Winds of Change | The Catastrophic 1970 Lubbock Texas F5 Tornado

[@davidalan7815]

The day of the tornado was the day of my last final exam. I had sent everything I had home and planned to sleep on a bare mattress in my dorm room that night and hitch hike home the next day. So all I had was a #2 pencil and the clothes on my back. I watched the whole thing from my dorm room window on the second floor of Bledsoe Hall. As soon as it was over, I went out to the street and began helping every way I could. I rode with an ambulance, searched wreckage, carried the body of a woman who had been crushed by a pickup dropped on her by the storm and even directed traffic at 19th and Flint for eight hours. It was a very busy time that first week. Probably the most eventful and memorable week of my life.

[@Matyas_Doktor]

That's incredible. You're a great person! I moved to Lubbock for school and I've been learning about tornados. Seeing a video like this that clearly identifies all the parts of town that I know really magnifies the shock but I cannot imagine seeing the tornado or going through it. We had warnings just last night for 90mph winds and to expect hail and wind damage and possibly tornadoes but the storm passed by luckily only causing minimal damage with heavy rain and strong winds and some hail. One of the things I love most about Lubbock is how friendly everyone is and knowing there are many residents like you that would help anyone in need without a second thought if anything happens to just me and my family or a true disaster.

[@masterworm1]

Carly, absolutely well done. I'm from Lubbock and so is my family. We learn about the May 11th Tornado early, and there's still signs of it's destruction around town. My grandfather was actually driving back home from a work trip, heading South from farther north in the Panhandle. He drove through the storm and missed the tornado by about 20 minutes. He got stuck on the north side of town due to police just starting to close roads due to all of the destruction. My grandmother, mom, and uncle thought that he had gotten caught in the tornado and had been killed since the phones were down, and his office building was located downtown and was destroyed. The authorities were telling families that bodies were being taken to the, now demolished, Winchester Theater that was located on 50th and Indiana St. So my Grandmother took my mom and uncle to the theater to identify my grandfather's body, if he was there. Of course they didn't find him, and by the time they got back home, he was already there waiting for them.

[@carlyannawx]

Thank you so much for sharing your personal story. Personal and family recounts are always so rewarding for me to read through and I'm so happy to know all of your family made it out okay. What a horrifying ordeal to not know where your husband is in a situation like that, I'm sure it was the longest few hours for them!

[@WillArtie]

OMG the relief of coming back home and seeing his vehicle there - almost makes me want to cry.

[@gabrielwatson7721]

I am very thankful your Grandpa was safe. I can't imagine being in your Grandma and her children's places. God Bless you.

[@masterworm1]

I've talked to them about it many times. All my grandmother could do was listen to the radio. They knew where the tornado was hitting, what time, and the damage that was being done. She can vividly recall the dread that they were feeling not having heard anything. She also talks about "loading the kids up" and heading to the theater to possibly identify his body. She left them in the car while she went inside to confirm. She said her and the kids got back home close to midnight and my grandfather was there wondering "where in the hell they were". My grandfather like to downplay it a bit but he talks about all of the destruction that he saw when he was trying to get back to his office downtown. He was turned away and it took him a long time to navigate his way through down back home. @@gabrielwatson7721

[@laurajohnson3750]

These videos are immensely therapeutic in the healing of PTSD and survivors guilt that I battle. In 2010, I lived in NW Ohio (Lake twp) when an EF4 nocturnal tornado missed our house by about a city block. It was in an open field just west of our house heading straight for us and took a very slight left turn as it intensified and tore through the Village of Millbury. Because it turned just a bit and spared us, a 4 year old boy and his parents passed away, leaving their daughter with a broken leg and destroyed family. I've struggled for years with the immense survivors guilt. I think of the seven victims of the June 5, 2010 Lake Township, Ohio tornado often, and pray that their rest is peaceful. ❤❤

[@carlyannawx]

Laura I am so sorry to hear that, that is horrifying. I can't begin to fathom the kind of pain you must feel from that event, and it's completely understandable. Sometimes we have no way of being able to understand why bad things happen to innocent people. My hope for you is that you're able to find some resolution or peace with it in your life. These events are merciless, and impact so many

[@poetcomic1]

PTSD from a tornado that missed you is a little histrionic.

