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Residents Clean Up After Deadly Tornadoes
Written by Mason Anderson, Staff Writer, RedCross.org
April 30, 2002 — Two days after one of the most powerful tornadoes to hit the East Coast tore through their town, residents of La Plata, Md., are beginning the difficult process of recovery. The storm lasted only minutes, but three people were left dead in its wake and more than 100 others were injured. Wreckage left by the monster twister is massive, with a third of the community's businesses and as many as 100 homes left in shambles.
More than 200 homes and businesses were destroyed by the F5 twister in La Plata, Md.
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The chaos began Sunday (April 28) evening when an F5 twister touched down in La Plata. Despite several tornado watches issued by the National Weather Service, many residents were unaware of the threat, according to The Washington Post. Others may not have taken the warnings seriously because tornadoes are a rarity in the area.
At 7:00 p.m., however, Mother Nature dispelled their doubts; fear about the storm's reality began to set in.
"I looked outside and the sky was bloody red. It looked like the whole city was on fire," described La Plata resident Vincent Kordack.
With winds surpassing 260 mph, the twister tore a 24-mile path eastward from La Plata in Charles County through Calvert County, causing upward of $100 million in damages in the two regions.
After preliminary assessments, the National Weather Service categorized the twister as an F5, the most severe rating possible. Based on the Fujita Wind Damage Scale, the F5 category is used for nature's most violent tornadoes, with winds of 261to 318 mph.
Measuring as wide as 400 feet at times, Sunday's twister was the strongest to ever strike Maryland. Only two F4's have been recorded in the state's history — including one in 1926, the deadliest in the state's history, that killed 14 children in La Plata, according to the Associated Press.
The American Red Cross responded immediately to the deadly tornado. Volunteers set up shelters for the hundreds of residents whose homes were damaged or destroyed, despite the fact that one of the wrecked buildings was the Charles County Red Cross Chapter located in the heart of La Plata.
Nothing but wreckage is left of the American Red Cross Charles County Chapter in La Plata, Md.
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"We had no building and no car but we were prepared for a disaster and we got it done," said Mike Zabko, executive director of the Charles County Chapter:
The extent of the damages was made clear to everyone at daybreak Monday (April 29). Hundreds of small businesses lay in ruins and hundreds of homes suffered damages, including many that were swept completely off their foundations. Thousands of residents were left without electricity and phone service, including most mobile connections.
According to preliminary damage assessment, as many as 16,000 pieces of property in the county may have been damaged, according to Zabko.
Because the local chapter is destroyed, the Red Cross is running its relief operation out of a motor home in the parking lot of the Charles County Government Center in La Plata.
"We're meeting the needs of the people beyond our reach, who cannot come to us, with a mobile outreach program" said Tim Jones, relief operations director. "… We're opening a service center location where people who have lost everything can come."
Four Red Cross Emergency Response Vehicles (ERVs) are travelling throughout the La Plata region, delivering food, water and cleanup supplies to the hundreds of residents beginning to recover and rebuild.
Thirty Tornadoes Across the Nation
Maryland residents were not alone in their tornado recovery efforts on Sunday evening. At least 30 twisters were recorded in the United States that day. In all, 10 people were killed and hundreds were injured.
Hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed in Sunday's storms.
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In addition to bombarding Maryland, a severe system of storms wreaked havoc in the Tennessee and Ohio valleys Sunday. The system triggered twisters in Missouri, Kentucky, Illinois, Virginia, Indiana and Tennessee. In eastern Missouri, an F3 tornado with winds up to 180 mph and as wide as two football fields, whipped through Marble Hill, just south of St. Louis. A 12-year old boy was killed after being swept up in the twister and tossed some 50 yards.
The tornado then traveled eastward into southern Illinois before turning westward into northern Kentucky, killing two more people.
Red Cross volunteers are travelling throughout the region assessing damages.
"We opened a shelter in Webster County and served about 800 meals to residents. Nurses, mental health counselors and disaster volunteers are on the scene to help. We're right in the middle of damage assessment, but right now it looks like 10 counties were affected and nearly 200 homes were damaged or destroyed," said Carol Grider, director of disaster services for the Louisville Area Chapter.
Several other tornadoes were reported in Indiana and Tennessee. Tobensport, Ind., where 10 residents were injured, sustained the most severe damages in the state. In the Murfreesboro area of Tennessee, about 30 miles southeast of Nashville, a tornado with winds of up to 140 mph tore down a 10-mile path, injuring dozens.
"We've found the most damages in Rutherford County where about 70 homes have been damaged. We had volunteers on the scene immediately to distribute meals and water to the residents and emergency crews. Two shelters were opened right away Sunday in Lake County and in Murfreesboro," said Chris Davis, communications director for the Knoxville Area Chapter.
In Virginia, a tornado touched down in Greenville County just south of Emporia and tore through six miles of the county, causing some $650,000 in damages.
"We opened up two service centers the night of the disaster. We were on the scene within two hours of the tornado and assisted more than a dozen people whose homes were destroyed. There were 19 mobile homes affected and 14 apartment units," said Rosalyn Andrews, executive director of the Southside Area Chapter.
Sunday's storms are the fourth round of massive twisters that have torn through the United States within two weeks. Since April 16, at least 11 people have been killed and thousands of homes have been destroyed by tornadoes.
Related Links
- Twisters Rip Through Midwest, Maryland
- Red Cross Urging Preparedness as Tornado Season Arrives
- American Red Cross — Tornado Safety
All American Red Cross disaster assistance is free, made possible by voluntary donations of time and money from the American people. The Red Cross also supplies nearly half of the nation's lifesaving blood. This, too, is made possible by generous voluntary donations. You can help the victims of thousands of disasters across the country each year by making a financial gift to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund, which enables the Red Cross to provide shelter, food, counseling and other assistance to those in need. You can make a secure online credit card donation or call 1-800-HELP NOW (1-800-435-7669) or 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish). Or you may send your donation to your local Red Cross or to the American Red Cross, P.O. Box 37243, Washington, D.C. 20013. To donate blood, please call 1-800-GIVE-LIFE (1-800-448-3543), or contact your local Red Cross to find out about upcoming blood drives.
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