Good Morning...In a world without tornado warnings...

[Okla-homey]

April 9, 1947: Tornado reduces Woodward OK to rubble

http://img364.imageshack.us/img364/7801/aaaaaawwddmg18zm.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

60 years ago today, the town of Woodward, Oklahoma, is nearly wiped off the map by a powerful tornado which is now listed as the sixth deadliest tornado in US history and Oklahoma's deadliest. More than 100 people died in Woodward alone, and 80 more lost their lives elsewhere in the series of twisters that hit the U.S. heartland that day.

http://img114.imageshack.us/img114/6974/aaaawwd47map2wb.gif (http://imageshack.us)

It first struck Glazier and Higgins in the Texas Panhandle, devastating both towns and producing at least 69 fatalities in Texas before crossing into Oklahoma. In Ellis County, Oklahoma, the tornado did not strike any towns, passing to the southeast of Shattuck, Gage, and Fargo.

Even though no towns were struck, nearly 60 farms and ranches were destroyed and 8 people were killed with 42 more injured. Moving into Woodward County, one death was reported near Tangier.

By the time it slammed into Woodward, the monster tornado was 1.8 miles wide at the base and was barrelling along the ground at 50 mph!

The violent tornado (estimated at F5 on the Fujita Scale) unleashed its worst destruction on Woodward, striking the city without warning after dark at 8:42pm. Over 100 city blocks on the west and north sides of the city were destroyed with lesser damage in the southeast portion of the town.

http://img114.imageshack.us/img114/5461/aaaaaawoodward32qd.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Confusion and fires reigned in the aftermath with over 1000 homes and businesses destroyed, at least 107 people killed in and around Woodward, and nearly 1000 additional injuries. Additionally, Woodward's electrical and gas service was destroyed and neither were restored for weeks.

http://img114.imageshack.us/img114/2315/aaaaa47torn95yd.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Normal communications between Woodward and the outside world were not restored for some time and there was great uncertainty as to victim status. In fact, the bodies of three children were never identified, and one child who survived the tornado was lost and never reunited with her family.

http://aycu05.webshots.com/image/14204/2005736984285853869_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2005736984285853869)
Grave of a little girl who was never identified.

Help for Woodward came from many places, including units from as far away as Oklahoma City and Wichita.

http://img114.imageshack.us/img114/4323/aaaawoodward74hq.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Beyond Woodward, the tornado lost some intensity, but still destroyed 36 homes and injured 30 people in Woods County before ending.

http://img114.imageshack.us/img114/1677/aaaaaaoklahomanclip8pf.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

In all, at least 116 lives were lost in Oklahoma on that fateful night. Never before or since has a tornado been so costly to human life in the Sooner State. Because of the Woodward tornado and other devastating tornadoes in the late 1940's and early 1950's, and because of new radar technologies available after World War II, the Weather Bureau (now the National Weather Service) began a tornado watch and warning program in 1953.

http://img223.imageshack.us/img223/9629/aaaaawoodward18ab.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

During the last five decades, the warning system composed of the National Weather Service, local civil preparedness agencies, and the media has continued to mature and provide better and better information to citizens to help them protect themselves from tornadoes. Because of the strengths of the warning system, tornado death tolls in Oklahoma, and nationwide, have dropped considerably with each passing decade and, hopefully, will continue to decrease.

http://aycu04.webshots.com/image/11883/2005703345306232662_rs.jpg (http://allyoucanupload.webshots.com/v/2005703345306232662)

We all owe a debt of gratitude to the dedicated meteorological trailblazers who have for over 60 years now, worked hard to give us all sufficient warning that a twister is a comin' -- so's we can git to the hidey hole and escape being flung into a pecan tree or violently crushed to death by a flying Buick. Try to remember that when your favorite programming is interrupted by a breathless weather dude or weatherette trying to keep you safe.
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[Sooner24]

My aunt, who is now deceased, had just gotten out of nursing school and was sent to Woodward to help. My mom said she was there over six weeks. Boy, walking into something like that would almost be like being in a M.A.S.H. unit.

[SoonerStormchaser]

Obligatory shout out to my weather homies!

[XingTheRubicon]

The Pioneer Museum in "Woodard" has some pretty cool exhibits and pics from the '47 tornado.

[soonerjoker]

those weather guys saved thousands of live in that really biggie that about
wiped out moore & other towns, a few years ago.

i saw a documentary on that tornado, it made me cry. sooo sad.

[soonerboy_odanorth]

My family went through that tornado in Big Woo. My mom was a year old. Their story was one of those freaky tornado things. My grandfather's first house (that they lived in at the time) in Woodward was only a few blocks from the courthouse you see in the first photo, and had no basement, nor did they have a storm shelter. Their windows were blown out and roof pretty shredded, but they otherwise came out unscathed.

My grandfather of course (as did everyone) participated in search and rescue. And he always told us to take the tornado warnings very seriously, as he assured us that we never wanted to have to see a broken body that looked like a pincushion with all of the splinters and glass sticking out of it.

*(And as I think about it, imagine the fright of my grandmother, an Irish war bride that had lived through the Nazis' bombing of Belfast and who had only been in the country for a little over a year.... )

[soonerbrat]

That's odd that they never identified a victim..didn't anyone report her missing? or maybe her family perished too...

still sad.