In this blog, we always talk about the problems of the environment, and why it’s worth saving. This time we decided to blog about the power of nature, and how awesome and incredible it really is. So we decided to talk about the power of tornadoes, and found some really incredible stories.
Look, there’s Dorethy
Tornadoes are certainly not commonplace in the United Kingdom but we often see quite amazing footage of these spectacular wind swirls. However, while they are amazing to look at, they can cause untold damage and devastation. So what exactly is a tornado? Well, tornadoes are also known as cyclones and twisters, which is a pretty descriptive alternative given that they are caused by air swirling around an area of low atmosphere. The wind inside these spirals swirls with great speed and power, sucking up anything underneath. Tornadoes are known to be so strong that they can tear buildings apart.
Here we look at some first hand experiences of tornadoes and their aftermath. Back in 1924, some families were celebrating Harvest when one of the party noticed a tornado approaching from the north. The men travelled in the direction of the tornado to see if they could be of assistance to the people on that ranch. However, when they arrived they saw the tornado had passed by without harming any of the buildings. Rather tragically, though, as they were travelling back they noticed another tornado funnel heading in from the west towards a ranch house with eighteen occupants. The house was torn apart and its occupants swallowed up in the swirl. Devastatingly, ten of the occupants died as a result, all but one were children.
Most tornado stories that you hear are just as tragic as this one, if not more so. I stumbled across this tale from 1932 involving the Newport family who lived in Kansas, near Nebraska. The father’s name was John and he was a farmer. The whole area had just been subject to a heavy thunderstorm but it had passed over. However, as John went back to tend to his work in the fields he heard a roar in the distance. John looked to the sky to check if the thunderstorm had turned back but what he saw was far more sinister. John could just make out the form of a cyclone rotating. As he watched in horror he could see that this dark rotating cloud was heading straight for his home.
Tornadoes are very powerful things…
John continued to watch, firmly rooted to the spot through fear. He could now see several funnels circling towards the farm. He eventually found his feet and ran towards his house while attempting to scream to warn his family. Of course, once inside the whole family started scrambling about in terror, grasping for their most prized possessions and trying to make decisions about the best course of action when faced with such an impossible situation. The cyclone was getting closer and appeared heavier, faster and darker. Suddenly it hit and trees were swept up with its force. And then it happened, the tornado attacked the house with all its might. The Newport family within continued to grab at their possessions, as if searching for purpose within the madness.
In a moment of clarity, Mrs Newport concocted a plan and directed the family towards the cellar. She assisted all of her children first while Mr Newport battled to keep the tornado out. Just as the last of the children began the descent into the cellar, the house gave way to the full force of the cyclone. John Newport and his wife never made it into the cellar.
Imagine how you would feel if you were down there cowering for your life?
The tornado did not last long but its devastation was all encompassing. It had hit at a speed of 200mph and eventually carried all those possessions that had meant so much to that family and carried them 120 miles away. However, when those children emerged from the cellar, they were not looking for their favourite book or toy, they were looking for the most important people in the world to them. They did not have to look far as they found their mother, lifeless, a hundred yards away. Their father, barely breathing, was not much further away. He made his family promise to travel to their nearest neighbours for help, and he passed away a few hours later. The children, who survived the wrath of this twister and survived their parents, were aged between three and fifteen and called Mildred, Martha, Eleanor, Dean and Paul. They made the journey requested by their father. They were then brought up by their grandparents.
Such heartache makes this tale read like the synopsis of a Hollywood move but this was very real to the Newport family and their story is far from unique. However, when I read this tale it was as a story passed through generations but an amazing thing happened. A new-generation member of the Newport family read it and has updated the story with more facts about that fateful day. He is the son of Martha, the second oldest of the Newport children. Through discovering his family’s story online, he prompted his Aunt Eleanor to get in touch with the site. She provided first hand details of what happened that night. She actually said that she remembered seeing the light below when the house was lifted off the ground by the tornado. Aside from the children, the cellar was the only other Newport survivor of that twister.
The aftermath
I just cannot imagine living through something like that, especially for those young children to experience first hand the death of their parents who made the ultimate sacrifice to ensure their children were safe.
As we have discussed the effects of these tornadoes is very real and far reaching. People who have experienced them find different ways of coping with the aftermath. Those who have never had to experience this horror find it hard to empathise because although we can try to imagine, it can never come close to the horror in reality. Have I told the best ever tornado stories? I am not sure there is such a thing as few have a completely happy ending. However, what these stories and the millions of other like them show us is that humans show amazing strength and courage when faced with the most horrifying circumstances.
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