[@RT-qd8yl]

@@poetcomic1 Survivors guilt is a weird thing. People told me I should've had it after my dad and his wife died but I never really did. People who are more empathetic to begin with seem to be more at risk of it.

[@laurajohnson3750]

@poetcomic1 What a cruel thing to say. Did the tornado miss me? Yes, just barely. If hunkering down at the end of a hallway under a mattress while I could feel the walls of our house shake and wondering when and if it's going to hit makes me histrionic, then I guess that's what I am. The whole situation was traumatic for the entire town, both for people that were missed and people that were hit. Maybe you should think about the things you say before you actually say them. 😡

[@joe92]

@@poetcomic1 What a waste of space you are

[@CZC898]

I was born and raised in Lubbock and have lived here for nearly 50 years. As a kid I observed tornado sirens at all the fire stations; however, none were operational. It was not until around two years ago the city of Lubbock installed 45 tornado sirens (The Texas Tech Campus has had them for years.) The current population is over 260,000 with a metro population of well over 300,000. Aside from a few small tornados in the area and monster thunderstorms, we have been fortunate to not repeat the 1970 disaster. The consensus is we are due for another major tornado. The local news stations do an excellent job alerting the public when severe weather is probable.

[@zanikat7448]

I live about 80 miles from LBK (to the north) and our town had a bad one sometime around there too. I only say this because I had a science teacher in HS who always, always told us that this whole area is due for one. Our town just installed new sirens and more throughout town in the recent years. I just hope that when/if it happens that the NWS and local weather guys/gals can give a long leeway for everyone around. I am terrified of them, part respect, most scared of the chaos they bring. I was within .5 mi of the 95 Pampa tornado and any near misses just make me more axious. This past summer when my cousins town was hit (Matador), it was total meltdown mode. So I watch all these for theraputic senses.

[@CZC898]

@@zanikat7448 I passed through Matador driving back from Oklahoma a few hours before it was hit. The sky was clear, I recall it being a typical hot day. I was so sad to see the immediate area I was a few hours earlier totally destroyed. The 95 Pampa tornado was some the best tornado footage I’ve ever watched. It had to have been terrifying to be there.

[@zanikat7448]

@@CZC898 It def was. My cousins and I were in the car headed back to White Deer and I looked out the window and yelled at my cousin to floor it. At the time we saw it, it was probably in its starting stages, but it grew fast. We were so afraid that it was going to back build or back track and come back for us. (Pampa) The Matador one was crazy too. Up here on top of the Cap, it was all sorts of weird skies with the coloring and striations , I mean you could tell that there was some chaos going on up in the clouds. It stormed here and then it started being hot and balmy. Then I guess it was not even an hour later I seen something from my family stating that she was praying for her mom and kiddos that live in Matador. So I turned on youtube and started watching various chasers livestreams. My heart sank and it was not until like maybe 10 that night that we finally were able to get a hold of my family that lives there. They were all ok, thankfully, but said that there was so much damage around them. Oddly enough, the grandmother i just referred too was the one driving me and my other cousin (her sis) on that day in 95. Scary stuff, super super scary stuff.

[@CZC898]

Glad your family made it out safe:

[@Butterflyandhearts95]

I live in northwest Lubbock and I can’t hear the sirens at my house. Thank goodness I get the alerts on my cell phone.

[@alecwilliams7111]

As a Texas Tech student, I missed the tornado by 24 hours. I got to walk through the ruins a couple of weeks later, and it gave me a new respect for tornadoes. If one's coming, get to shelter. Nobody but God and the tornado know for sure what it's going to do. Tornadoes are destructive and whimsical, and not to be messed with.

[@rocketsfan6116]

There evidently are no gods, please stop asserting irrational things that you can't demonstrate.

