Survivor Stories from Brandenburg F5 Tornado
Note: this article is from the book "Since April 3rd" published by The Meade County Messenger and is used by permission.  If you use any photos or accounts in this article please give them credit.

Six Survive Tornado at Smith Auto
By MRS. WILLIAMM. SMITH

My husband, Bill, my son, Clif, two employees, Mrs. Carol Wood, Packy Vessels, who happens to be our brother-in-law, and a customer, Donnie Armes, and his young son, survived the tornado of April 3rd and climbed out of the debris that was Smith Auto Supply a few minutes before.
 

My two daughters, Lisa and Marian, had turned on the radio and heard WMMG’s warning. I saw the tornado on its way from Irvington. It was the classic picture of a tornado, only it was for real. I called my husband and told him a tornado was headed for Brandenburg, and warned him to get away from all that glass in the front of the store.
 

Bill went outside to look up the street, but saw no funnel or indication of a tornado, but did decide where to go in case one came. There was no basement under the store, so he decided on a corner formed by a bathroom wall and a partition that was away from outside walls. They kept watch for a few minutes, nearly deciding my phone call was a false alarm, when they saw a dark wall of rain start taking a roof off up the street. They went to their designated corner where they stood. Standing was a mistake, because they were all knocked to the floor. They saw the overhead steel I-beams moving and the roof went. Then they were knocked to the floor with debris falling all around and on them. Bill recalls the sensation of something getting heavier and heavier as the debris fell. After the storm passed, the first thing they heard was the customer’s son crying. His fingers were pinned by a piece of lumber, but he wasn’t seriously hurt. Donnie was able to crawl out and began to dig the rest out. He suffered a cut on his chin. That was the only injury. There was a wire inches from Clif’s head that was holding a big shelving unit off his head. Bill’s shirt was slashed but his skin wasn’t cut. Carol and Packy were also pinned under the wreckage and had to be helped out.

All the cars were undriveable, two of them being covered with debris. So with my phone call on their minds, Bill and Clif started walking out of town to see about us. Carol went across the street to what was left of City Hall, and later helped a girl and her baby downtown to the Clinic. Packy stayed at the store, until he saw someone needing help with a lady on a stretcher. Packy lives at E-town, and was able to get home that night by using tires from one of the damaged cars on his truck. His truck was damaged extensively having broken glass and smashed fenders, but with the tires he was able to drive it.
 

Meanwhile, I went to the basement with the children. We heard and felt nothing, although our neighbor, Mr. Hubert Hardesty said afterwards as we were talking in our front yards, it sounded like a jet plane. After coming out of the basement and finding the phone dead, I decided to go into Brandenburg and tell my husband we were safe. Then Mr. Linoel Greenwell told Mr. Hardesty that he thought Brandenburg had been hit because he had pillows in his trees. So I immediately left for the store only to meet Bill and Clif on the way out of town to see about us. They had caught a ride out of town with Kevin King who came through town just as the storm hit. He made it to the Post Office before it happened. His mother, Mrs. Howard King, said he was trying to make it to the shelter of our building. We’re sure glad he didn’t.
 

Bill and Clif were soaked to the skin; Bill’s glasses were gone. He found them later on the floor under debris, unbroken. Needless to say, we were very relieved to see that we were all safe. We know Shaune had been at school and Bill had seen the school still standing, so we felt confident she was safe until we went into school and couldn’t find her or anybody who knew where she was. After an hour of anxious searching we found she had been taken home by Mrs. Anna Roberts. Mrs. Roberts later took our four younger children home with her while we sifted through our debris.
 

While looking for Shaune, we first went to the Applegate’s house on Atwill Street. It was rough going-walking and running on the way, climbing over wires that we didn’t know were hot or not. Gas fumes were very heavy in this area, too. After we passed the Baptist parsonage, we became disoriented and it took us awhile to realize just where we were because of all the houses that were missing. We saw no injured people needing help at this time, but Brother Marcum had been in the houses that were left on Atwill Street and said there were people in the houses needing stretchers. After we had checked at the Applegates only to find Shaune not there, but the Applegates safe, thank goodness, we saw a stretcher which Bill took back to Bob Lusk’s house while Clif and I continued the search for Shaune. Bill helped remove three people from the house and then got in a van with a stretcher to help steady it when he found out he was headed away from Brandenburg to Fort Knox. He asked the driver to let him out at the Bridge By-Pass Road and then had a terrible time getting back to town because of trees and lines in the road. The pick-up truck that he caught a ride in had a classmate of my son’s, Johnny Fraley, in it. We had seen his house or rather, what was his house and feared for his life and his family. His grandmother and mother were injured, but Johnny was unhurt.
 

We were reunited at the Ball Park. I was able to tell him that Shaune was okay, because I had talked with Mrs. Roberts since I had last seen him. By this time, the helicopters had started to arrive and rescue vans were coming in so we decided to walk over to the store where I got my first look at what was left.
 

Looking at the debris, we felt very grateful. We had seen enough to make us go on being grateful forever. We were grateful to be alive and we were also grateful that no one connected with Smith Auto was hurt. Bill’s brother and partner, Cecil, and his wife were in Hawaii at the time. They had a nightmarish trip back home because they could reach no one by phone and knew only that the store had been leveled, but nothing reassuring about their children or Bill. Betty Ann had two sisters involved with business downtown. She didn’t know that they, although in it, were safe, too.
 

Bill’s dad, Roy M. and his wife, were on their way back from his brother’s funeral in New York at the time. They didn’t hear of it until on the way home on a motel TV. Of course, there was no way of phoning to find out anything because of downed lines. Their return trip needless to say was anxious, too.
 

In the days following, when the cleanup began, we had so many people helping. Our property was covered with loaned trucks, and helping hands. Some we knew; some we didn’t. To all of them, our families say thank you again and again.

We are also grateful for all the outside help our families and community have received. Everyone knows, by now, how people from all over the United States have helped by sending food, clothing, furniture, money, and coming in person to help. God bless them and us with the hope that we will come out of this better people
 

Still A Roof Over Our Heads

While working in my yard on April 3rd, I remarked to my mother, who lived in a trailer by us, that there was an unusual stillness in the air.

