Reflections On The Belvidere Tornado
Here's what I wrote a year ago:
Today is the 38th anniversary of the F4 tornado that struck Belvidere, Illinois and killed 24 people there, most of them children in school buses. Our family moved there a year later. You might see one of my high school classmates, John Church, on the Weather Channel's Storm Stories when they show this story. John had his hip crushed and ended up with one leg shorter than the other and walked with a limp. But he never complained, ever. Even after all these years, the Belvidere tornado is still the 6th deadliest school tornado recorded in the United States.
Even though I lived there, I ended up learned a lot from the recent Storm Stories episode (the Triage 4-Block, for example). And there's this account from Terry:
About thirty minutes after the hail had stopped, a woman called into the radio station and the call was broadcast live. She had just driven through Belvidere, Illinois, a town seven miles east of us. She had stayed on the highway until she could get to a phone. She said something horrible had happened there - severe damage to another truckstop that she had driven by and what looked like bodies laying in the parking lot. She couldn't understand it though, because the sky was clear and the sun shining. She suggested someone go to Belvidere and find out what had happened. That was the first we heard of the terrible tragedy that occurred just to our east.
The tornado, which has been now estimated to be an F4, hit Belvidere just as the factories and schools were letting out for the day. My uncle, who worked at the Chrysler plant and one of his buddies were sitting in his car waiting for their shift to begin. They saw the funnel cloud approaching and raced safely into the factory. The tornado took off the corner of the building and picked up dozens of cars out of the parking lot. They could be seen for weeks after the storm, looking like crumpled up balls of tinfoil in the surrounding cornfields. I don't believe that there were any fatalies at the plant, but there were at the nearby grocery store, which was totally demolished. The worst scene was the schools. The children were just boarding the school buses when the storm hit and it picked up buses and tossed them around like toothpicks. Some kids were on the buses and some hurrying to get on in the driving rain. Twelve children and a bus driver were killed. In all 27 people died in Belvidere. The storm moved on to Oak Lawn, where another thirty died. Over 300 people were injured. My mom, who worked nights at one of the major hospitals was called in on her night off, as were all available hospital personnel in the area. She told us of seeing a little boy, whose whole body was purple - one big bruise. He died. The ambulances came from all over to help. Their sirens wailed all night long. It was a very sad time for everyone.
There had been no warnings. Once the storm had cut the communcation lines, no one outside the immediate area of destruction even knew what happened. I greatly appreciate the modern weather monitoring and predictive technology that we now have. It wasn't available back then and many lives were changed forever.
Moving in after the event, you soon figured how much you could ask about it, and when to shut up. One of the cues about how touchy people were how they conducted tornado drills. They had to be conducted on an absolutely sky-blue day. A single cloud was enough to postpone the drill until the next day.
I was just thinking about whether the tornado triggered any differences between my St Louis friends (where I was living on that day) and my Belvidere friends (where we moved in 1968). There was no mass wave of crisis counselors arriving at every disaster back then. You just kind of went on with Life, as best you could. I can't say I've noticed my friends from Belvidere are nuttier than my friends from St. Louis, really. On the other hand, at our 30th high school reunion in Belvidere we tallied up the numbers and figured out that 5 percent of my 1972 graduating class was dead already (17 out of 334). This seems high to me, but I have no idea of what the national average is. And if it is high, was any indirectly due to the tornado? I just don't know.
Hello, Tom-
You may remember my mother, Deanna Bailey. My name is Sheila Uscier (nee Axelson). I was 6 years old that day in April, 1967, and living at 441 W. 10th St. I will NEVER forget that day: My mother was preoccupied and didn't realize that anything was amiss until it was too late to get into the basement. We huddled together in her bedroom beneath a window in case the glass shattered. I remember that I had to scream at the top of my lungs to be heard above the roar: "Mommy, what is it?!" When the tornado passed, we arose to find that our house was one of the few on our street to remain almost completely intact. As our neighbors ascended from their basements to find themselves homeless, many came to our house until they could decide what to do next. The man across the street knocked on our door and shoved his infant into my mother's arms, saying that his wife had a piece of lumber stuck in her neck and he needed to get her medical attention immediately.
