Wallingford-Tornado
Vorlage:Infobox tornado single The Wallingford Tornado struck the town of Wallingford, Connecticut on August 9, 1878. The violent tornado destroyed most of the town, killing 34 people and injuring at least 70, many severely.[1] This was the deadliest tornado ever to strike the state of Connecticut, and the second deadliest ever in New England, behind the Worcester tornado of 1953.
Summary of events
Prior to the storm, the day was clear, said to be "one of the loveliest [days] of the season".[2] At around 5 PM the sky began to get dark, and by 5:30 PM the air was very black. At around 6 PM, the air at the surface was calm, but lightning began to fill the sky, and the clouds began moving at a very rapid pace, frightening some residents into shelter.
The tornado started as a waterspout over Community Lake, just west of town. It then moved through town, damaging almost every structure as it went. The tornado tore houses from their foundations, throwing some more than 600 feet (180 meters). Large trees were uprooted and snapped; those that were still standing were stripped of small limbs and leaves. The Catholic church was blown to bits, and heavy tombstones in the nearby cemetery were tossed around. The brand-new brick high school building was almost completely destroyed; luckily school was not in session.[3] The tornado's path was only two miles long, but the damage path was up to 600 feet (180 meters) wide.[4]
Aftermath
A district schoolhouse was converted into a temporary morgue immediately after the storm, 21 bodies were discovered and placed there that night. The tornado brought down telegraph lines and poles around the area, so assistance from physicians in nearby towns took more than an hour.[5] More than 50 special police were sworn in to prevent looting, and to prevent the crowds of curious onlookers who had come by train from surrounding cities.[6]
Damage estimates were around $150,000 ($2.9 million 2007 USD) from buildings alone; utilities and railway facilities received a lot of damage as well.[5]
Conclusion
Tornadoes are not uncommon in the state of Connecticut, but tornadoes of this power are rare. Thirty five homes were completely destroyed, with many more being unroofed or receiving some sort of damage. One person was found dead 3300 feet (1 km) from where he had been standing.
Thirty four people were killed by the tornado, and many more narrowly avoided death.[5]
See also
References
External links
- Illustrations of tornado damage (at bottom of page)
- Pictures of tornado damage
- Annual Report of the Chief Signal Officer to the Secretary of War See page 654, "NOTES ON THE WALLINGFORD TORNADO OF AUGUST 9, 1878"
- ↑ CONNECTICUT: Tornadoes causing a death or more than five injuries Accessed May 14, 2008.
- ↑ *Special Correspondant: WALLINGFORD'S TORNADO (PDF), New York Times, August, S. 1. Abgerufen am 14. Mai 2008
- ↑ Wallingford, CT Tornado, Aug 1878 Accessed May 14, 2008.
- ↑ Today's Weather Trivia Accessed May 14, 2008.
- ↑ a b c FURIOUS NORTHERN STORMS (PDF), New York Times, August, S. 1. Abgerufen am 14. Mai 2008
- ↑ LATEST FROM THE TORNADO (PDF), Hartford Courant, August, S. 2. Abgerufen am 15. Mai 2008