Never before seen footage of 1974 tornado aftermath in Louisville, KY
- 10 years ago
April 3, 2014 marks the 40th Anniversary of the Super Tornado Outbreak of 1974. This particular outbreak was one of the worst in United States history. More than 148 tornadoes touched down in 13 states, including Ohio, killing 330 people, injuring more than 5,000, and creating a damage path of more than 2,500 miles.
One of the last places the April 3, 1974 twister hit before it left Louisville was the community of Northfield in the east end. WDRB-TV production manager David Callan lived in the community, and his father captured the aftermath of the Super Outbreak on his 8mm camera -- film that's never been shown until now. One of the more incredible images captured on this film is the fact that David's family's home was not just still standing but suffered little damage, while neighbors on either side were left with shells of homes.
The home video shows one trying to salvage the little that's left, while on the other side, people are standing on the second floor, removing what had been a bedroom wall. All along Stannye Drive, there are piles and piles of debris, what had been dining rooms, kitchens and bedrooms -- reduced to boards and pieces of dry wall. Crumpled cars, including one flattened like a pancake against a tree are scattered throughout the neighborhood.
One has a message, perhaps to a relative, "Ed, Nat and kids OK" and where he needs to go -- the only way to communicate, since phones were out and there was no such thing as cell phones or texting. On one side of the street, there was nothing left, while on the other, homes are still standing. There's a driveway that now leads to nothing and, as cars pass by on I-264 in the background, you see one home where the chimney was only thing spared.
David's father says he thinks the family home survived the storm because he made sure all of the windows were open, and because workers used two to three times the usual number of nails when they built the home.
One of the last places the April 3, 1974 twister hit before it left Louisville was the community of Northfield in the east end. WDRB-TV production manager David Callan lived in the community, and his father captured the aftermath of the Super Outbreak on his 8mm camera -- film that's never been shown until now. One of the more incredible images captured on this film is the fact that David's family's home was not just still standing but suffered little damage, while neighbors on either side were left with shells of homes.
The home video shows one trying to salvage the little that's left, while on the other side, people are standing on the second floor, removing what had been a bedroom wall. All along Stannye Drive, there are piles and piles of debris, what had been dining rooms, kitchens and bedrooms -- reduced to boards and pieces of dry wall. Crumpled cars, including one flattened like a pancake against a tree are scattered throughout the neighborhood.
One has a message, perhaps to a relative, "Ed, Nat and kids OK" and where he needs to go -- the only way to communicate, since phones were out and there was no such thing as cell phones or texting. On one side of the street, there was nothing left, while on the other, homes are still standing. There's a driveway that now leads to nothing and, as cars pass by on I-264 in the background, you see one home where the chimney was only thing spared.
David's father says he thinks the family home survived the storm because he made sure all of the windows were open, and because workers used two to three times the usual number of nails when they built the home.