User:K8t3s/1974 Xenia tornado

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On April 3, 1974, a tornado struck Xenia and Wilberforce, Ohio, killing 36 people. The 1974 Xenia tornado was the deadliest individual tornado of the 1974 Super Outbreak, the 24-hour period between April 3 and April 4, 1974 in which 148 tornadoes touched down in 13 different U.S. states. The outbreak was considered "the most intense and widespread tornado outbreak in recorded history," until the 2011 Super Outbreak. However, the 1974 Xenia tornado is still considered to be the worst tornado in Ohio's history, and is the reason for improved warning systems, alarms, and safety protocols throughout the state. The tornado destroyed a large portion of Xenia and Wilberforce, Ohio, which caused meteorologist Dr. Ted Fujita to initially assign a preliminary rating of F6 intensity of ± 1 on the Fujita scale, making it the second tornado to receive this rating, the first being the 1970 Lubbock tornado. However, the rating was later downgraded to F5 after Fujita deemed F6 ratings "inconceivable". Across the state of Ohio, 2,000 individuals were injured, 7,000 homes were destroyed, and 39 people were killed during the 1974 Super Outbreak, 32 of them being in Xenia. Despite Ohio being better equipped for a tornadic disaster than many other states, a survey team from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) found that the lack of tornado sirens to be one of the leading causes of unpreparedness. '''Today, the city of Xenia remembers the tornado of 1974 with both solemnity and pride. Those who survived recall the massive damage and loss they and their loved ones experienced; however, the determination and perseverance of the victims in the immediate aftermath continues to inspire growth in this small Midwestern town.'''

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(Meteorological Synopsis)
A powerful springtime low pressure system developed across the North American Interior Plains on April 2. While moving into the Mississippi and Ohio Valley areas, a surge of moist air originating from the Gulf of Mexico intensified the storm. There were sharp temperature contrasts between both sides of the system, creating very unstable weather conditions. Officials at NOAA and in the National Weather Service forecast offices were expecting a severe weather outbreak on April 3, but not to the extent that ultimately occurred. Several F2 and F3 tornadoes had struck portions of the Ohio Valley and the South in a separate, earlier outbreak—occurring on April 1 and 2—which included three deadly tornadoes in Kentucky, Alabama, and Tennessee. The town of Campbellsburg, Kentucky, northeast of Louisville, had large portions destroyed by an F3 tornado after an earlier outbreak. Between the two outbreaks, an additional tornado was reported in Indiana on the morning of April 3, several hours before the official start of the outbreak. On April 3, severe weather watches were issued south of the Great Lakes, while in portions of the Upper Midwest, snow was reported, with heavy rain falling across central Michigan and most of Ontario.

Communal Recovery
'''The impact of the tornado on the city of Xenia issued both emotional and physical damage. During the initial moments of the tornado, many feared for their own lives, as well as the lives of their families and friends. Cincinnati reporter Polk Laffoon noted, "In all, nine people lost their lives during those first few seconds...before it even did a fraction of the damage which made it so famous."''' A total of 32 people lost their lives in the tornado, and about 1,150 were injured in Xenia, several of whom took proper shelter. In addition to fatalities, two Ohio Air National Guardsmen deployed for disaster assistance were killed on April 17 when a fire swept through their temporary barracks in a furniture store. The memorial in downtown Xenia lists 34 deaths in honor of the two Guardsmen. About 1,400 buildings, roughly half of the town, were damaged or destroyed. Damage was estimated at US$100 million ($ in 2022).

President Richard Nixon made an unannounced visit to Xenia a few days later. It would be the first and only city affected by the 1974 Super Outbreak that he would visit. Upon inspecting the damage, he said: "As I look back over the disasters, I saw the earthquake in Anchorage in 1964; I saw the hurricanes... Hurricane Camille in 1969 down in Mississippi, and I saw Hurricane Agnes in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. And it is hard to tell the difference among them all, but I would say in terms of destruction, just total devastation, this is the worst I have seen." President Nixon immediately declared Xenia a disaster area. Although the Federal Disaster Relief Act was already introduced in 1973, it had not passed Congress at the time. The 1974 Super Outbreak disaster was a catalyst for accelerated passage of the act through Congress in 1974, according to Nixon. It took several months for the city to recover from the tornado, with the help of the Red Cross, the Ohio National Guard, and the Department of Housing and Urban Development assisting the recovery efforts. '''By December of 1974, federal and state assistance programs raised a total of $34.4 million. Shortly after, the Department of Transportation initiated a public transportation unit—X-line—to assist locals who had lost their primary means of transportation. Prior to the 1974 tornado, Xenia did not have any form of public transportation system.'''

In recognition of their coverage of the tornado under difficult circumstances, the staff of the Xenia Daily Gazette won the Pulitzer Prize for Spot News Reporting in 1975. The Xenia tornado was one of two rated F5 tornadoes that affected Ohio during the outbreak, the other striking the area of Cincinnati. Xenia was later struck by two other tornadoes—a small one in April 1989 and a large one in September 2000, which was an F4 tornado that killed one and injured about 100 in an area parallel to and north of the 1974 path. Before the 1974 storm, the city had no tornado sirens. After the F5 tornado hit on April 3, 1974, ten sirens were installed across the area.

Tornado Preparedness
Following the 1974 Super Outbreak, NOAA attempted to implement an expansion of its Weather Radio, believing it would prevent the same devastating destruction in the event of another natural disaster. Unfortunately, the weather radio system received little attention throughout the 1970s and 1980s. '''The National Weather Service lacked funds and staff, leaving many cities to their own devices when it came to tornado preparedness. However, Xenia took it upon itself to ensure that in the event of another tornado, its citizens would be ready.''' Before the 1974 storm, the city had no tornado sirens. After the F5 tornado hit on April 3, 1974, ten sirens were installed across the area. '''Every building is required to have a clearly marked tornado shelter, and employees are required to know the proper actions to take during an emergency. Many of the buildings that were rebuilt immediately following the tornado took on the appearance of "concrete fortresses," focusing on safety rather than aesthetic.'''

The Ohio Committee for Severe Weather Awareness (OCSWA) was established in 1978 with the mission of "...educating Ohioans about the natural disasters that typically affect the state..." '''Every spring, the OCSWA hosts Spring Severe Weather Awareness Week, which encourages schools and families to openly discuss disaster plans. Additionally, there is a statewide tornado drill held on the Wednesday of that week. In the state of Ohio, principals of local schools are required to ensure their students receive routine emergency protocol training six times per school year. Outside the school system, it is not uncommon to hear a tornado siren being tested weekly at noon on Mondays or Wednesdays.'''