My grandfather (who saw the storm from the Admiral plant in Harvard) and grandmother arrived soon after to take me away from the mayhem, so I don't remember much of the aftermath aside from pulling playing cards out of our siding, our neighbors living in trailers in their yards, and the distinct smell of vinegar. I also awoke screaming on many occasions after returning home from my grandparents' house because I thought the sound of the trains coming and going at the Chrysler plant were tornadoes in the distance.
You ponder the long-term effects of the tornado on its survivors; almost 40 years later, if it rains during the night I awaken from some tornado dream or another. Just recently, I was stuck in traffic during a storm when the sky turned greenish and the wind began to swirl. The people in neighboring vehicles must have thought I was crazy, beating the steering wheel and shouting to myself "No way!", because all these years I've believed that I've had my one major tornado experience and would never have another; sort of like believing that lightning never strikes the same spot twice.
You also mentioned post-tornado counseling. No, waves of grief counselors weren't brought in but when we finally returned to school (I was in the kindergarten morning session), the teachers did a bit of counseling of their own. They asked us to draw pictures of our experiences and encouraged us to talk about them. Most of the pictures were of big, black blobs with household goods flying around them, but I remember that one boy drew a picture of himself walking atop the walls of his roofless house.
Irony: I have lived in south Florida for almost 25 years now and last year we experienced Wilma; the worst hurricane our county has endured in that time period. On the heels of Katrina, it barely made national news, but for those of us in Broward County it was a fairly traumatic event, both during and after the storm itself. We have still not fully recovered and the season begins again in 2 weeks. The difference between tornadoes and hurricanes is obvious: you know when a hurricane's coming and, after Wilma, I vowed that next time I'll pack my SUV and head for my grandmother's place in Belvidere!
Thanks for the opportunity to post my tornado memories. People who haven’t had a serious tornado experience just cannot relate and really don’t want to hear about it.
I also wonder if you know what happened to District 100’s Tornado Page? The link has been down for at least two months…
Best Regards,
Sheila
Posted by: Sheila Uscier | 05/17/2006 at 01:16 PM
2007 marks the 40th anniversary of the 1967 Belvidere Tornado.
I spent the last 40 years rarely talking about that fateful spring afternoon and hiding my fear and awful memories.
I was a grade school student attending Washington School and aboard bus #30 parked at the high school on Friday, April 21, 1967. I just turned 11 years old in March. Our bus was at the end of a long line of buses in the north parking lot waiting to depart for home.
The bus was full of children waiting to get home and enjoy the first warm spring day. It was Friday and thoughts of a weekend full of play was on our minds. I remember how noisy the bus was with excited kids.
We first noticed the weather from inside the bus when the heavy rain began. That was soon followed by large hail. So large it drown out the noise of the kids as it struck the roof of our bus. Then the hail seem to fall sideways and I remember one rear window being broken. Then only the sound of the hail hitting the bus could be heard. Everyone was silent because this wasn't just a regular storm.
I think before I saw the first brick or debris fly by the bus driver told us to get down. I remember bricks hitting the rear of the bus breaking out the other windows. Then bikes flew by and parts of the school's air conditioning system.
The sound of all the debris hitting the bus drowned out the sound of the storm. That sound people refer to as "Hundreds of Frieght Trains". It was like the bus was getting sandblasted by gravel from the un-paved parking lot. About that time my memories end.
The next memory was awakening on the floor under a seat. Somewhere near the back of the bus. My sister under part of my body. Maybe I grabbed her and covered her for protection, I don't know or remember. It was quiet now except for the sounds of movement, crying and faint screams. I bus was up right and appeared to be on it's wheels
I remember getting up and at the emergency door in the rear of the bus. I was holding my younger sisters hand. I and others forced the rear door open but it would stay open. The bus seemed to be resting on something causing it to be high in the rear. The distance to the ground also seemed higher then normal. We finally pushed the door and got it to open fully. Kids started to exit the bus.
