April 3, 1974

Poststructural Pub
1

Today is the anniversary of the worst outbreak of tornados in a 24 hour period in the US.

http://www.april31974.com/

I survived one of them (#44 in the southwest corner of Ohio on the map). It was later rated an F4. Of the 25 or so houses that I considered my “neighborhood” (this was a rural/residential area, so lots of land between houses), ours and one other were the only one rebuildable - all the others were totally destroyed. Many animals were killed, but we luckily had no people killed, or even seriously hurt.

Take time, if you are in a tornado prone area, to find out how the sirens work in your area. Invest in a NOAA weather radio, and set it to the county WEST of you (at least in this part of the country, the storms come from the west) so you have lots of warning. Find the best place in your house (basement, or bathroom) to congregate.

We were incredibly lucky. 35 people in Xenia, Ohio weren’t.

Needless to say, while I love spring, I do NOT like it when we get storms coming in. Oh, and my mom was in another tornado 5 years ago. This time it split, and the apartment she now lives in wasn’t touched, but there were houses destroyed and two killed right down the road from her.

Missy

2

Even though I was not living in Indiana at the time, I remember the storm reports, as my parents were living only a few miles from the high school that was destroyed in Randolph County, IN. There were also people that I knew whose house was destroyed in Xenia, OH during that storm outbreak.

I am fortunate to have a storm alert siren just across the street from where I live in Lafayette, IN. They test the sirens every Saturday morning at 11 am, and I jump every time I hear them go off. Last summer a tornado went right over my house and touched down just a couple of miles to the east in Dayton, IN. I agree that we all need to be alert to the storms reports and should have plans to get to a safe place if need be.

Thanks, Missy, for posting the link to the site. It was interesting and thorough. It kind of makes me want to move back to Arizona, where tornadoes are rare.

3

Wow. That’s intense. We’ve only had a couple here since I was a lad. I guess it’s better then earthquakes and hurricanes.

4

I stood slack-jawed in front of my house as this took place only two or three miles away! :astonished: This is why I am a trained storm spotter now.

Fort Smith, AR - 21 Apr. 1996 (from Arkansas Democrat-Gazette archives):