I turned on the TV and listened to the weather and heard that tornado warnings were out for Indiana but not for the immediate area. Then suddenly we heard that warnings were out for Breckinridge County and we returned to the window. This is when we saw the black funnel shaped cloud coming toward us.
 

We hurried to the cellar. Seconds later we heard a terrible noise that sounded like a freight train passing over us. As soon as the crashing sounds and falling of glass stopped, we came up the cellar steps. We were almost afraid to come out, not knowing what to expect.
 

My closed-in back porch was gone, and Mother’s trailer was blown completely away as well as our barn. Turning back to the house, I was grateful. We still had a roof over our heads.
 

ut the worst moment of all was when I looked out my front door and saw every house in front of us leveled or blown away.
 

I made my way to the neighbors and what followed seemed to be a terrible nightmare. Two were dead and one was seriously hurt. I stayed with her until help came, and it was not until we were near Elizabethtown Hospital that we learned that Brandenburg was hit.

My daughter and her family lived there, and my son was at school.

After hearing that my son had been killed, I caught a ride from the hospital and upon my arrival home at 10 o’clock, Thank God, I found that all my family had been spared.
Mr. and Mrs. James Berry

Slow-moving Pickup Saved Me

On the afternoon of April 3, 1974, as I got off from work in Louisville and started home, there was a funny feeling in the air, though the sky didn’t necessarily look bad. There were severe thunderstorm warnings out though, and as we came home, the clouds got to looking blacker and blacker. By the time I got to Brandenburg Station, I knew there was a severe storm coming by the looks of the clouds. But still, the actual thought of a tornado hadn’t occurred to me.
 

As I left Brandenburg Station toward Brandenburg, I got behind a slow moving pickup truck. By then it was raining so hard I couldn’t see to pass him, which was a blessing in disguise. If I had passed him, I possibly would have been right in the heart of town when it hit.
As I came into town I still didn’t realize what had happened. I stopped at Boling’s store to let out my two riders, and I glanced down Main Street, where my house was located, and saw that most of it was gone. That’s when I realized that a tornado had hit Brandenburg. I turned right onto High Street, but couldn’t go any further because of trees and poles lying in the road. I pulled my car off the road and started running down towards the house-all the time praying that my wife and four kids were OK.
 

Just before I got to the house, I heard somebody hollering. My wife and kids were standing up on the hill in front of Phillips Memorial. They had been in the house when the storm hit and it blew the house away and left them scratched and bruised some, and very scared, but I otherwise all right. For some reason the Lord spared my family, and I thank Him for that. It couldn’t have been just luck. We didn’t have a basement even, but my wife had heard to get in the Southwest corner, and that’s what they did. This is something we will never forget. I’m sorry for the people who lost loved ones. We lost some good friends. I hope that nothing like this ever happens again.
The Nelson Simmons family

Drilling Rig Destroyed

On April 3, the day of the tornado, I was drilling a well at Harold Fackler’s, next to Fred Fackler’s. We ran out of casing and went to Guston to get some. A cloud came up and it looked like rain, so we decided to wait, because if it rained, we wouldn’t be able to drive up to the well.

I went to set a pump up at Basham’s Liquor Store, and Tom Rigsby went on home to Brandenburg.

When I got home my son Steve told me a tornado came down out on Highway 79, and went through Brandenburg. Just as I was leaving to check on the drilling rig, my wife Clarice came home from Louisville. She was just a little way from the fairgrounds when it hit there, and didn’t know anything about it.

We got to the rig and the tornado had turned the 35,000 pound rig over. The tractor trailer, loaded with drill, pipe and 1,500 gallon tank of water was moved about 15 feet from the rig and jack-knifed, and the drill pipe was on the ground. The tractor and rig were a total loss. A joint of drill pipe was in the well and it broke that drill pipe in two, and moved the rig off the well about 15 feet.

There were dead horses laying against the rig that had been blown from the field in back of the Facklers. We have never seen such destruction as the tornado did that Wednesday. It took me almost two months to get back into business.
Ben Cox, Drilling Co., Guston

 

Nightmare of Horrors
By MRS. ROBERT MARTIN

Jane asked that we describe our actions, reactions, feelings, etc. of April 3, 1974, in 200 words or less-it can’t be done and still convey a true picture.

How does one describe a restless day that turned into a nightmare of horrors? Or the feelings of thinking at least three members of your family are ‘safe’ in the cellar while you are certain that this is the end for your husband, one grandson and yourself because you didn’t make it to the basement in time?
How do you explain the horrible noises as it hit, the pain of flying objects, the desperate struggle to keep a grandson safe as you cover his body with yours but yet not smother him; the minutes that seem like hours and the ‘knowing’ that one or more of you six will be dead or badly hurt?

How do you describe the joy at hearing husband, grandchildren and step-son shouting, “Where’s Mammy?” Or the happiness at seeing all six of you still alive, the struggling from a pile of rubble that only minutes before was your home, as well as looking around and seeing the entire farm, machinery, fences, trees destroyed, whole buildings gone, livestock dead?

Or a ride into Brandenburg with our Sheriff-back in a horror pit? The not knowing and not being able to reach your daughter-the hours of asking dazed persons if they’d seen her-the eternity before your family is completely reunited and all are alive, thanks to God.

These feelings, our actions before, during and after it cannot be described without lengthy detail-only shared by others who experienced the same.

Even though our experience was terrible and most of our material possessions were lost, we consider ourselves very lucky that some of us were not killed or badly hurt as some of our friends and others lost so much more than material possessions-and our hearts still ache for them.

The six of us who were in our home on Route I, Brandenburg, were: my husband, Robert Martin; step-son, Larry Martin; and three grandsons, David, Donald and Daniel Fuqua, and myself.-Mrs. Robert (Marcella) Martin,  Brandenburg, Ky.

 

Words Won’t Describe Tornado
By MRS. SUE FUQUA

The limited words of my vocabulary do not permit me to describe to you in 200 or 2,000 words the feelings and emotions I experienced on April 3, 1974.

