OT: Omaha Tornado 1975

[VandallHuskerJulie]

I remember having pieces of Creighton Prep's insulation in our front yard. No school at Westside so we could help our friends clean up the damage. National Guard helicopters flying overhead.

https://www.omaha.com/news/local/wa...e_57fb6543-4cdc-524b-8d20-915bcc8b8494.html#5

 

[WHCSC]

Couldn't wait for the Red Cross trucks to come by so we could get some goodies

 

[WHCSC]

https://dataomaha.com/bigstory/weat...n84bpNJq3_5ApVXWZDg3tMFz3D1ty43ewvRGoU91Cs5L0

 

[tpmcg]

we had already moved from Omaha, but remember seeing a house on a visit with just the stairwell to basement surviving the storm.
i think the dude continued living there.
as a kid, i was impressed.

 

[MAG]

Remember it very well. I was in the 7th grade at the time. Lived in Sarpy County away from all of the action. Just rain, wind and some hail at our house. Creepy feeling and the heaviness in the air that afternoon. Just knew sometime serious about the weather was imminent.

 

[tpmcg]

Couldn't wait for the Red Cross trucks to come by so we could get some goodies

did you smear some mud on your face and clothes to get extra?

 

[NorthwoodHusker]

I was driving with my gf, we couldnt see the street, the water was over the curb, couldnt see much of the old 2-3 wide elms along the side of the road.
I guessed right, pulled into a friend of my cousins house and rode it out there.

 

[WHCSC]

did you smear some mud on your face and clothes to get extra?

I was 7 so I probably was like that all the time

 

[v1nufan]

My dad was driving northbound on 84th St waiting his turn to enter that “Awful Tunnel “ and watching that monster in his review mirror. Wisely he turned west at Center St even though he had an appointment the opposite direction.

 

[GretnaShawn]

My grandparents/mother lived on 84th St in Ralston. The tornado hit their house. Took off the second floor and most of the main floor. My mom, the oldest child of seven, was not at the house. Either we’re her parents or the next two eldest siblings. But the youngest 4 kids were in the house. Luckily they went to the basement. Ages 6-12.

My grandpa had to stop about a mile away because there was too much debris on the road and he had to run (uphill mainly) home.

I cannot imagine the fear and panic of that run. Knowing your four youngest were home alone (they were able to call and tell them to get to the basement before the tornado came) and seeing all the houses gone and trees down. That had to be terrifying.

 

[tarheelhusker]

We lived around 84th & Q & got blasted, could have been worse. We still had walls & a frying pan stuck stuck into the kitchen wall, just perfect. Didn’t shatter the drywall, just slammed in there perfectly.

 

[planored]

I was 11, lived down hill from Middle School. My sister was at book fair at Seymour elem. my mom said go get your sister. Told the teachers what was happening, got home and watched from basement door, remember the sounds and then walked out and the green sky way surreal. We got lucky, knew people in basement of Grandmothers etc. you go thru something like that, you don’t forget.

 

[bigboxes]

I was 9 and in 3rd grade. Plano is old. My father was a hospital administrator at Bergan Mercy and they had to drape themselves over patients that they couldn't get fully in the hall as glass starting flying in the lobby. I have heard a recording of that scene and it was quite nerving. It was that storm that changed how America dealt with tornadoes from thereon out.

 

[tarheelhusker]

did you smear some mud on your face and clothes to get extra?

Yeah! “Poor folks got poor folks ways, them that’s got is them that’s gets.”

 

[GretnaShawn]

I was 9 and in 3rd grade. Plano is old. My father was a hospital administrator at Bergan Mercy and they had to drape themselves over patients that they couldn't get fully in the hall as glass flying in the lobby. I have heard a recording of that scene and it was quite nerving. It was that storm that changed how America dealt with tornadoes from thereon out.

I work in commercial/industrial HVAC - there are still pictures of a Bergan that get shot out of the aftermath of that storm periodically.

 

[VandallHuskerJulie]

My dad was driving northbound on 84th St waiting his turn to enter that “Awful Tunnel “ and watching that monster in his review mirror. Wisely he turned west at Center St even though he had an appointment the opposite direction.

OMG that was an awful tunnel. I hated driving thru it!

 

[tarheelhusker]

I was 11, lived down hill from Middle School. My sister was at book fair at Seymour elem. my mom said go get your sister. Told the teachers what was happening, got home and watched from basement door, remember the sounds and then walked out and the green sky way surreal. We got lucky, knew people in basement of Grandmothers etc. you go thru something like that, you don’t forget.

After being in that

OMG that was an awful tunnel. I hated driving thru it!

you would have despised me. Not every time but often enough, I would honk my horn AFTER incoming traffic passed me. (I didn’t want to get sideswiped by a tensed up driver, much like yourself.)

 

[VandallHuskerJulie]

I was 9 and in 3rd grade. Plano is old. My father was a hospital administrator at Bergan Mercy and they had to drape themselves over patients that they couldn't get fully in the hall as glass flying in the lobby. I have heard a recording of that scene and it was quite nerving. It was that storm that changed how America dealt with tornadoes from thereon out.

I'm even older. I was a junior at Westside. Our house was between Hillside Elementary (Prep) and Westbrook. We were lucky - my friend who lived east of Prep not so much. I misspoke - school was in session but we were allowed to leave to help with the cleanup effort. We had to park at the mortuary on 72nd and Western and walk down the hill where the houses were destroyed. I've never witnessed so much destruction.

My poor Mom had to drive from downtown to our house shortly after the tornado went thru. She was understandably pretty shook up driving thru the rubble not knowing if our home was still standing.

 

[VandallHuskerJulie]

After being in that

you would have despised me. Not every time but often enough, I would honk my horn AFTER incoming traffic passed me. (I didn’t want to get sideswiped by a tensed up driver, much like yourself.)

