{"product_id":"the-track-of-the-tornado-that-struck-omaha-at-6-p-m-easter-sunday-march-23-1913-nebraska","title":"The Track of the Tornado That Struck Omaha at 6 P.M. Easter Sunday March 23, 1913 [Nebraska]","description":"[28 pp.] A collection of black-and-white photographs showing the devastation caused by the 1913 tornado that blew threw Omaha. It was one of four F4 tornadoes in Nebraska that day, which collectively killed 168 people. The storms were the most violent to hit the area so early in the year, and the tornado that hit Omaha was the worst of the four, verging on F5 levels of damage. It is currently the 13th deadliest ever to affect the United States. The Omaha tornado followed the path of Little Papillion Creek as it entered the city. It moved through the west side of town alongside the Missouri Pacific Railroad, destroying the small workers cottages in the area. The tornado was so strong that steel train cars were later found pierced by pieces of shattered lumber from the demolished homes. By the time the tornado reached Dewey Avenue it was five blocks wide. When it reached Farnam Hill, the tornado followed a shallow valley through this upscale neighborhood. The large mansions of Farnam were no match for the winds, and many houses were torn to pieces, along with several in the Gold Coast Historic District including the Joslyn Castle, which sustained considerable damage. Buildings were found chopped in half, pipes and supports dangling into space, such as the Duchesne Academy which was nearly obliterated. At North 24th and Lake Streets in the Near North Side neighborhood a large African American crowd was enjoying an Easter Sunday performance when the tornado flattened the building and killed more than two dozen people. Other brick structures in this small commercial district took similar hits, and more people died here than in any other part of Omaha. A streetcar running down North 24th Street in North Omaha encountered the tornado near this area. Thanks to the quick action of operator Ord Hensley in ordering passengers to lie on the floor of the car, everyone survived. Later, photographers would spot the wrecked machine and would call it the 'Streetcar of Death,' imagining that no one on board could have survived given the immense damage. The F4 tornado skirted the downtown area and moved over the Missouri River into Iowa, killing a few children near Beebeetown and causing further damage. Passing north of Persia, the tornado tracked through or near Defiance, Panama, and Manilla. South of Arcadia it hurled a farmhouse 50 ft (15 m), shortly before dissipating. Tornado expert Thomas P. Grazulis variously estimated a total path length of 40 to 45 mi (64 to 72 km), but subsequent analysis by other researchers in 2007 indicated a path more than twice as long. In all, 103 people died, 94 of which were in Omaha, and at least 350 were injured. Reportedly, 1,700 homes in Omaha alone were destroyed or damaged, with $8 million total damage from the storm, $5.5 million of which was in Omaha (financial damage estimates vary; the NOAA reports more damage than this). In the aftermath of the tornado, a cold front moved into Omaha and caused further misery, as newly homeless residents struggled to escape the snowy weather. Many homes, mostly small, throughout the northern side of the city were leveled, and \"dozens\" were swept away. Photographs at the time showed empty foundations, suggestive of F5 damage, but these may have been related to post-tornado clean-up.","brand":"Bee Publishing CO.","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":44725753184326,"sku":"2352667","price":35.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1232\/9510\/files\/2352667.jpg?v=1773507637","url":"https:\/\/ym-demo.myshopify.com\/products\/the-track-of-the-tornado-that-struck-omaha-at-6-p-m-easter-sunday-march-23-1913-nebraska","provider":"Yesterday's Muse","version":"1.0","type":"link"}