Holding my sisters hand we jumped together and hit the ground hard. I think she landed on me. I remember the ground was muddy and full of debris. Once I stood and gathered myself the total devastation was clear. The moonscape like landscape was covered with just about everything you could imagine. Wood, cars, bikes, metal, injury people and more then I want to remember.
The rear of our bus had landed on a white car. There seemed to be kids inside, girls I think and they were screaming. The bus had ended up in the ajoining field of the school and in all the debris. I also remember clearly seeing the gravel from the parking lot drifted like snow against cars. I thought, "this is what a battlefield must look like"
With my sister in tow we headed for the school. Running past damaged cars, other buses and what looked like still bodies in the mud. The run seemed to take forever but my memories are very cloudy about this. I am not sure how long the run was or what I saw but we finally made the school and entered into the lunch room.
The members of our bus gathered together for we all came from the same neighborhood. Oak Hills Estates on Olson Road. The older kids kept watch and cared for us younger children. I recall seeing doors being removed and taken outside. I remember high school boys carrying kids inside on those doors. The sounds of a nightmare unfolding in front of me.
We received warning of another storm coming and were asked to seek shelter under tables. My sister, friends took cover under chairs. I remember asking my best friend what had happened. We thought maybe a atom bomb had hit Belvidere. Our 60's cold war thoughts never considered it was a tornado. I don't think I knew what a tornado was in fact. The warning happened to be false and the all clear was given.
About that time, someone grabbed me and said I needed medical attention. It was a high school girl. I was taken away from my sister and friends to receive care. I didn't relized my injuries but my shirt was red with blood. I was also bleeding from my head. I was taken through the heavily damamged halls of the school to a bathroom. It was dark but some had a flash light. Several students cared and dressed my wounds. I feared for my sister being alone. I remembered telling someone I had to get back to her. I returned to the luch room and remained there with my friends for hours.
We received word somehow that adult members of our families were coming to get us. I don't remember much and how all this happened because shock had set in.
The next thing I remember is standing in the intersection of Glenwood Drive and East Ave. waiting with others from our bus. It was now night time and dark. I remember a cameraman taking my picture as I waited. I remember the view was total destruction as far as you could see. Powerlines in the street, houses blown apart, fire trucks from Rockford, people crying, police cars roaring by with lights and sirens blasting. It was like hell came to Belvidere that night. It was hell in my mind.
Members of our bus and subdivision were driven home by some of the parents. How they got through the debris and National Guard troops I don't know. I also don't remember the ride home. I do remember running to my house with my sister. The second time we ran that day holding hands. My Mom waiting on our porch her arms open reaching for us. My sister glad to see her and laughing, I was crying like a lost boy.
The storm never bothered my sister as much as it did me. She feared strong storms like me but rarely talked about the tornado. I, on the other hand found it tough to forget that day and still carry the awful memories. I have searched for years to find peace. Like most victims I became interested in tornadoes and researched the subject. Hoping that by knowing my enemy would resolve many of my fears. In some ways it worked but in many ways it didn't.
I oftened wondered if I saw a tornado face to face would help me heal. So, I reseached chasing companies but could never justify the cost. The it happened a few years ago. My son's and I were doing a job in Stoughton, WI. and staying at the local Comfort Inn. We left the hotel that afternoon and before us to the west was a wall cloud and forming funnel. We watched the F3 tornado touch down and for about the next 15 minutes ravage that small town. I faced my beast like a man and saw it for what it was. My boys saw it as an awesome display of nature. I saw it as my excape from years of torment.
I least that is what I thought but that wasn't my true. It was jumping into our truck and heading into the damage path. It was searching through damaged homes for survivors. It was helping others who I now share a special bond with that helped me the most.
I only wish I had the power to prevent the storm. So Stoughton residents would not experience what many of the survivors of Belvidere have lived with for years.
One final dream of mine is to talk to someone on my bus about that day. Maybe to clear up the foggy parts for me. Maybe then the final chapter of these bad memories will end.