[@HarryManback0]

​@@rocketsfan6116Only uneducated people insult religion. Maybe one day you'll be mature enough to recognize that.

[@rocketsfan6116]

@@HarryManback0 Excuse you, I'm an agnostic atheist partly because I've spent years studying religion and philosophy on top of my formal education. Our beliefs aren't benign, they influence our actions as well as other beliefs. I will always speak out against irrational, insular, toxic ideas and it has nothing to do with maturity.

[@HarryManback0]

@@rocketsfan6116 This sounds like something an angst-ridden teenager would say. Absolutely no one cares what you've studied or your opinions. You're nowhere near as intelligent as you seem to think you are, so stop making a fool out of yourself.

[@rocketsfan6116]

@@HarryManback0 Did you want to defend the actual TRUTH of your irrational religious beliefs? Or just make a fleeting ignorant statement and run away?

[@lyndahannah-mcnatt8030]

Thank you for doing this video. I grew up in Midland, Texas and I was 8 years old when this happened. We had gone to Lubbock that afternoon to look for an apartment to live in while my dad went to grad school at Tech. We got to our motel ( Ramada Inn on the Amarillo Highway). My parents both grew up in Oklahoma and knew about tornadoes. We were on the first floor and my dad was watching the hail and rain from the doorway. The power went out and my parents looked at each other and then grabbed me and my sister and put us in the bathtub and crammed a double mattress in over us. My mom hugged the toilet and my dad got under the bed next to the bathroom. When it was over with, the 2nd floor was gone letting all the rain and hail come in after it passed. Yes, it was still storming after the tornado passed. We had 2 walls left; the bathroom wall and the wall where the beds were. The front wall and the TV wall were completely gone. We came out with some minor bumps and bruises but basically okay. I will never ever forget that night and my fascination of tornadoes in general. The interesting thing about this tornado didn’t discriminate; it hit downtown, the campus area, the barrio, the country club area, and industrial areas. Fortunately, it was at night , it would have been far more worse than it was. Thank you again for your documentary. I hope that you will do one on Waco, May 11, 1953….17 years earlier to the day that Lubbock was hit. It was a very intense storm and left 114 dead as it went through downtown during rush hour.

[@robertterrell3065]

Thank you for this video. I am one of the Lubbock residents who probably never quite got over the Lubbock tornado. The morning after the tornado hit, my father and I drove out to that private airport to see if his plane was ok. The drive out was, not describable really. And the airport was just unreal. Broken and twisted planes all over. But my dad's plane was almost untouched. The planes on either side of the hanger next to his were destroyed. I think he kind of lost it, though. Mom told me sometimes he would tell people that there were no fatalities in the tornado. My grandfather's house was destroyed. Just the water heater left. Me, being an artist, have had tornado imagery in my art since then. Usually not too apparent, but I know. My friend and I drove around the afternoon of May 12, and saw way too much.

[@hunterlocascio9457]

All of my grandparents have stories about this day. My grandfather worked for Southwestern Bell and did a lot of work in the recovery efforts after the tornado. He was awarded a medallion for this work and it was always one of my favorite stories he told me. When he passed my grandmother gave me that medallion and I’ll always cherish that.

[@Rdavis6672]

My father also worked for southwestern Bell. I remember that night. As soon as it was over he had to go to work. My father likely knew your grandfather. It was a wild night. I was 9 at the time.

[@dirtbagdeacon]

Dr. Ted Fujita was such a boss! He has saved so many lives through his work on microbursts as well as creating the Fujita scale.

[@TheAmandamook]

My grandmother was a nurse in Lubbock. She was called into work late that night, along with the rest of the medical personnel in the city. The tornado had missed her neighborhood so she was unprepared for the drive to the hospital. She worked the rest of the night, giving sponge baths, cleaning cuts, etc. It was unlike anything she'd ever seen or experienced.

[@liya6961]

May 11, 1970, I wasn't born yet. I came 4 years later, But both of my parents were taking cover scared for their lives. This is where I am from born and raised. The history of this night is what got me interested in weather and tornadoes. One of the buildings downtown ( the great plains life building, now known as Metro Tower ) still bear the scars of that night. This night was pure nightmare fuel for the people of Lubbock. Carly, thank you for doing this video.

