JOPLIN, Mo. (AP) - Cleanup efforts in Joplin will move ahead Wednesday, when Gov. Jay Nixon says crews will begin hauling away debris left by a massive tornado that leveled a third of the city and killed more than 100 people in the southwest Missouri.

Government officials say the rubble will be taken to three landfills -- two in Kansas and one in Lamar, Mo.

Environmental officials have said the debris must be handled carefully because it could contain asbestos used in the construction of older buildings and other hazardous waste.

The tornado damaged or destroyed more than 8,000 buildings.

Nixon says the federal government will cover 90 percent of the cost of the debris removal. He says the Missouri National Guard will lead the cleanup effort.
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