Ken Anderson
Posted by: Ken Anderson | 03/03/2007 at 08:58 AM
A side story to Ken Anderson's Belvidere Tornado experience:
Two days after the storm my Dad took my Brother Rick to O’Hare airport for his flight to Norfolk, VA and his own destiny with history. That day there was a freak heavy snow storm which added to that difficult day.
What a tough thing to do. Saying goodbye to your oldest son just two days after a tornado nearly killed two of your youngest children.
Rick was a 1966 Grad of Belvidere High School.
Rick shipped out on a very special US Navy ship bound for service in the Mediterranean Sea and part of joint fleet operations.
He could say little of the mission and his letters always modified by Navy censors. What we did know of his ship was it had allot of special gear including many antenna. There was also a section of the ship off limits to the crew. Rick thought the men in this section were CIA personel.
The ship took up station about 20 miles off the coast of the Sinai Peninsula on 7 June 1967. During the height of the Six Day War between Israeli and Arab forces. The ships mission was to observe, listen and conduct covert intelligence on the events taking place just 20 miles away.
His ship was a 1940’s vintage WW2 liberty ship converted for spy and intelligence gathering missions. The ship was AGRT USS Liberty. AGRT stands for (atmospheric, gathering, research, technical) The Navy’s way to hide the real mission of the ship.
The ship conducted it’s mission alone with no protection or support from other Navy vessels. The nearby fleet which contained the USS Saratoga and USS America aircraft carrier battle groups remained hundreds of miles away conducting flight training exercises.
On the morning of 8 June 1967 Israeli Air and Naval forces attacked the USS Liberty nearly sinking her. 34 American Sailors killed and hundreds wounded in hours of intense attack. You can find more about the USS Liberty story at www.ussliberty.com. You can visit the ship’s roster and find my Brothers name, Richard E. Anderson listed as wounded but a survivor.
Nearly four days had past after hearing news reports of the attack. Can you imagine what my parents were going through? Especially since it was just over one month since the Tornado. My family was informed of the attack by the evening news and there was no word on Rick’s condition.
I was outside playing at Beaver Creek with a friend when a family member came and brought me home. When I got home my parents were upset and my Mother was crying. Someone told me the news and I immediately went to my Mothers side. I was 11 years old and now a veteran of tragety.
After four painful days waiting for word of Rick's condition our local Congressman came to our home to tell us Rick was alive. He had been wounded by rocket fire but alive.
He returned home in a few weeks for leave and resignment.
He rarely talks about the attack even if you ask him. Many people in Belvidere do not know one of their own boys was aboard the ship. His experience was kind of lost within the tornado event and stories.
So in just over one month my parents nearly lost three of four children in national tragic events. I can't even imagine the strength it would take to cope during that time.
1967 in our family never existed. A year we have tried to forget.
Find out more about the USS Liberty by visiting:
www.ussliberty.com
Thanks
Ken Anderson
andersonprocarpentry@insightbb.com
Posted by: Ken Anderson | 03/03/2007 at 12:05 PM
April 21, 1967...Here I sit 53 years old and still remembering that day as if it were yesterday. I was 13 years old, tossed about the inside of a school bus, landed somewhere out in the field still inside the bus sitting on the roof. I've never known how I got out of the bus.. have always wondered. Next thing I remember is I'm running.. didn't see anything, just running.. near the school I stopped to try and help someone up, they couldn't get up..I tried but finally said, "I'm sorry your to heavy for me"
The pictures in my mind are as clear as the day it happened.
The death of my dear friend Phyllis Van Brocklin forever in my heart.
The 40th year since...Would love to hear from anyone else who still "remembers"
Gaylin Rush Hall
( I was in the 7th grade and lived in Caledonia)
Posted by: Gaylin Hall | 03/05/2007 at 11:04 PM
Hi... I'm a 1986 grad of Belvidere High School. While the tornado of 1967 happened a year before I was born, I have heard many stories over the years, about the Belvidere Tornado,from various people who experienced it first hand... my neighbors, my teachers who were there, people I baby-sat for, people I worked with, etc. The stories have always facinated me, even though I wasn't alive when it happened. My family moved to the area in 1974.