[@CarlaKay23]

I was 3 years old… I remember the man yelling on the radio… I remember my family running outside and being thrown by my grandma to my dad as we crossed the street. I remember the door in the ground opening and being scared of going down the stairs and I remember the smell and people all jammed together and some kid sticking his finger in the flame of a candle. No memory of the storm but to this day I pay attention to the weather and panic terribly if caught out and away from the safe spot I’ve made for myself during storms.

[@tornadotrx]

Carly, this video was extremely well done. Not many people talk about stuff from before the 1990's, but this was very real for SO many people. Such a good comprehensive of everything, especially the damage assessment and stuff with Fujita. Amazing amazing as always!!

[@BCHonea]

Thank you for covering this. My mom was a victim of this tornado and it changed her life forever.

[@CLancaster15]

My grandmother, Uncle and Aunt were in this tornado. They were saved by the grace of god and his placement of a piano. The way my grandmother tells the story of that night will make you completely stop in your place. Love the story you did on this. LBK forever!

[@jimmycoppinger1305]

The 1970 Lubbock tornado set a new record for damage in Texas. The cost was 135 million dollars. The previous record holder was the 1953 Waco tornado with the damage set at 41.5 million dollars. Both of these tornadoes occurred on Monday. Both occurred on May 11, and both were rated F5. Both tornadoes also hit the downtown areas. They were exactly 17 years apart.

[@88wildcat]

IIRC this tornado set a new record for damage by a tornado nationally, surpassing the 1966 F5 Topeka tornado. I can't remember what tornado would go on to break that record, maybe Xenia in 1974 (Pretty sure by the time of the first Moore, Oklahoma tornado something had already surpassed it.)

[@commiehunter733]

The Lubbock tornado was originally rated a F6, but then downgraded to F5

[@rmjwinfrey5722]

Carly I’m from Lubbock and May 11th every year in grade school the tornado was discussed and we practiced tornado drills at random throughout the day. That tornado was immensely impactful for the area and I rarely ever see it discussed so thank you for discussing this piece of history from my hometown.

[@charlayned]

I was born and raised in Amarillo, just a hundred miles north. We knew of the tornado down in Lubbock and years later when I went to visit friends, I saw the tower that is twisted. It's amazing to know it still stands. The sirens are so important up there, getting the word out by TV/radio is hard because the system goes down if the towers are hit. I would love to see you go through the 1945 Antlers Oklahoma F-5 tornado. It's less known because it happened the same day FDR died. It almost wiped out that little town. My husband was raised there and we've got a box of silver that went through it.

[@amydavis4945]

Oh I needed me some Carly Anna today (and a photobomb of Blaze in there too, lol)!!! FOLKS... FANS.... SUPPORTERS... y'all need to check out the TWO-STORMS HOODIES on Carly's store page. I got mine last week and it is a SERIOUS hoodie. Not just that cotton pullover stuff you can get anywhere. This thing is HEAVY DUTY and the size I ordered was the size I got! Extremely happy customer!!!! Carly, I left you a little something personal on Discord - when you get a chance, I had some personal questions.

[@patriciaapetty1118]

My husband and I were there on 22nd street. It was devastating for Lubbock. We had a cellar and our son would be born in September of that year. The wind was hot and blowing pretty hard that day.😊

[@kneufeld12]

Thank you so much Carly. I went to Texas Tech in the 80’s and became friends with several people who lived through that day. This was such an insightful presentation and I will pass it on to my Lubbock friends. Your channel is educational, in-depth and respectful and continues to be one of my favorites. Thank you for all you do.

[@danielwieten8617]

Dang, so many insane tornadoes have spawned from storm mergers. Joplin, Moore 2013 (iirc), El Reno, and now this one. I think the way Joplin came together is still the most horrifying to me.

[@carlyannawx]

you're right, I honestly hadn't thought of that!! I know I had asked a met one time about destructive and constructive (I think that's what they called it) cell mergers, and I remember it being a really fascinating topic!