When I left work early because I couldn’t reach my family by telephone, I never considered a tornado had struck.

I can’t explain the utter horror and shock I felt when I topped a small grade and saw what was my family’s home and farm-knowing that my three sons, mother, step-father and step- brother were in the rubble. I can’t explain the fright I felt as I stopped and ran to the house shouting their names. I can’t explain the aloneness I felt as I stood there in the yard seeing they were not in what was left of the house and trying to look in all directions at once for bodies.

The next few hours are blurred as others began arriving and searching, of being taken by a friend and later my cousins to Brandenburg only to be blocked by more horror. Then on and on and on trying to find a way into Brandenburg, of stopping to use useless phones, of being stopped by people I don’t remember, of believing during these frantic hours my family was all gone. Finally it struck me that if there was any word it would be at my office-thank God good news awaited-they were all okay and somewhere in Brandenburg. The next few hours of being reunited with my ‘six living miracles’ are again blurred in places as are the next few days.

However, the horror and shock of my first sights and feelings when I got to the farm can never be erased or blocked. Nor can the gratefulness when I saw my family and dear friends. The silent tears, the inner emotions-of first not knowing, and later of others sorrow and loved ones lost possessions cannot be put into words-only experienced.

My family who was in the tornado, are my parents, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Martin, my step- brother, Larry, and my three sons, David, Donald and Daniel.-Mrs. Sue Fuqua, Ekron, Ky.

Downtown After The Tornado

There have been hundreds of pictures printed of downtown Brandenburg since April 3, 1974 but I don’t see the town in that shape when I see our Main Street. I see the beautiful old tall graceful buildings as they stood for so many years, with the lovely old Courthouse in the background overlooking the river.
I heard a doctor say that the young people had lost their hopes and the older people their memories. I haven’t lost either. I have such a lot of wonderful memories of the good people of Brandenburg and especially the ones on Main Street, where I had lived for 28 years, and had worked in many of the business places that were destroyed. For the last 22 years, most of the time for Rose Grinnell in the Grinnell’s Drug Store. It was owned and operated by her father, Mr. W. F. Grinnell for some 50 years before his death and handed down to her. I had worked for Rose many years and had enjoyed every minute of our days together. Never was there a better employer or a person more interested in serving her customers than Rose Grinnell. I don’t remember just the days we worked hard and there were many of those, I remember how much we enjoyed each other, being with and serving our customers.

The Radio - and TV. repair shop of James E. "Tickle" Thompson. This picture shows the end of 28 years of TV. repair service to customers in the Meade and surrounding counties. Mixed with the wreckage of the TV. shop and car is also the remains of the former home of Mr. and Mrs. Wallace Mangin and daughters. They had lived there 12 years and moved their newly built home on Old Ekron Road only 3 months before the tornado scattered the house from Walnut Street to the Ohio River. A galvanized swimming pool sitting in the yard was not seen again. When Tickle finally reached his home on that terrible afternoon from Ft. Knox and found his home and shop in in rubble, Tickle, who is an enthusiastic archer, and always kills a deer every fall during hunting season, look at the ruins and said, "Oh my bow and arrows were in the shop." He hopes someday to have another repair shop and another bow and some arrows.

There may never be another corner drug store, but there will always be the memory of a lovely old building and a dear friend, and a kind and generous employer as I left them just before the tornado destroyed the building completely on April 3, 1974, and gave Rose a well earned retirement in the West with her brother and wife. By Minnie Thompson

The Home - of Minnie and Tickle on Main Street overlooking the whole town, now stands in ruins. this house was built in 1879 and more rooms were added at a later date. We had lived there for 28 years and if it is possible to love a house, I loved that old house, and can still hear the sounds of music and laughter that made it such a happy home. I can see our daughter going down the steps as a happy and beautiful bride and then the laughter and shouts of joy as her little girls played on the front porch and in the yard. It had withstood many a storm but couldn't hold up against the killer tornado of April 3rd. Just ten minutes made the difference between life and death for me. I'm sure if I'd been just that much later coming home, I'd have been on the street by Jenkins-Sturgeon Funeral Home. The dear old house was my refuge and it shielded me from harm, as I knelt in prayer, the windows, bricks, boards and dishes flew all around me. I remember awhile after the storm was over, my neighbor, Louise West calmly took her garbage can up the hill to the alley as usual on a Wednesday afternoon and she hollered across the yard to me and said, "Somebody really ought to take a picture of this." As I stood looking at the trees and downed buildings in the yard, little did we realize that Brandenburg would be the most photographed small town in the Untied States in the weeks to follow, and that we would never again be living as neighbors on Mocking Bird Hill.

Family Home Destroyed

Dear Editor: At about 3: 30 p.m. on April 3rd, my husband was watching the T.V. when the news came out that a tornado warning was out for the metropolitian area. He said, “Come on Mom, let’s get out of here and go get Margie Staples and her baby and go down to Virginia Greenwells”. Margie is a neighbor of ours who was also living in a trailer. Virginia is our daughter who had a basement at her house.

We had a tornado come through here on April 1st which took the Staples’ barn. We tried to leave our trailer then, but by the time we saw it coming, the wind was so strong that we couldn’t get out. My husband said never again will we stay in the trailer until the clouds get that close. So that was why we rushed away on the 3rd. We got in our car and drove up to Margie’s. She was cooking supper and hadn’t even heard the warnings. She grabbed her baby up and his diaper bag and blanket and we drove over to Virginia’s. We had only been there a few minutes, I don’t know, maybe five or so, when she looked out the window and said she saw Martha Barger bringing in her school bus. The Bargers only live about 100 yards from them. Then she looked out the other window and said, “Daddy, look at that cloud”. He looked and said to run for the basement. We all ran down the stairs and looked out the door which was facing southwest, the way the tornado was coming. All we could see was a real dark cloud just down to the ground. You could see all this debris, which we were wondering where it was coming from.

