Today marks the 49th anniversary since, what
became known as the Palm Sunday Tornadoes, occurred in my home town. I rarely talk about this but
my local hometown newspaper has asked that people who experienced the tornadoes
share some memories. The following is my account of that day.
It was a beautifully warm day. I had dared to put on shorts
that early in spring in Northern Indiana.
I was still outside late in the afternoon playing some basketball with
friends as we did nearly every chance we had from the time we could walk. I was sixteen, happy, carefree and ready for
whatever life had to offer.
Our neighbor came to the fence and told us to go inside
because he saw on TV that strong storms were on the way. It seemed odd since there was not a cloud in
the sky. But, we all went our separate ways
to go home and watch TV. My dad and I
had just settled down on the couch to check the weather when, once again, our
neighbor came over. He was out of breath
and seemed oddly excited. He had just heard on his police radio that a tornado
had gone through a section of town just south of the city. He said they needed station wagons to
help transport people to the hospital. I know how odd that sounds but that was a different time.
We had a large station wagon and my dad and I were ready to
go. Looking back, I know for sure that
we never considered the drama we were so ready to involve ourselves
in. He wanted me to drive. I was surprised since I had only gotten my
license six months before. But off we went. We drove East and then South toward the area we thought would take us close. But
about halfway there the weather turned into an angry, raging torrent. It was pitch black with frighteningly loud
rain. I could see nothing so I pulled off on the side of the road and
waited. Shortly, it became eerily calm. We assumed it was just another storm. So off we went to see if we could locate
where that tornado came through. As we
drove a little further, we came up on an area of unspeakable devastation. There were no ambulances, no police cars and
no fire trucks. Nothing. Only silence. I pulled off the road and
glanced up a slowly rising hill to view nothing but wood planks everywhere. Dad jumped out of the car and ran over to a
man he saw sitting on the ground with
his arms wrapped around a telephone pole.
I walked over to him too and he was gasping for air. We realized that he was so covered in mud
that his skin could not breathe. We
brushed heaps of wet muck off him. That
seemed to help. I could hear some faint
voices up the hill. They were calls for
help and children crying. That’s when I realized that we were the first people
to arrive in the area. I told dad that
there must have been a second tornado because this had just happened. Emergency vehicles began arriving and dad stayed
with the man we had helped when they took him to an ambulance. I was asked by a young fireman to help him
search for victims. We searched house-to-house which were nothing but rubble. We were looking, listening and pulling out
people from their hiding places. Suffice to say, the next couple of hours were
terrifying, gratifying and life altering for me. I would climb down into basements open to the
sky but so strewn with lumber and furniture that you would never think anyone
could be down there . . . and alive. But they were.
Most of my time walking up the street with the fireman, climbing over the
rubble and training flashlights through the slightest cracks were fruitless
ventures. But then we would find someone. Tears would well up in our eyes as we screamed for emergency people and
threw lumber out of the way.
My dad found me later sitting on a stump, no longer able to help. My brain just shut down. I couldn't look for or look at any more people, dead or alive. We put our arms around each other and walked slowly back to the car. We just got in our car and drove home in a peaceful quietness that we both needed badly.
My dad found me later sitting on a stump, no longer able to help. My brain just shut down. I couldn't look for or look at any more people, dead or alive. We put our arms around each other and walked slowly back to the car. We just got in our car and drove home in a peaceful quietness that we both needed badly.
As it turned out, we had driven up on the secondary access
road to what is called The Sunnyside Edition. A massive “double” category 4
tornado had passed directly over that
area. Apparently when I had to pull off the road and wait for the storm, the big one hit. So, all-in-all, the same general area of my hometown was hit by four tornadoes that night. I would guess we arrived no more than 5 minutes after it had passed.
area. Apparently when I had to pull off the road and wait for the storm, the big one hit. So, all-in-all, the same general area of my hometown was hit by four tornadoes that night. I would guess we arrived no more than 5 minutes after it had passed.
So . . .that’s it. For a few days after, I had trouble sleeping. But
as a teenager, I was pretty resilient. However, I carry many visions with me of
that night that are mine and mine alone.
The stories that came out of the Palm Sunday Tornadoes have been told
through the years in my hometown. Now
you know my story.
This famous picture shows the two tornadoes forming out of one massive cloud.
This is an aerial view of the Sunnyside Subdivision where I was involved in search and rescue.
This is typical of what they found when the sun came up the next morning.
Here is a link to information on The Palm Sunday Tornadoes: http://www.elkharttruth.com/living/Community-Blogs/Elkhart-County-History/2014/04/11/This-Day-In-History-The-Palm-Sunday-Tornadoes.html
8 comments:
Thank you for sharing this account. I didn't know about this but it must have been awful. I read about the whole outbreak from your link. I can understand how it's hard to talk about.
That was a great recount of that day that we all (those who were alive that is) lived through even if we were not in the actual eye of the storm. We all had our lives changed in some matter of speaking. Thanks for your take and thanks to you and your dad for the help you gave to those who needed it..
Wow! You were really in it! Thank you for your help as I'm sure many people appreciated it. I remember hailstones as big as baseballs.
Hi Cuz--when my brother and cousin, JB, and I learned about the twisters that roared through Sunnyside and the Midway Trailer Park north of Goshen, we jumped in the car and headed toward the area to help. They were asking for assistance from any able-bodied citizens. Every place we went we were told that they had enough help, but we saw the same devastation you witnessed. Words fail to describe it. As with you, those images are deeply ingrained in my memory. I read accounts of the tornado that roared through Peoria a few years ago, and those images resurfaced with a vengeance.
What a heartfelt account of a terrible day for us in Elkhart. There were many other citizens like you and your dad who selflessly risked injury to help save lives. I remember the story of the young girl that was babysitting children for several families who were in church for Palm Sunday evening services. She saved their lives by taking the kids to another safer house that was spared. I know you Chuck and I know what you went through. You graciously left out some things that are best left alone. But I appreciate the recount of that day. It changed us all.
Thanks for sharing, Chuck. Bet you felt like you grew up a decade over night.
Since '95 we've lived a mile from that area in a home that was built soon after Palm Sunday. Not likely disaster will hit the same area twice but we don't ignore warning sirens. The house has an attached storm shelter off the basement. Don't know who built the place but my guess is that they lived in the Dunlap area during Palm Sunday and had an especial concern about the danger of falling brick walls.
great story Chuck. I don't remember storms the next day either. My Dad was a city policeman, and I remember he was out all night and came home the next day with stories about what he saw.....and other things that he never wanted to talk about.
Thanks for sharing Chuck Drake . My husbands classmates lived in Sunnyside . Ed helped with the search , rescue & cleanup .
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