Here, in its entirety, is a short documentary film from the Civil Defense Agency that figured very prominently in my childhood. That's primarily because I lived through the Huntsville, Alabama portion of it. The quality of the film is not great (it wasn't even by 1970s standards!) and some of the re-enactments using the acutal participants are unintentionally humorous but the event it records - the 1974 Super Outbreak - was dreadfully serious. 148 tornadoes (the most ever in a single weather event) struck the Ohio and Tennessee River valleys in a single day, killing 330 people.
This next section includes the town of Xenia, Ohio, which was virtuallly erased by an F-5 tornado that day. It concludes with extensive actual footage from the Huntsville area.
The Huntsville material - and the film - concludes here:
More detailed information on the Super Outbreak is available at http://www.publicaffairs.noaa.gov/storms/
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3 comments:
I grew up looking forward to this being shown every April on 31 or 19. I taped it in 1984 and have seen it numerous times since then. I remember asking Mr Hayes to show it in HS. For it's time, and my age, it will always be a classic in my book.
Younger folks may not appreciate it, especially the cheesy production and reenactments. There are moments I'll never forget:
The philosophical man with the pipe, WAAY TV's own Adrian Gibson's part, the chicken feather lady, and the man who offers to take his wife out for drinks during their anniversary in the middle of the worst tornado outbreak in recorded world history!
The footage used in this film was historic in many ways. This comment is already turning into a post of it's own so I will stop now.
Thanks for posting Johnny. I have been planning on a post like this for quite a while.
"If 'ere's anyone inair, ye better take cover. 'Ere's a tornader comin'!"
I remember that quote from my childhood. That was either in Limestone or Western Madison I think. Those guys were going trailer to trailer!
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