When we saw it hit Margie’s trailer, Virginia said,” Margie there goes your trailer”. It seemed to just explode. Then Ernest said to get over in the corner in front of the deepfreeze. We got the three children, Mark 7, Mike 3, and Margie’s baby, one year, all up against the freezer and we hovered over them. I kept my eyes open and watched the basement door break through and go back into the other wall. At the same time I could hear the timbers about us breaking. I remember Ernest holding his hand over my head and a timber or concrete block hitting on my shoulder blade, which burned as well as cracking the bone.
Virginia said, “Mom, my house is going, Mom my house is gone!” I said, “Yes honey, but be thankful you aren’t upstairs, be thankful we are all downstairs.” By then we could feel the water hitting us. It was raining, we’d just as well climb out. We walked over concrete blocks and timbers and climbed out. Where we were standing was the only bare spot in the basement. Directly behind where we were, was a 500 gallon bottled gas tank, which had been fastened
down in the back yard, and had blown over us.

When we got out I immediately looked for my brother’s trailer, which was next door to my daughter’s house. I said ,”Frank’s trailer is gone”, and my daughter said that the barn was gone. By then we could see that my other daughter, Sharon’s house was still standing. We could also see Robert Sipes’ house. Virginia said why doesn’t somebody come to help. Can’t they see everything has blown away.

At the same time, Ernest was putting Margie and her baby and Virginia’s two boys inside our car, which had been parked in the drive, but was now sitting over in the yard bent and dirty, but no broken windows, so it was dry for them to sit in.

Virginia had found her sister-in-law, Sharon Greenwell and her baby over in a field, she with a foot nearly cut off and her baby with a badly cut hand. She asked us to go get help. Sharon Rhodes came running and said get help. Her mother was still in that school bus and all we could see of it was the frame way across the field. Well, I then started running back the road to Sharon’s house to send for help. Trees and light poles were all over the road and we couldn’t drive back there, but as I was running, I could see her car and wondered why she didn’t come to help us. I could also see that our trailer didn’t look right either and when I drew nearer to it I could see that it was turned upside down. Over on the other hill beyond us, where two houses and three trailers had been was bare. With the clothing and insulation and the likes hanging on bushes, it was a terrible sight. At that time help hadn’t arrived for those people either. Just then I met my daughter Sharon, she was running to our trailer as she had seen it blow over. She thought her Daddy and I were still in it. When I told her no, we were okay, but needed help. We couldn’t use the car, so Sharon took Daddy’s tractor, we had to move concrete blocks away from the shed which was still standing, but the roof was gone. She got on the tractor to go for help and I ran back down to Virginia’s place.

It’s hard to describe my feelings. As I’ve said, we were so thankful we were still alive that we couldn’t cry. I’m sure we were in a state of shock seeing everything you have worked for all these years just disappear so quickly. There were the trees we had set out years ago and watched grow for a lovely shade and they were gone, even light poles were pulled out of the ground. You could see bedspreads and clothing hanging in tree branches. We just looked and said isn’t this awful, but aren’t we lucky to be alive. Mark, the- 7 -year old boy asked what had happened to his bedroom.

When help arrived and took the injured to the hospital, my husband and I went to Sharon’s and spent the night. We had no electricity and we sat and listened to the transistor radio by candle light, of course there was no sleeping.

On Thursday morning we got out and began to look around to see what we could do. Ernest said we could buy another trailer, but going to the basement was all that saved us this time, so why don’t we build an underground house. We are now living in a HUD trailer while building a two bedroom underground house. We call it “Benham’s Hideout”. The side that faces the southwest is mostly underground while the other side is all out of ground and a lot of windows, so we feel we’ll be very comfortable.

The April 3rd tornado will always remain with us, but we realize we have so much to be thankful for. My brother said he guessed Mother’s organ was gone as he knew I’d left it in the house when we moved to the trailer, but I told him about a year ago, we moved the organ back to Sharon’s as she loved to play it and Virginia didn’t.

We can think of a lot of our treasured possessions that we lost, but we will just trust that we will never see another tornado, but when a warning is given we will sure look for a basement, if we aren’t at home and our house will always be open for anyone else to come to.
Mr. and Mrs. Ernest Benham
 

The Moblie home - of Mr and Mrs. Ernest Benham was destroyed.

School Bus Driver Injured

Martha Barger, a school bus driver and victim of the April 3 tornado, was just pulling into home after getting the school children home safely. She arrived at her house just as the tornado touched down, taking the bus and her with it.

Very little of the bus was found. Martha was found some distance from the house, being seriously injured. She was rushed to Ireland Army Hospital, Fort Knox, and was taken by helicopter to General Hospital, Louisville, where she remained until May 22, when she was taken to Kentucky Baptist Hospital.

Sunday, June 6, she was able to come home for the day, and ten days later, again she came home for a day’s visit. She was able to come home to stay June 28.

The Barger’s house was badly damaged, but they were fortunate in that their daughter Sharon and daughter-in-law and the two grandchildren were not injured, even though the house was damaged.

Martha is getting along fine, being able to get around in the home, and going a few places. She says this is nice after being confined to the hospital for so long.

A New Life For Myself
By MRS. LUCILLE TRENT

On the morning of April 3rd, mine was a very comfortable and contented family, my daughter and I in our small home and my younger son, his wife and baby daughter in the next identical home, and my older son and his wife and baby son in their home which was also identical, with only a driveway between each.

Being a widow, I was happy to have my family so near me.

I had just bought my home after the death of my husband in December 1972 and was just beginning a life with only my children and grandchildren. Although my house wasn’t a mansion, I was very comfortable and well-adjusted and maybe even a little bit happy.

That day as most days I had a full schedule. In the early morning I took my daughter to her baby-sitting job at Doe Valley, came home, then went to the K. C. Hall to help out with the Golden Age Club where everyone was very jittery and watching the clouds as if an instinct told them a bad storm was coming. I left early to attend a meeting at the Court House where I spent a couple of hours. As I came out to go home the air was so hot for April, I remember saying to someone, “I think we’ll have another storm, it’s so hot.” I went home, talked to a friend on the phone, then it began to thunder and rain. My daughter called me to come and get her. I almost told her I would wait until after the storm was over, but decided to go. My two dogs were very restless and wanted to go with me which was very unusual, but I took them in the car, where again I thought about waiting until the rain ceased but didn’t. I drove from there in Allen Court to Doe Valley Estates where I picked up my daughter and started home. I saw the awful black funnel but thought oh, it’s going up the river, although it gave me an uneasy feeling.