Fortunately I didn't go thru that tunnel very often as I didn't live in that area!

 

[tarheelhusker]

Yeah, and we had a blizzard that winter. I enjoyed riding it out at Grandmothers.

 

[tpmcg]

OMG that was an awful tunnel. I hated driving thru it!

i loved it.

 

[Baxter48]

It was different, I lived about 150 miles to the southwest of Omaha, it was partly cloudy warm on our farm we could see a large dark cloud So dad said turn on kfab see if Omaha is having a thunderstorm they had more than that.

 

[planored]

I was 9 and in 3rd grade. Plano is old. My father was a hospital administrator at Bergan Mercy and they had to drape themselves over patients that they couldn't get fully in the hall as glass flying in the lobby. I have heard a recording of that scene and it was quite nerving. It was that storm that changed how America dealt with tornadoes from thereon out.

 

[Tuco Salamanca]

We lucked out. I was 6 and we were at my grandmother's house near the Benson Park Golf Course. It is strange that I remember this, but you could see the the twister coming straight toward us from the basement windows. Then all of a sudden, it just lifted up and was gone, about 1/2 mile away. My grandma was pissed because my uncle had us standing too close to the window watching. Strange day.

 

[Charlie Marlow]

I was in first grade at the time. Our neighborhood wasn't hit, but my mom was working at Bergan Mercy when it was hit. Lots of pandemonium there.

 

[bigboxes]

I'm even older. I was a junior at Westside. Our house was between Hillside Elementary (Prep) and Westbrook. We were lucky - my friend who lived east of Prep not so much. I misspoke - school was in session but we were allowed to leave to help with the cleanup effort. We had to park at the mortuary on 72nd and Western and walk down the hill where the houses were destroyed. I've never witnessed so much destruction.

My poor Mom had to drive from downtown to our house shortly after the tornado went thru. She was understandably pretty shook up driving thru the rubble not knowing if our home was still standing.

I remember that they installed tornado sirens tested them every week. I remember going into our basement with the battery powered transistor radio.

 

[NJVAKYVANESDMOTXINCANE]

I remember having pieces of Creighton Prep's insulation in our front yard. No school at Westside so we could help our friends clean up the damage. National Guard helicopters flying overhead.

https://www.omaha.com/news/local/wa...e_57fb6543-4cdc-524b-8d20-915bcc8b8494.html#5

I was in the Nebraska National Guard then. Got to stand guard duty along 72nd street to protect what was left. Just remember there was a lot of damage.

 

[Hawkdiver]

I was at a pizza place in downtown Millard. The women and children were all shuffled into the walk in freezer and the men stood by the bar, but close enough to dive in the freezer if needed. They kept serving and my dad was pretty lit by the time we left.

It took forever to get home as every street we turned down was blocked.

 

[Laner2]

We lived around 84th & Q & got blasted, could have been worse. We still had walls & a frying pan stuck stuck into the kitchen wall, just perfect. Didn’t shatter the drywall, just slammed in there perfectly.

Tarheel and I are brothers. Our middle brother claimed to be driving south on 84th during the tornado and claimed to have seen a horse in the air. Possible, but I'm thinking it more that devil peyote than anything.

 

[mgbreis]

I was in the Nebraska National Guard then. Got to stand guard duty along 72nd street to protect what was left. Just remember there was a lot of damage.

My father in law was also in the National Guard and from Lincoln. My wife's birthday is on May 6th and she turned 2 that year. Every year on her birthday her Dad tells the story about someone from the Guard calling to tell him to report and he said "I'm putting together a tricycle and we're having a birthday party" and they said "not anymore you're not." You probably know him.

 

[Cedric]

I'm even older. I was a junior at Westside. Our house was between Hillside Elementary (Prep) and Westbrook. We were lucky - my friend who lived east of Prep not so much. I misspoke - school was in session but we were allowed to leave to help with the cleanup effort. We had to park at the mortuary on 72nd and Western and walk down the hill where the houses were destroyed. I've never witnessed so much destruction.

My poor Mom had to drive from downtown to our house shortly after the tornado went thru. She was understandably pretty shook up driving thru the rubble not knowing if our home was still standing.

You must be two years younger than me. I had graduated from Prep the previous year and had just gotten home from my first year of college. No damage at our place near 114th and Pacific. I spent the following couple of days helping clean up at Prep

 

[bigboxes]

108th and Q. No damage. I remember riding our bikes into this drainage gully at Hitchcock Elementary on the edge of the hill. Storm passes over and we are out immediately. You get used to it. I remember seeing funnel clouds.

 

[HuskerJack95]

My boss at the time lived on 91st Street about 3 blocks south of Q. The tornado tore the roof off the house while his wife and son took shelter under the pool table in the basement. When I went to the house the next day to help empty their freezer, I noticed that the house across the street had the garage torn off and the south side was exposed. A box of cereal was still on the kitchen counter, unscathed. My boss' house was razed and the lot sat vacant for seven years.

I knew two guys who worked at Calvary Cemetery on 78th and Center. They jumped into a grave as the tornado passed over. Luckily, the grave was empty.

 

[Rocky Mtn Husker]

I remember hearing the sirens and that musty smell from taking cover in the corner of the basement. Made a mess of 72nd St. and there were looters. Wasn’t a good day to be at the track, haha. We had a little snowstorm in ‘75 too.

 

[Dean Pope]

Remember it very well. I was in the 7th grade at the time. Lived in Sarpy County away from all of the action. Just rain, wind and some hail at our house. Creepy feeling and the heaviness in the air that afternoon. Just knew sometime serious about the weather was imminent.

We had the exact same feeling in Lincoln back in May of '04. The Hallam tornado.