|
The Omaha Easter Sunday Tornado struck Omaha, Nebraska at approximately 6:00 p.m. on 23 March 1913. A massive tornado-producing storm ripped its way through Nebraska, and through the thriving city of Omaha. The storm's path was reported as being 40 miles long and from 1/4- to 1/2-mile wide, and included 8 distinct tornados. Easter Sunday began under cloudy skies in Omaha. Rain threatened but never fell on the city, and by noon the skies had brightened to the point where the sun began to peek through. In the afternoon the skies darkened again as a massive storm system moved into the area from western Nebraska. This storm system brought snow to the Colorado Rockies and high winds to Denver on Sunday morning. At 5:20 p.m. the first tornado from the storm touched down just outside of Craig, Nebraska. It traveled into Iowa without causing major damage. A second tornado touched down at about 5:30 p.m. near Ithaca, claiming the first casualties of the day as it swept through Yutan. Two other rural tornadoes followed. At 5:45 p.m. a tornado touched down near Kramer. This tornado raced northeast and reached the outskirts of Omaha around 6:00 p.m.. The Omaha tornado followed the path of Little Papillion Creek as it entered the city. It moved through the west side of town alongside the Missouri Pacific Railroad, destroying the small workers cottages in the area. The tornado was so strong that steel train cars were later found to have been pierced by pieces of shattered lumber from the demolished homes. By the time the funnel cloud reached Dewey Avenue it was five blocks wide. When it reached Farnham Hill the twister followed a shallow valley through this upscale neighborhood. Even the large mansions of Farnham were no match for the winds, and many houses were torn to pieces. Others were later found chopped in half, pipes and supports dangling into space. At 24th and Lake Streets a large crowd was enjoying a show at the Diamond Moving Picture Theater. The tornado flattened the building. Other brick structures in this small commercial district took similar hits, and more people died here than in any other part of Omaha. A streetcar running down 24th Street encountered the tornado near this area. Thanks to the quick actions of operator Ord Hensley, every passenger on the streetcar survived. Later, photographers would spot the wrecked machine and would call it the "Streetcar of Death," imagining that no one on board could have survived given the immense damage. The tornado skirted the downtown area and moved over the Missouri River into Council Bluffs. By this time it was losing steam, and although Council Bluffs sustained damage it escaped the destruction the tornado had brought to Omaha. The only warning anyone had was a sudden and sharp fall of barometric pressure and temperature, and few had time to seek shelter. 153 people died, 115 in Omaha, and 400 more were injured. In the aftermath of the tornado, a cold front moved into Omaha and caused further misery, as newly homeless residents struggled to escape the snowy weather. 2,000 homes in Omaha alone were reportedly destroyed, $8 million total damage from the storm, $5.5 of which was in Omaha (financial damage estimates vary, the NOAA reports more damage than this). The same storm system that struck Nebraska also created a huge dust storm in Topeka, Kansas. On Sunday night, it spawned another deadly tornado in Terre Haute, Indiana, killing 50. On Monday and Tuesday the storm brought heavy rains to the Midwest and upstate New York, causing widespread flooding.
Random Facts See also | ||||||||
|
| |||||||||
 |
|
| |