We kept going and just at the edge of town my daughter noticed a sign had been bent and twisted. She said, “Mom, there must have been a storm while you were gone.” By that time we were far enough to see the awful dark, bleek destruction; houses gone, roofs and trees all over the place, wires across the streets, lights blinking and no one could imagine the terrible feeling I had.

Although we couldn’t see our house in the ruins, it didn’t take long to find out we had lost everything we had and three of our next door neighbors were dead. After I found out my family were all away from home and were alive and okay, I didn’t let my other loss worry me so much. It must have been the work of God that we were all away at the time. Any other day at that time, we would have all been home.

Now here I am the second time in less than two years trying to make a new life for myself and with God’s help I think I can.-Mrs. Lucille Trent,  Brandenburg, Ky.

Scared of Storms Now

We lost our home, furniture, everything, but we have our lives. That such a thing could happen is beyond me. I can’t begin to tell my feelings of the tornado when we, my husband and I, finally crawled out of our home and saw everything of neighbors swept away. I am thankful that neither my husband nor I were hurt. I was on the front porch when the first part came but was lucky to get in the house, fearing every minute I would be blown away. Had it not been for Roy I surely wouldn’t be here as he grabbed me an pulled me into the kitchen and holding onto one another we saw our things going out the doors and windows. It has just been the last month that I really realize how lucky we are and how much I have lost.
I am having to go for treatments now as the least little thunder storm scares me. But at that, I am really thankful for what we have and all the help the soldiers of Owensboro and Fort Knox did. People sure are wonderful.
By Mrs. Roy W. Powell,  Brandenburg, Ky.

 

Congressman’s View of Tornado

Dear Jim:
As you well know; the tornado which struck ten of our counties in the 2nd Congressional District on April 3, 1974; brought about the death of a number of our people and caused millions of dollars in damages.

I presume that this was the most devastating tornado ever to strike in our section of Kentucky and when I arrived in Brandenburg where the damage was more severe than at any other point in our District, I believed that the people in Brandenburg and Meade County would, notwithstanding the terrific amount of damage and loss of lives, proceed immediately to bring about order and to restore the facilities necessary to continue operation of the governmental unit in Brandenburg and in Meade County. There was no doubt in my mind that there would be any hesitation on the part of the people in Meade County as to what action they would take following the tornado.

I did not meet anyone who was so discouraged that they wanted to quit and walk away.

Your excellent newspaper, along with the city and county officials and all of the people in your community, joined hands and proceeded immediately to clear away destroyed buildings, automobiles, and debris that was blocking and had almost brought about a complete halt in the operation of the city and county government.

Within a matter of hours, Fort Knox and the state government, joined with your city administration and your county administration to bring about order, and to provide facilities- food, medical aid, and assistance that was so urgently needed after the tornado struck. Ten agencies of the federal government, within a matter of hours joined with your county officials and city officials and every available assistance was rendered immediately and without any difficulty, dissension, or argument as to red tape and limitations, which we run into from time to time in emergencies that exist throughout our great country.

Old Buckner Home - extensive damage was done to the home of Mr. and Mrs. J.R.Watts

Each time that I have visited your city and county since the tornado and witnessed the progress that has been made, I again want to salute all of your officials and your people for having the courage to move on and not simply become prostrate and helpless as a result of this terrific disaster.

We have been right fortunate with our requests for assistance from the federal government for restoration of facilities and we will continue our actions on into the future to see that every available program is utilized to assist Brandenburg and Meade County.

Our mutual friend, Jim Greer, the new County Judge, certainly has demonstrated clearly his ability to work under severe stress and certainly has made an excellent chairman of the disaster relief unit for Meade County. I could say the same about the action of your Mayor, Henry Ross, the fiscal court, all of the county officials and all of the city officials. I recall distinctly that the front wall of your building that houses The Meade County Messenger was down and other parts of the building were seriously damaged but you could still smile and I could see by the expression on your face that the future of Brandenburg and Meade County would continue bright on into the future.

It is a distinct honor and a privilege for me to represent your county in the Congress of the United States and it certainly was a pleasure for me to join with all of your people in obtaining every available assistance from the Federal Government. You and your people did all of the work and you placed me in the position where it was a right easy task to join with you in your requests.

Kentucky is of course many things to many people, and Kentucky has always been the magic word which denoted a land of beauty and one occupied by men and women of great courage. As you and I know, every true Kentuckian is firmly convinced that his particular home area is the real garden spot of the world whether it be the mountains, the bluegrass, the bear grass, the Pennyrile, or the Purchase, and he is only willing to grant second place to any of the other regions within his own state. This is the attitude that your people have always had and certainly it is more visible today than at any other time.

In closing, again I want to salute you and the people of Meade County. With kind personal regards, I am Sincerely yours,-William H. Natcher, M. C.
 

Silhouette - The RECC substation was the Nick Mills road is shown in silhouette after it was destroyed by the tornado- Photo by Charles L. Hamilton

 "Boiling Wall of Gray Clouds"

Around 4 o'clock I sent my aunt and the three kids to the basement as Christopher Wayne of WMMG said someone had called the station and said a tornado was just to the south of Brandenburg, heading toward us.

I had just one window open on the north-east side of the house and was going to open more. Then Bill Byrnes of WMMG yelled, "The tornado is behind the station, get shelter!"

I could see the cloud. It looked like a boiling wall of dark gray clouds moving along the ground. I took my purse and radio and went to the basement. I told Pearl and the kids to get in the south-west corner, but there was an air conditioner in the way. I picked it up and moved it six feet away. You don't know the strength you have until you need it. I then got a mattress and covered us all in the corner. It was only about a minute and a half from the time it hit WMMG until it hit our house, but it seemed like we waited a long time for it to come.