[@Sj430]

The Parkersburg tornado spawned from a storm merger.

[@Thicc_Cheese_Dip]

I'm pretty sure the Greensburg tornado family spawned from numerous cell mergers.

[@hopefuldawn7262]

Ive also noticed that the worst ones always seem to show up on days that were deacribed as "beautiful clear days"

[@cheddar2648]

I wonder if conservation of angular momentum is in play: two small meso's merge and one large one develops.

[@TornadoTyler5]

I’ve been in Lubbock for most of my life and the effects of the tornado are still very prevalent! The memorial here is absolutely beautiful! Such a good video!

[@JackieOdonnel]

Carly, your videos just keep getting better and better. Thanks for your empathy, your educational content, a great speaking voice, and really well-put-together videography. Your channel is fantastic.

[@jbar19]

Hey! Tornado girl dyed her hair and she looks great!

[@paulmcnally8150]

Thank you for these videos so much. When our F4 tornado tore thru Omaha on May 6th, 1975 we had 3 fatalities. Omaha Police Officer David Campbell was in his cruiser driving with the tornado as it tracked northeast and then north. I was in the basement with my 3 brothers listening to 1110 KFAB and they were broadcasting where the tornado was and where it was headed. David Campbell was radioing in this information from his car. It was David Campbell's actions that most likely saved lives.

[@jordanberube7305]

Went to Texas tech for college, it’s incredible to see the tower still standing and seeing the damage clear as day. There’s a beautiful monument area they made a couple years ago in remembrance of this storm

[@IanColquitt]

As someone who spent 3 years living in Lubbock, it's incredibly sad because you can still see damage from this tornado 50 years later.

[@patigirl2470]

I just came across your channel - I am a self made weather nerd. Grew up in Hereford - I so remember this tornado !! My brother was attending Tech at this time. Lubbock looked like someone had thrown toothpicks over the entire town 🌪️🌪️🌪️

[@parkermccade7174]

My mom and grandparents lived in Lubbock when this happened. I always remembered them talking about it. Great video. Thank you.

[@voiceforthevoicelesstruth5480]

70’s had some of the roughest blizzards in the north as well as high seas the Edmund Fitz went down!

[@sifridbassoon]

I grew up in a small suburb of Lubbock called Wolfforth. It is about 8 miles SW of the city. I had just finished my first year of high school. My father was the post master of the town, and there was a new post office building that had just been built. My father gathered us (mother, brother, and me) together along with some of our neighbors and took us down to the new building thinking since it was brick and steel reinforced concrete, the building would be stronger than most of the town. Luckily, the storm passed over our town before the tornado hit the ground.

[@6580312]

I thoroughly appreciate the documentary style of approach to these videos. No extra drama or hyperbole, just facts with sources cited in easily processable segments. These are quality videos and I appreciate them a great deal.

[@Rocketking456]

Hey! Im from Lubbock! Thanks for the report on this terrible date in our history!

[@LashLeRoux.1]

The lack of a severe thunderstorm or tornado watch puzzles me as well. It was by the grace of God that that off duty police officer looked out and saw the first funnel descending and called his department. That undoubtedly allowed warnings to be issued in time for people to take shelter prior the arrival of the second, much more violent tornado.

[@KingWolftheWolfKing]

Thank you for creating this video! My Mom, her two brothers (my uncles), Grandma, and Grandpa literally survived this tornado. They all remember every moment of the event. I remember them telling me and my sister the stories about it all. Everything you spoke on was 100% accurate! Again thank you!

[@Paperninjapanda]

This is a great recounting. I am from Lubbock and while I wasn’t born yet, I had family directly impacted and grew up hearing the stories. I’ve seen the memorials and the scars left behind. Many are still there.

