Topeka June 8 1966 Tornado - Color Slides and WDAF Audio
HTML-код
- Опубликовано: 1 окт 2024
- Topeka was flattened by an F5 tornado on June 8, 1966. It was one of the first to have been alerted to the danger by a new weather alert system. Even so - at least 19 people died in the event. The 50th Anniversary is coming - and I had found these slides at one Estate Sale, and the reel-to-reel audio at another - years apart - and put together. Originals donated to the Kansas State historical Society.
The campus of Washburn University was essentially destroyed, but has since been rebuilt. The neighborhoods in these pictures have never really recoverd, and are full of vacant lots, apartments and commercial parking lots.
The slides do show several repeat images of one or two neighborhoods as they recover by shoring up houses and emoving debris. A testament to the American Spirit and Resilience.
There were about 80 slides, and the reel tape was about 23 minutes long
Any insight appreciated.
Great video! My Mother was 7, she, my Aunt (12), and Grandma and Grandpa went to a neighbor’s house who had a basement. My Grandpa was on the front porch, watching, while the others were in the basement. He joined them after he witnessed the debris flying around. That house sustained minor damage, thankfully!
Then my 2 other aunts, my Mother’s older sister and sister-in-law were in the direct path. My Aunt was working at a restaurant, close to Washburn University, everyone had fled to the basement and were screaming at her to get down there. She was so concerned about the cash register so she was the last to go...she made it into the basement and shut the door just as the whole restaurant was obliterated.
Lastly, my other Aunt was a student at Washburn University. She and several other students fled to the basement and huddled in a corner. Right before the tornado hit, someone said they needed to change corners. They all ran to an opposite corner just as the building collapsed down into the basement, and crushed the corner that had just been huddled in. All survived.
Crazy to think about!
Yeah older people tend not to be too fearful and often more curious than scared.There's a video of an elderly man who filmed his house from when he first caught sight of it, until it hit his house. No fear at all. His wife died. She was downstairs in the kitchen, and as the upper story (where he was) began to collapse, he rode down with the bricks, but the upper floor crushed down on his wife.
Check it out here: ruclips.net/video/w8U3KzqWr3M/видео.html
Susie Arviso Oh yes! I saw that video, somehow it led me to these videos! I definitely couldn’t have stood there filming with that freight train bearing down on my home...glad he survived, sorry for his wifey and next door neighbor:(
my grandma was only 5 and that is absurd!
these are really good photographs really clear for the mid nineteen sixties. I also like the audio of the narrator and the people being interviewed.
I think the film was developed as slides. They hold up better than photos.
Incredible! I talk with Topeka residents who said 3 tornadoes were sighted side by side!
Thanks for sharing these slides. My parents (before they met) had both gone through this tornado. My dad had been in town just a few days and said his Packard car was extremely damaged, front window blown out, but that his glasses still sat on the dashboard, amazingly. His brother and him had to search for the car, which had blown several blocks from where he had parked it.
I REMEMBER IT VERY WELL. LIKE IT JUST HAPPENED…..
There are houses in my city that look like that without a tornado.
What city?
What lucky estate sale finds!!! I have color pictures of the Flint-Beecher tornado, which also occurred on June 8th, but in 1953 that my dad took. We weren't involved; my dad worked as a truck driver for a grocery chain, and they took food to the area. I'm thinking about duplicating my pictures, and donating them to the Flint Historical Society, since they are in color.
I was 10years old, my Dad was the Minister at West Christian Church. We came out of the basement to see it move to the east towards the Air Port. Bill Kurtis was a member of our church at the time, working at WIBW TV. I remember going with Dad the next day as he called on members of the church effected by this storm. Bill Kurtis’ wife was in the basement of one of the buildings on the Washburn campus while he was on tv telling everyone to take cover.
Dad died in '66 tornado..lived a block from 29th and Gage
So very sorry for your loss.
I'm sorry for your loss, William. God bless you.
I am sorry for your loss as well. I lved at 33rd and Arnold. Did you and your family live where the apartments were? There's only one original apartment building left in that block . Now there are two newer apartment buildings and five or six office buildings.
William Crouch My condolences
By any chance was your dad affiliated with Gage Bowl or some kind of bowling alley? My mom told me there was a really nice person who ran or managed a bowling alley that her Washburn college bowling class admired who was killed in the tornado.
My dad (who hadn't met my mom yet) had been in Topeka for just a few days (came to Topeka because of Santa Fe Railroad transfer), and told stories of being in the tornado (he wasn't very familiar with them). He said, "There were bodies all over the street, or so he thought" -- it turned out to be manikins that had blown out of store windows. He also mentioned someone yelling for help due to what he claimed was a pool table falling on top of someone.
Those were some well-built homes to have that much of them still standing.
It probably wouldn’t be an EF5 if if had happened today
The tornado went from the southwest to the northeast and the severest damage was in the path. However the rest of the city was not damaged. Only part of Washburn University was damaged and the rest of the campus was left intact.
The tragedy at Washburn was the loss of at least 4 historic ivy-covered buildings. Yeah, they were obsolete firetraps, but if they could have been rehabbed and upgraded, would have been a great asset to the beautiful WU campus.
I was in it. Terrifying.
Its the anniversary of this day it is June 8th now oooommmmgggg
There have been quite a few tornadoes which happened on June 8th. My dad saw and photographed (in color) another devastating F5 tornado in the Beecher neighborhood of Flint, MI in 1953. He worked for Kroger Markets back then as a truck driver, and a couple of trucks took food to the area. It was 2 and a half years before my time, but I have all the pictures of that now since my folks passed away.
These photos are spectacular!!!!!!!!
I took movies from 3777 SE Humboldt. A person ran an add he wanted to buy some film as in those days you could sell things like that to the Movie Studios. I called him and told him I and some and would trade mine for his. He can copy mine and send me a copy of his, which he did.
I don't believe why people didn't have homeowner's insurance. It's not that expensive, and if you have full coverage for the house and personal belongings, you can start anew. Otherwise, you have to apply for relief funds, and have to settle for something much less. Not very smart!!!
Wonderful and spectacular. I especially liked hearing that very loud jet flying over about halfway through. Just don't hear that anymore.
That was out of Forbes AFB SAC command in south Topeka. That was an every day occurrence until they closed the base.
@@davidlangston6927 Forgot all about Forbes AFB.
Scary