Ten-year-old Gina cried, "Sandy, what do we do? I'm so scared." I told her we'd pray and God would help us. Five-year-old Shawn was crying but nine-year-old Larry hadn't said a word. You could hear it coming, and time seemed to stand still. I prayed that if something happened to Pearl and me that someone would get the kids quickly after it happened.

It finally hit us and I don't know how anyone can describe the sounds. I heard the terrible roar, glass breaking, wood crunching and splintering, things banging together and then I felt the vacuum. I couldn't get my breath for a few seconds. My head felt like it was filled with warm water. I kept talking to the kids all the time and it felt like splinters of wood were being driven into my mouth and throat. Afterwards, I found it was only dirt and the force of the wind that made it feel like splinters.

We were pinned down with concrete blocks and I had one free arm to pull them off us. Gina and Shawn were screaming, but Larry and Pearl were quiet and that really scared me. I threw the mattress back and we all stood up together.

My first thoughts? Amen, Dear God, Amen! We were alive, everyone of us was alive. Nothing mattered but that. My aunt was hurt bad. She took her hand and pulled her scalp up on her head, and she was bleeding badly. Then Jim Crigler and another man came and helped us out. Our house was taken completely off the basement and set in the road in front of the house, the basement was gone. Where the concrete blocks were seven feet high, they were only three blocks high after the tornado. My husband was at Olin, and didn't know we had been hit until he came home around 5: 15. We were just getting in someone's car to go to the clinic when he came down the road looking for us. We lived behind Goff Lumber Co.

The shock of how bad the destruction was greater the next day as I really saw more of it and it was and still is unbelievable. My father-in-law's house was completely gone. Only the basement floor remained. I saw all the destruction and it was hard to picture what was supposed to be where. I have never seen anything like it before and hope I never do again. Sandra Hughes , Brandenburg

We Were Lucky!

Wayne and I were the lucky ones. We lost no lives. Three of our five children were with us in an apartment over the school bus garage. We also had a friend’s two boys with us. Our other two children were at a friend’s house and at the public library. Neither of these places were hit hard, and so “Thank God” the girls were not hurt at all.

Wayne and I layover the children as best we could. I was the only one hurt. A two-by-eight board hit me in the head, leaving a three-inch cut which bled quite a lot, but was not serious. We were all very scared and did a lot of praying. God was with us and we were saved.

We did not know about the tornado until it was upon us, because we were not listening to the radio or TV. H we had known, we would have gone to the garage below, back in the rear part, and we would have been killed, as there was nothing left of it. As I said, God was with us.

I try to forget the tornado! I try to forget looking up and seeing the ceiling crack and the roof blowing away. I try to forget the horrible deafening sound of the wind and even worse, the ripping, tearing and breaking of our house around us. I try to forget the pain as the board fell and hit my head. I try to forget my children (for at this time, the two visiting boys were my children too) screaming, then praying, and all the time shaking with fear. I try to forget!

As I say, we were the lucky ones. Many lives were lost-people I knew. Many people were hurt and hospitalized-people I know. Many people were left homeless-people I know.

We were helped by many people with food, clothing, money, furniture and temporary home. All this made life more bearable. People are grand!

We have since moved into our own home, and are trying to make our lives happy and carefree again. We still watch the skies for unfamiliar clouds and listen to the news reports every night. But, God is with us.
Ann Sims

Only The Grace of God

Only the Grace of God brought me through the tornado practically safely. My right arm was knocked out of place, and I got several bumps on my head, which so far have not given me much trouble. I had to go to St. Joseph’s Hospital when Dr. Naser found my arm was out of place. It was put back, and required about half an hour. I still cannot raise my arm very high, but can use it for about everything that I do.

The memory of the tornado is very vague-another blessing from God. I was extremely tired, as I was staying nights with Miss Mary David McGehee. I came home around 9 in the morning, and lay down to rest until my social security check would come in the mail. When it came around 11: 30, Fred Ditto’s wife took me to the bank. We went down to Miss Rose Grinnell’s store, and picked up some medicine I needed.

I came home, and again lay down to rest, and went to sleep. Usually I eat my breakfast-lunch around 2 o’clock and watch the Guiding Light on television, I slept through the story and got up and fixed my lunch, sat down at my TV table in the living room, still seemingly half asleep. I heard no warnings. Finally I noticed that it seemed very dark, and noticed that it was around 4 o’clock. I half thought I ought to go on to work, even though I was due there at 5.

Then I thought that maybe it was going to rain soon, and maybe I’d rest some more before I went to work. I got up to take my things to the kitchen, and as I did, the front storm door flew open, and I turned to see what was happening. I saw the door coming back with the glass broken, and hurried away from it before it hit the main glass door. I heard the tornado hitting the back of the house as I started down the basement steps. The front was then coming behind me, as I was going down, the back was coming around and on top of me. I got clear across the basement. By that time, all was down and I was just standing there. The cold rain was falling, and I had on only two short pieces of underwear, and no shoes. I was able to walk out of the ruins before help came. Thank God for all the wonderful people who helped.
Mrs. Ethel Neff

Next Time I’ll Leave Word

On April 3, my niece, Vera Hammons came by and asked me to ride to West Point with her c to see her Mom. I told her I was supposed to go see my daughter, Mrs. Sam Haines, who lives in Irvington, that evening, and also to pick up my daughter, Gail Brown, at 6 p.m. when she got off from work.

Vera said OK, go to West Point with her, then she would take me to Irvington. So we went to her Mom’s, and she wasn’t home. So we left her a note saying we’d been there, and going back down 1638, we stopped off in Brandenburg. We were downtown at the Long Branch, talking to Les Powell. We knew almost everyone there, and were just enjoying a short visit before it was time to go to Irvington.

We were getting ready to go to Irvington when we heard an awful noise. We fell to the floor. I barely remember what did happen. But I remember Les Powell and he had blood allover his face. The next thing I remember is coming to in the Doctor’s office. There were people crying, some just lying on the floor as if they were dead. And others were sitting staring at the wall.