[@OtherSarah2]

I'm from Lubbock, and have been back in Lubbock since 1990. We had family in town when the storm hit; phones, power and other utilities went down and *stayed* down -- it was almost a week before we knew how our family fared. The AJ, where I would work after I graduated from TTU, proudly announced *for years* that it never missed an issue (the building got hit, the power went down, the presses were out of commission; they trucked everything to Amarillo where sister paper the Globe-News printed for them for several days). KFYO and KCBD were important sources of information for the whole Lubbock area before, during, and after the storm that essentially created the F5 designation. A few years later a similar storm would hit Texas again, wiping the small town of Zaragosa completely off the map. KCBD and KFYO and KLLLFM were the key information channels then, too. (And City of Lubbock? Those new multi-million-dollar sirens? Bury the power lines to them if you want them to work. Otherwise they'll be as useless as the ones in 1970 were.)

[@dennisstanley1965]

8:47 Blaze!😊 10:48 I suspect another 30 seconds of the tornado chewing on the building would have caused collapse. 14:45 "no looting was reported." *snert* 🇨🇱

[@metallicoustic6733]

"chewing on the building" oh god what an analogy!

[@grmpEqweer]

That's the Chilean flag, not Texas's.

[@commiehunter733]

It's before the "basketballers" were moved in.

[@XplosiV824]

I travel from Amarillo to Lubbock every few months and did not know about this event. Thanks for sharing.

[@toddgolden3341]

I was 6 years old and remember watching the triple vortex tornado going overhead. I was on 68th street, it was surreal. All the red dust in the tornado sticks with me to this day!

[@ladydeerheart1]

We lived in Amarillo and I was 8 in 1970. My Aunts, Uncles and cousins lived in Lubbock. They lost everything in this storm. I remember being there the next day. Half of Lubbock was just gone. I just remember being so sad and everyone cried. Then we all got busy helping clean up. My Aunt and Uncle, Martha and Jimmy Fowler, bought some land near Smyer after the tornado because there was nowhere to live in the city. They still live in Smyer today.

[@emo__runner]

It always amazes me when I hear about these storms that are some of the worst on record for the first time. Of course we all know about Joplin and the various super outbreaks, but I appreciate to covering the lesser known, but still impactful storms

[@MultiVortexTornado]

A new video from Carly always make my day better, even when I have a bad day. The video on the Tri-State tornado for example made me get even more fascinated about the event because of how the storm looked before and while it’s happening after I had an extremely bad mental breakdown throughout the entire afternoon on that day when it was uploaded.

[@mateobrynn5792]

Carly, I love it when a new video pops up in my feed. It is an instant watch. As a lifetime weather nerd, I love the deep dives into each storm you cover as well as the restraint and respect you show for those affected. Thank you for all your work. It’s appreciated!

[@boi50s]

She is one of my favorite tornado documentaries. Love what you're doing

[@justie1220]

One of my good friends lives in Lubbock and when I visited them I saw the Great Plains Life Building which still bears the scars of that tornado.

[@carlyannawx]

I am still pretty shocked it's in use today. It's definitely got character, but I am less trusting of it I guess! lol

[@imboaustim9498]

I remember pictures of window blinds or curtains hanging through the walls because the wind had separated the ceiling from the walls. This was on a lower floor. The building sat empty through the 70S but was determined structurally sound eventually. I forgot it has gone condo but stand on the street and look up at the north east corner and the twist is obvious. Thank you for this much anticipated episode!

[@chadmccarthy1898]

I can watch this young ladies videos all day everyday. The way she cares and loves what she does the way she does her research. How she cares for the victims and survivors is so wonderful. She should have way may subs than 50k. No one is out there like her

[@KonwTheTrut]

I’ve said this before but whomever is responsible for your music choices….keep it up. Keep doing the right thing. The music to these mini-docs is amazing

[@grmpEqweer]

It is. If you haven't looked, she lists the music sources in the description.

