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View Full Version : Oklahoma Tornado May 3, 1999



Peekaboo
04-30-2009, 11:57 PM
All that someone has to say is "May 3, 1999" and anyone in Oklahoma will know what they are talking about. It's been almost 10 years since that deadly tornado swept through Oklahoma. 44 people were killed and hundreds of people lost their homes. Some of the local news stations are going to be having hour long specials on it this weekend. It doesn't seem like it was 10 years ago. I remember being out at the softball fields practicing with my dad and it started to rain and hail on us. When we got home we turned on the tv and watched the tornado tear through many Oklahoma towns and cities. It was a day that many Oklahomans will never forget. Here's a bit of footage from that day. It's a little blurry but you get the idea.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DvoIMvAkQ8

EagleLady
05-01-2009, 12:01 AM
What a sad day for all of those who lost loved ones on that tragic day. It really shows the fury of mother nature.

sodascouts
05-01-2009, 02:10 AM
Wow - Devastating.

MikeA
05-01-2009, 07:29 AM
Hey Peek,

Were you in that May 3, 1999 tornado?

"Ours" hit on April 26, 1991. It got a lot of publicity for a really morbid reason. When it reached Andover (where we live) it was rated at F5. It first hit a relatively new neighborhood of mostly brick homes...many multiple stories. It then crossed the main north/south road (Andover Road) and hit the Golden Spur Mobile Home part.

CDC (Center for Disease Control) was very interested because they were able to compare damages between house and mobile home, between those who had underground safety (basements/shelters) and those who didn't. Those who heeded warnings and those who didn't.

Those brick homes....leveled. Those mobile homes...the walls that were still in tact, were shuffled like decks of cards.

The mobile home park did have a community shelter. It wasn't filled with people. WE THE PEOPLE had become complacent about tornado warnings and the warning system was lacking. People didn't pay attention even with police vehicles driving up and down streets with sirens and loudspeakers giving warning.

13 died who had lived in the mobile home park. None were killed or severely injured who lived in the destroyed brick neighborhood where virtually every house had a basement.

It was a landmark study done by the CDC. Tornado warning systems were installed and to this day are tested each Monday at noon when those Monday's are not threatened by storms.

We were fortunate (Verna and I). The funnel passed us a half mile to our west and then hit the mobile home park which is located less than a mile to our north.

Verna was the coordinator for volunteers who came from all over the country to help in recovery efforts. In the end, she performed interviews of every family victim of the storm she could locate, accumulated photographs and worked closely with the Mental Health Association in Andover in publishing a book that documented all aspects of this storm.

It was impossible to escape the paranoia this past April 26, 2009, when tornados touched down south and north of Andover...but these Johnnie Come Latelys were nothing compared to the big one that hit us in 1991 on April 26.

I was a little surprised to find so many clips on YouTube of that storm.

If you watch these, note the size of the funnel from the shot across the golf course (Teradyne)

http://www.youtube.com/view_play_list?p=A680342E034E2CAF&search_query=andover+tornado

Peekaboo
05-01-2009, 11:32 AM
Hey Peek,

Were you in that May 3, 1999 tornado?


No I wasn't and thankfully no one in my family was either. Where i'm from is a small town an hour west of Oklahoma City called Weatherford (I don't live there anymore but my family still does). We watched the whole May 3rd tornado happen on tv. It was scary just watching it and I can only imagine what it was like to go through something like that. I've lived in Oklahoma all my life and have never been in a tornado (knocking on wood). We've had to take shelter a few times though and that was scary enough. To this day, tornados scare the crap out of me. The only time I will watch the movie Twister is during the winter time.

MikeA
05-01-2009, 05:36 PM
I hear ALL THAT Peek. The thing is, tornados damage more than physical structures....they mess with your HEAD too!

I still grab the camera and run outside when I hear the sirens go off, but I make darn sure there is nothing between me and the stairway to the basement!

Peekaboo
05-01-2009, 06:36 PM
Oh i could never do that. :fear: You are a brave one, Mike. I've never even seen a live tornado that wasn't on tv and I don't think i ever want to. When the sirens go off i'm already safe in the basement with my flashlight and a radio.

TimothyBFan
05-04-2009, 09:44 AM
I still grab the camera and run outside when I hear the sirens go off, but I make darn sure there is nothing between me and the stairway to the basement!

I swear this is a man thing!! My husband, brother and my father use to do the same thing. Why? We have lots of tornadoes in the area we live in and there have been some very damaging ones in the last 4-5 years in some of the surrounding communities. A couple years ago, the Amish community where my Mom is was really damaged by a F5 tornado that went thru. They figure it was mainly because the Amish, with no tv, etc, had little to no warning at all. I can guarantee you, I have no desire to stand outside and watch for it!

MikeA
05-08-2009, 03:47 PM
But Willie....

If you don't go out and look, how are you going to know that you need to take cover? <evil smirk>