They took Vera to the Fort Knox Hospital, so I told her I would keep her baby. But a lady came to me and took Lynn, and said she would keep her, as I may not have a home to go to. Then an hour later, they rushed her to the hospital as she was unconscious.

I wasn’t hurt-only a few scratches and bruises. But if we had been on our way to Irvington, we would have been on Highway 79, which was in the path of the tornado.

I finally got a way home, and on the way there, I learned that Irvington had been hit. I have a son, a daughter and son-in-law and their two children, and two brothers living in Irvington, and I went to pieces again. They were lucky, although my grandson was on the school bus that overturned near Dr. Owens’ house. He was cut and bruised, but no bones were broken. Their home had all the windows blown out and the roof taken off. Sam, Sherry and Jennifer ran to the basement.

When I go somewhere, I always let Gail know where I’m going. But this day I didn’t call her. So my car was home, but no one knew where I was, and they couldn’t find out anything about me. I finally made it to Flaherty, where Gail was. Everyone said I looked like I had been in a coal mine-my flesh was black and my clothes were, too. I hope I never experience another tragedy like this one. When I think there will be a storm, I go all to pieces.
Mabel J. Wint,  Vine Grove, Ky.

Neighbors Weather Storm Together

About 4 p.m. Orville came from the barn and said, “It looks like we are going to have a storm.” I looked out and it was all dark toward Irvington. The couple living in a trailer by us, Mr. and Mrs. Bennie Gilkey, came in. She asked me if I knew a tornado warning was out for Brandenburg, and I said I didn’t. About that time, the kitchen door flew open. Bennie tried to close it, but couldn’t.

The kitchen windows blew out and the carport blew away, and I said to them, it’s time to take cover. We went to the back bedroom and lay down on the floor beside the bed. About that time, the roof blew off, and the wall blew over on the bed, which was a protection for us.

When it was over, Bennie and Bob Foushee helped Sharon and me out the window. Orville came walking from the barn. No one was hurt, but Mr. and Mrs. Gilkey’s trailer was blown away.

Thelma Dean was at work at the time, and didn’t know if we were hurt or not. We are living’ in Louis Crosier’s house until we can rebuild, and we appreciate having somewhere to live.
Viola Singleton

Home Damaged - The Orville Singleton family home suffered much damage

Barn Gone- The Orville singleton property showing the trailer foundation in the foreground and the demolished barn in the background.

Newlyweds Lose Mobile Home
By SUSAN FACKLER & DONNA SIEWERT

Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Fackler of Route 1, Guston, lived in a mobile home on Highway 79 along the Nick Mills Stretch. On April 3rd, just like any other day, Susan and Anthony left for work. Susan works at Meade County RECC in Brandenburg, and Anthony works at Houchens in Irvington.

Susan and Anthony were not at home at the time of the tornado. Susan finds it hard to realize that at the time she was running for cover in the RECC basement that her trailer was already gone. They returned home several hours after the tornado. At that time all they were able to find was a glass jar of pennies, a couple of china dishes, and a few other small articles.

As days and weeks went by a few more of their things were found. In Lawrenceburg, Indiana, Mrs. Ivan McKinley found a cancelled check on the windshield of her car. From Okeana, Ohio, Mr. and Mrs. James Schuur found Anthony’s paycheck stub. Capt. Charley Wolf of Bethany, Ind., which is about 30 miles above Louisville, found their marriage certificate. Mrs. Robert Barger, of Guston, who lives two miles north of them, found one of their wedding pictures in her garden. All of the above articles were in perfect condition.

Because of all their immediate help they have already moved into their newly built basement, at the same location.-Susan Fackler and Donna Siewert.

Nothing Left - of the home of Mr. and Mrs. Anthony Fackler. Their mobile home was completely blown away.

Son Killed
By MRS. ELIZABETH KASKA

Anyone in the terrible Brandenburg Tornado on April 3, 1974 certainly wishes they’d never experience another.

Our son-in-law, Robert Dresel, was killed when the roof of the Meade County Insurance building fell on him. Our daughter, Mickey, my husband, Jim, Mr. Hutcherson and I were also in the building.

We weren’t in the office long when a sudden darkness came with a terrific whistling wind that ripped and banged the metal awning, breaking the front window. Jim and Mickey, in the rear, saw the front wall cave in and bricks flying as we headed for the inner office.

Next thing we knew, we found ourselves lying on the floor, in complete blackness, with the roof several inches above our heads. Being by the partition of an inner wall must have saved us. We called to each other, hoping the other was all right. (Only Bob didn’t answer). Luckily, we were rescued soon.

As a result of the tornado, Mickey received a broken leg and severe cuts on her arm; Jim, a broken leg, broken ribs, and a punctured lung; I, right shoulder and head bruises.

For those having lost a loved one, wounds won’t heal so easily.-Mrs. Elizabeth Kaska.

Help Came Within Minutes
By MAVIS J. DRESEL

When the tornado struck on April 3, 1974, my husband, Bob, parents, James and Elizabeth Kaska and I had been in the Meade County Insurance Office. As soon as we arrived, Mr. Hutcherson had warned us of the tornado threat. We decided the best place to take cover was the inner office wall. Within a couple of minutes time a forceful whistling wind came up and the building across the street began caving in. The awning blew off the front window of the Insurance Office, bricks began hurling in the air and then a total darkness. We had been completely covered with bricks from an adjoining building as well as from the insurance office. The roof had also fallen in on top of us. Within minutes people had come to free us from the debris. Bob had died from injuries he sustained from the tornado. I had a fracture of the left knee and two severe lacerations of the right arm. James Kaska had multiple fractures of the right leg and a punctured lung and Elizabeth Kaska had several abrasions. They were taken by ambulance to the Hardin Memorial Hospital in Elizabethtown and I was taken to the Fort Knox Hospital.- Mavis J. Dresel.

