Eye Witness Accounts of May 11, 1970
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- Опубліковано 21 сер 2024
- In 1970 on a very clear West Texas afternoon, Donald Haragan and Larry Tanner were going about their typical day without any word of severe storm. That evening would not just change their lives, but start the building blocks of what has become one of the leading research institutes of wind and extreme weather.
I was 17 and we lived away from where the storm hit out near Slide Road. But I immediately hopped on my motorcycle and went into town. I helped clear debris, look for people. Somehow I ended up the next day driving a "roach coach" food truck to all the areas where the National Guard were out patrolling and wherever people were still staying in storm shelters or damaged homes. I'd seen my fair share of tornadoes growing up in West Texas, but it was jaw-dropping to see the damage that an F-5 can cause. There was one block, I forget where exactly, but there was nothing but maybe a few pieces of debris taller than about 10 ft high. Almost everything was razed to the ground. It was one of the blocks with a number of fatalities. I drove that truck for 4 straight days and nights on almost no sleep. I haven't been back to Lubbock since 1972.
I was there the next day, trying to help the injured, and will never forget the church that was totally demolished, except for the north wall with the cross on it. And in front of where the podium would be, was a bible on a table. Totally intact, not a page torn, opened to the 23rd psalm. Hooked me to chase tornadoes for many years, all over the South Plains and Panhandle. Any force of mother nature, that could do that, I had to see.
I was there, I was 9 years old. The first one skirted the town. The 2nd did not. We had a bomb shelter in our back yard. As the blackness filled the sky, it moved in to Lubbock. Ponding rain and hail began to unleash on our community. Suddenly it stopped for a brief second. You could hear a pin drop. I looked out our front window to see, all at once, the roar started as the rotation was now moving over our neighborhood,the transformer across the street exploded and I could now see the tree in our front yard bent in a u shape. Suddenly the neighbor ran thru the door and screamed,shelter now! We ran out of the back door in to the yard,lifted the door and entered our untouchable bomb shelter. Closed the door and listened to the f-5 monster destroy our town. Still brings tears of fear from that night when I describe this. I've been watching the skies every since that night. We all survived, my family that is. Lost 2 pets, lost schoolmates. My dad and I tried to drive thru Lubbock and witness the damage,that's all there was. Massive destruction,unpassable street. Terrible horrors. 53 years ago,still fresh in my mind. Storm shelters should be mandatory in the danger zones. To many lives lost because no where to hide when the tornados come. That's my story,May 11 1970.
At least 45 minutes before the big tornado hit, the advancing anvil came across town. It was, just like the tornadic storm of 3 days ago, a beautiful mammatus anvil, bright yellow golden orange. My father already had bought his airplane, and was taking his aviation weather classes. My whole family was outside working in the yard. We were all looking up, marveling at the amazing anvil! My father said, "In weather class we learned that those kinds of clouds mean severe weather is on the way!"
That was really an understatement. It wasn't until dark when the tornado hit, at least the second, killer EF5.
My dad and I drove out to the airport to see if his airplane was ok. It was, but the planes in the hangers on either side of his were destroyed! And over on that east side of the airport the tornado had turned many planes into modern art sculptures. It was just so unreal. Later that afternoon, my neighbor Mark, and I, drove around surveying the damage. Some of the worst we saw, and we saw a LOT, was up around the country club area on the west side of the freeway. Those houses were just wiped off the foundations!! We didn't stay long. I was afraid I'd get a flat from driving on debris, like walls, roofs, etc. And a national guard soldier told me to move along. I'm glad he did, really.
I WAS A LITTLE MORE THAN THREE 3 YEARS AWAY FROM BEING BORN WHEN THE TORNADO 🌪️🌀 HIT LUBBOCK, AND, MY MOM WAS IN HIGH SCHOOL, AND, MY DAD WAS PROBABLY JUST STARTING COLLEGE.
This is for you and David. I was in Lubbock at this time. I thought you might like it
Wow! My old boss, Don Harrigan! I spent all night and all day Tuesday in the front seat of an ambulance; and later we were stationed at the Coliseum where refugee center at been set up. We made a run out to the airport where a military transport had landed with whole blood which needed to go to the Coliseum, so away we went. While we were loading everything into the ambulance, cameramen from all 3 networks showed up, so we made national TV. Wouldn't want to do that that way again!