world happen in the United States, tornadoes can strike anywhere and have been documented on every continent except Antarctica. If a tornado warning is issued in your area, take it seriously.

Myth #4: Tornadoes only occur in late spring.

A tornado may occur at any time of day, and on any day of the year. However, tornadoes are most likely to occur in the late afternoon to evening (between 3pm and 9pm) during the warmer months between spring and early summer, when warm, humid air is more likely to collide with cold, dry air.

Myth #5: You can outrace a tornado in your car.

It’s best to avoid your car for several reasons during a tornado storm. Tornadoes can move up to 70 mph or more and shift directions erratically and without warning. Some tornadoes move faster than cars, even when the road is clear and flat. Also, severe thunderstorms that produce tornadoes can also produce flooding, hail and strong winds in the area. If you're caught outdoors when a tornado approaches, find the lowest point possible, lie face down in a ditch, ravine or other low area, and cover your head to protect it from flying debris.