No Time To Take Cover

April 3, 1974. Our day started out fine. My three children and granddaughter were in our home. Joe Ann Adair Hollabaugh Calvin Gleen Adair; Tammy Sue Adair; Alice Marie Hollabaugh and myself. My oldest daughter, Carolyn Yates, visited us earlier, we had just finished our evening meal. We heard tornado warnings for other places, so many, we took it for granted that it would not hit here. We heard the roaring of the tornado coming, we looked out and saw it. The children did not know what it really was. We had no time to take shelter. I told the children to open the windows and to get down in the strongest part of the house. We were all there together. When it hit, it was as if the whole world had blown up. Away it took my son, Calvin Gleen, my right arm and everything we had. The other children and granddaughter were not seriously injured. I thank God for this. My greatest loss was my son.

I want everyone who lost their loved ones as we did, to know we share sorrow with them. It was an awful day for all involved, yet God loves us and shares our sorrow. With this in mind, and the help of good people, we have been able to face our sorrow and loss.-Mrs.Dorothy Adair, Guston, Ky.

“Black Smoke Rolling”
By MRS. GLEN HARRISON Guston, Ky.

On April 3rd, 1974, around 4 p. m., I looked down the road toward Irvington and saw what looked like black smoke rolling. As I hadn’t heard any warnings, I thought it was something burning. In a second, I looked out again and the garage at our other house was going up in the air. Just then it hit our house. It started rocking and things flying. I lay face down in the hall. I don’t know how long I lay there, but expecting the next thing that hit me would kill me. When things stopped blowing, I climbed out of the mud, and couldn’t see a house or anything left.

I looked for my sister and her granddaughter who were in the other house and it was completely destroyed too, also my sister and her granddaughter were killed.

In a few minutes telephone men came running down the road. Jackie Simmons and Margaret Berry took me to the hospital. I had broken ribs, punctured lung and a fractured foot. My husband, Glen, was working at Russellville and didn’t know about the tragedy until he came to Irvington. With our faith and God’s help we plan to build back.-Mrs. Glen Harrison, Guston.

Harrison Home Destroyed - Mrs. Glen Harrison was in her home April 3. She sustained injuries and had to be hospitalized. their home was completely destroyed.

“Go To Marvin’s Room”

My daughter Evelyn had just left and I decided to sit down and read the paper; but, before I did I decided to look out. I pulled back the drapes and saw the tornado moving down our street. At the same time, I began hearing that terrible roar. I turned and said, “Oh, God, where must I go?” It seemed the Lord said to me, “Go to Marvin’s room”. I did, and closed the door. Then, it hit my house. I could hear the glass breaking, and the thunderous roar of wind, things hitting and moving all around me. It seemed only a few minutes later, I heard Dick Embry calling out, “Mrs. Bruington, are you in there? Are you alright?” About the same time, Bob Hawksworth, Larry Mangin and Jimmy Lampkin came and helped me down the back steps. The front porch and steps were gone. My windows were broken and some were blown out. Marvin’s room wasn’t damaged; even the one window wasn’t broken. I was so worried until I finally learned that Elroy, Betti Ruth and family were safe, even though their home was completely destroyed. They were not at home at the time. Then we went from house to house
seeking others on our street.

I shall never forget the April 3, 1974 tornado. It was a shocking experience for us all in Brandenburg, one of which will not be forgotten for a long time.-Mrs. Lora Bruington

Lost All We Owned

On Monday April 1, a tornado destroyed our barn and a big apple tree. On April 3, Mr. Morgan was trying to clean up the damage, and I went to the K. C. Hall to help with the Senior Citizen’s rook party. I remember it was stormy looking and different ones went to the door to check on the clouds. We were all thinking about the April 1st tornado. Our meeting was over at 2:30 and I got home at 3. The school bus came at 3:15 and Regina Yates, who made her home with us, was home. David Rhodes, her friend, had come out after school to help clean up the debris from the barn. It was so windy it was too dangerous to go outside, so we were just talking and watching TV., but got no warning. When we looked out and saw the bad cloud and began to hear the terrible roar, not having a basement, we lay on the floor. Everything was blown away, and the worst was that we couldn’t find Regina. She was blown quite a way from us and killed instantly. Mr. Morgan and I were hurt and spent 3 weeks in the Fort Knox Hospital. Our home and all the contents were gone along with 2 barns, a double garage, car and truck, two other smaller buildings and our beautiful big maple tree. But thanks to friends, neighbors and relatives, a lot of prayers and hard work, we are beginning again. We have one barn built, some fencing and a house almost ready to live in. We have been in a HUD trailer. We also lost seven cows and a horse, but of course, our biggest loss was our darling little girl Regina, whom we loved as if she was our own. But God loved and wanted her too, so we must accept His will. Mrs. Ellis Morgan

“Like a Nightmare”

The first ten minutes after the tornado were like a nightmare, and I still can’t believe it. We are thankful our house is one of a few on West Hill that is being repaired.

My screen door opened and shut, so I walked to the door to hook it. As I looked in the direction of the Meade County Library, I could not see anything, so I knew something was terribly wrong. In a minute, the wind was so strong it seemed like a vacuum pulling me. I turned to leave the door and was pulled to the floor.

I started crawling and was so scared that I didn’t think I would get away from the door. Just as I got out of the door, everything came flying through the window and on through the door. It sounded like creaking, popping, breaking-all kinds of sounds. The rooms were filled with mud, water, all kinds of debris, and lots of broken glass.

Marvin, who is disabled, was in bed at the time, and found himself in a bed of broken glass. How he managed to get out of bed and not get cut or hurt is unbelievable. We were both in a
very dangerous situation. In about four minutes it was allover. I was afraid to move. I thought the side of the house had fallen in.

Then I thought of our daughter Vera who lived across the street from us, and I made my way to her door. I was told she was OK. In her upstairs apartment, her tenant, Vickie, was standing up in the middle of the building and all the top floor had fallen in around her. She was screaming .. Help, Help!” at the top of her voice and I asked her if she was OK. She said she didn’t know and kept on screaming.

I will never forget. I went to the back door and asked my neighbors if they were OK. Then the pressure began. There were things to do and questions to answer. After three months of living with my parents and in a HUD trailer, things are getting together again. A lot of thanks go to all the kind people for their comforting words and a lot of good help from a lot of nice people.
Mr. and Mrs. Marvin West  Brandenburg