About 2 years ago, I remember watching "Storm Stories" on the Weather Channel, and they told the story of the Belvidere Tornado. I was glued to my seat for the entire show! After the recent tornado hit Enterprise, AL, I've been watching the weather channel a lot lately, knowing that this situation very much mirrored how Belvidere High School got hit, and I was looking for mention of Belvidere's story again on the Weather Channel. I saw it just tonight, and I heard how present BHS students and local residents were trying to raise funds to help the students of the high school in Enterprise (which I think is a very honorable thing to do). When I first heard about Enterprise, right away, Belvidere's Tornado of 67 popped into my mind. I knew it was in the top ten list of schools that had been hit by tornadoes. The guy on the weather channel mentioned that there was a work in progress regarding collecting stories of those who survived the Belvidere tornado, and I am wondering if anyone knows who is collecting this info. and when/where it might be viewable or available to others? I think that it's important for eyewitnesses to tell their stories, so others will remember in hopes that history won't be repeated elsewhere. I am also a teacher of the Deaf in Wisconsin, and last year, we had a tornado drill at our school, which, ironically for me, occured on April 21st. The date really grabbed my attention, and after the drill, I started looking on the internet for information about the Belvidere Tornado. I wanted to find out as much as I could to show my students what had happened in Belvidere- the very High School I graduated from- so they could see why it is so important to practice tornado drills in schools everywhere. If anyone can tell me where I can find more stories from eyewitnesses of the Belvidere Tornado, or about who is conducting the collection of stories, I would be very interested. I know that it's hard for some people to talk about, but I want to encourage those who have lived through it to tell their stories. I am personally interested in the stories of the individuals, as each person has a unique perspective that deserves to be heard. I encourage anyone who did experience that tragic day not to be afraid to share your stories! Why? Because it has already been nearly 40 years, and fewer and fewer people who could tell the story are around to tell the younger generations. And if people don't write down or somehow document their stories, they'll eventually get lost in time forever.
Thanks for any info., and thank-you to those who have willingly told their stories!
Sincerely,
Karen Pilipuf Matus
Posted by: Karen Pilipuf Matus | 03/07/2007 at 11:20 PM
Hi...My older brother and sister were on bus#33 that rolled during the 1967 tornado in Belvidere, IL. The Belvidere Historical Museum just put out a book for the 40th Anniversary. My sister's story is on page 11, 60, and the last story in the book (Penny Pearse). Also, a picture of my brother is on page 78. I was only 4 at the time and at home with my mom and two other young siblings. At the time of the storm my mom took us into the basement. Although we lived on Business Route 20 at the Boone/Winnebago County line, we still had the high winds and hail. After the storm my mom waited for the school bus to come. After about an hour she saw a bus finally coming down the road. She watched in horror as it raced past with its windows busted out and stretchers with the wounded laying across its seats. A few minutes later she received a phone call about the tornado hitting the school. My brother was a patrol boy on bus#33. He can recall seeing the bus in front of his starting to roll before he got down. As the bus rolled his patrol belt got caught on the handle of the door. He was held in mid air for a few seconds. When the bus stopped, my sister Penny was trapped underneath the bus driver who had passed out. The bus driver finally regained consciousness as my sister was screaming for her to get off of her. Penny was only 7 at the time. No one was killed on their bus, and my brother assisted the children in getting out. Once inside the school a high school girl took my sister into the bathroom and cleaned her off. She had mud and tar all over her. That high school girl was a hero that day (as were many). My brother helped find people buried under the debris. He recalls a couple girls who'd parked their car next to the bus. The bus rolled over them. For several weeks after the tornado my sister had a difficult time riding in the car. When mom would start to turn a corner she'd start crying because she thought the car was going to roll. Penny doesn't recall much about the aftermath of the storm. That morning she'd taken my mother's vase to school for show and tell. Mom had told her to be very careful and not break the vase. Penny recalls being concerned about what had happened to the vase after the storm. I think she was also in shock.
Sincerely,
Terri Pearse
Posted by: Terri Pearse | 04/21/2007 at 01:37 AM