May 6 Memories....ITT!
- Thread starter Charlie Marlow
- Start date
Wow. I remember that so well. My father was a hospital administrator over at Bergan Mercy. They had patients half out of their room and had to body shield them from flying glass and debris as the tornado hit the hospital. That storm changed how we all reacted whenever there was a warning.
It was my 9th Birthday. We were headed out the door to go out to eat at, of all places, Caniglia's Top of the World. That was a restaurant that used to be on the top floor of the Woodmen Building. Instead the sirens went off and we headed over to our neighbor's house. I spent the evening in their basement (we didn't have one). The father and son from next door (lifelong family friends of ours) rode it out at their business on Pacific Street, which lost it's roof. They made it back home about an hour after the tornado passed without a scratch, although they were visibly shaken. I'll never forget it, but I think my lasting impression will always be how tight knit our neighborhood was back then. Everyone knew everyone else, and banded together. I miss that.
I was 11. I remember being outside and seeing the clouds swirling and it got real still. Sirens went off. Lived on 113th south of center and from our basement facing east we saw it go over the railroad tracks and towards the interstate. No damage to our house as we were far enough away but in those days you opened all the windows thinking you were de-pressurizing the house so we got plenty of water to clean up. Rode our bikes all over. It was crazy to see all the damage.....too young to realize how lucky we were.
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Was 8 when it happened. Can still remember the color of the skies that day - Green.
My Dad took us to Hauff's Sporting Goods downtown to get soccer shoes after school, We were driving back on I-80 when my dad saw it west of 72nd. We were just coming up to 60th. He pulled off the interstate and went to the first house on 60th Street. A couple kids were home alone and my Dad took us all to the basement to ride out the storm. The kids were just happy to see an adult as their parents were stuck at work due to the storm.
The trip home west was an adventure due to street closures between 72nd and 84th.
My Dad took us to Hauff's Sporting Goods downtown to get soccer shoes after school, We were driving back on I-80 when my dad saw it west of 72nd. We were just coming up to 60th. He pulled off the interstate and went to the first house on 60th Street. A couple kids were home alone and my Dad took us all to the basement to ride out the storm. The kids were just happy to see an adult as their parents were stuck at work due to the storm.
The trip home west was an adventure due to street closures between 72nd and 84th.
You share a birthday with my wife. I hear the story every year about her Dad being in the National Guard and was putting together a tricycle (2nd b-day) when he got the call he had to report for duty. He said, "I can't, I have my daughter's birthday party!" and they said, "not anymore." Happy birthday!
My mom was in high school. Four of her siblings were at home alone. Middle school age, roughly. Their house got hit, ripped the roof off and picked up the house and set it back down. The kids were safe and in the basement.
My grandpa knew the kids were home alone. He had to park a couple miles away from his house due to all the trees being down and the roads being blocked. He had to run from there. Over trees and seeing the devastation. It still chokes me up a little to think about what he must have went through. I cannot imagine having to run through all that, not knowing if your kids were alright. Then coming up to your house without a roof and being all torn up. What a nightmare situation for every parent.
My grandpa knew the kids were home alone. He had to park a couple miles away from his house due to all the trees being down and the roads being blocked. He had to run from there. Over trees and seeing the devastation. It still chokes me up a little to think about what he must have went through. I cannot imagine having to run through all that, not knowing if your kids were alright. Then coming up to your house without a roof and being all torn up. What a nightmare situation for every parent.
I was 13 my dad was doing field work, it was partly cloudy at our place north of Daykin, we could see the cloud mass to our northeast but it was hard to believe Omaha was getting hit by a tornado but dad happened to be listening to Kfab on the tractor radio
Not to be a nit picker, but isn't it 44 years??
Hard to forget that day. I was home from Westside High with my Dad when it hit. Our house was off of Western, between Westbrook Jr High and Creighton Prep. Our house was fine but we had lots of insulation from other homes/businesses in our yard. My poor Mom had to drive home from downtown Omaha after it hit. She was quite shaken.
One of my good friends, who lived just down the hill east of Prep, had her house severely damaged. I remember who were allowed to miss school to help with the clean up. We had to park at the funeral home or church parking lot to walk down the hill to help as the streets were closed. National Guard helicopters flew over our houses at night. It was quite creepy.
Hard to forget that day. I was home from Westside High with my Dad when it hit. Our house was off of Western, between Westbrook Jr High and Creighton Prep. Our house was fine but we had lots of insulation from other homes/businesses in our yard. My poor Mom had to drive home from downtown Omaha after it hit. She was quite shaken.
One of my good friends, who lived just down the hill east of Prep, had her house severely damaged. I remember who were allowed to miss school to help with the clean up. We had to park at the funeral home or church parking lot to walk down the hill to help as the streets were closed. National Guard helicopters flew over our houses at night. It was quite creepy.
My birthday is tomorrow! Needless to say we didn't do much celebrating that year.
The original post was in 2015, four years ago!