[@Meatman8089]

Your research is second to none. I am so fortunate to have stumbled on this channel many moons ago

[@Rdavis6672]

Carly, love your videos! I have lived in Lubbock all my life & was 9 years old when the tornado hit. All of us neighborhood kids were hanging outside when the weather started getting ugly. Fortunately, the area that I lived in was south of the tornado. Metro tower (formerly the Great Plains Life building) still stands to this day. I have read that it is twisted 10 inches from top to bottom. You can stand at a bottom corner I actually see it. You can also see the different color shade of brick that replaced the ones that were blown off the building. I have been in the building several times & you get a really weird feeling being in there. The memorial is very nice and I believe the walls are laid out to the actual track of the tornado. Keep up the good work and being a "cat dad" I love Blaze, show more of him!

[@lthom5158]

Great video! I really enjoyed this video for a couple of reasons. The first reason is my aunt and my grandmother lived in Lubbock at the time. My aunt was downtown in the bank at a meeting. They heard the storm growing in intensity and decided they probably needed to leave. They took the elevator downstairs and were standing in the lobby talking when they heard breaking glass. They took cover in a janitor’s closet. When they thought it was clear they came out, but heard the “train” sound, so they quickly retreated to the closet. My aunt always said she thought there were two tornadoes. Her 1966 Mustang was found obliterated in the destruction. It had been parked near the entrance. Thankfully no one from the group in the bank was hurt. The second reason I enjoyed the video is because you used clips of Gary England the KWTV 9 meteorologist from Oklahoma City. He started at News 9 in 1972 or ‘73. He retired in 2013. Great meteorologist! Your videos are always informative and show how passionate you are about weather! Keep up the great work!

[@middleagedman4373]

I was 5 years old at the time of the tornado. I lived on 43rd St. I remember sitting with my family in the middle of the house. We grabbed all of the mattresses and hid under them. When the lights went out all we could do was listen to the storm. Truly a night to remember.

[@naomi.e.333]

Thanks for the post!! Wisdom teeth surgery this Tuesday and I’ve been in bed all week! I needed this ❤

[@debbiewilson6527]

Thank you for this video. No one talks about this one much. I had 5 cousins killed in this one.Joe Garrett. June,Kenneth, Dustin, and Alan Medlin. The boys were babies. My cousin Sissy Garrett was paralyzed for life 😢

[@scifugitive2]

I grew up in Levelland, TX, about 30 miles west from there. Even in Levelland, people have framed newspaper stories about the ridiculous tornado that almost wiped Lubbock off the map

[@TheDeathWillCome2012]

Carly, Thank you for these videos. Tornado outbreaks are are getting worse and worse. I’m from St.Louis MO, and In the last couple of years, we’ve been seeing a lot of tornado warnings and a few touchdowns that caused some major damage. I know that some states rarely see a tornado, but if there’s a tornado, take shelter immediately, no matter how strong it is.

[@susanbailey36]

I lived in Fort Worth at the time I remember the Lubbock tornato as a big deal thank you for doing this program confirming what I remembered as a child

[@enid0mom]

I moved to Lubbock in September, 1971. By then, there was no way to know that tornado had existed but for the experiences of people I got know. In June, 1980, I moved to Houston. Somewhere, I still have a small book about the disaster.

[@xomichaelanthonygarciaxo]

This is my home!! I’ve been in Lubbock all my life and we’ve seen our fair share of twisters but haven’t had one like the one in 1970! It’s crazy cause my parents had just moved to Lubbock at the time and a lot of my moms brothers and sisters lived through this horrific experience

[@johnvinings5652]

HI Carly. Just watched your 1970 Lubbock tornado video. I lived in Lubbock for 5 1/2 years, July 2014-September 2019. I frequently criticized the city for being the largest city in Tornado Allley without tornado sirens. Little did I know that during the 1970 tornado Lubbock had sirens which failed due to the power actually being knocked out by the tornado. Your video also was the first time I had heard there were two discreet supercells which merged to form this powerful supercell which produced the second and much more severe Lubbock tornado, from which Dr. Fujita learned so much knowledge which we have today. Thanks for your hard work and the research you put into your videos. Well done! ❤

[@MesoPsyclone_StormChasing]

I got to visit Lubbock and the tower that got bent this last year. Someone from Lubbock told me tornados always miss them. I was like, you know about the F5 that hit you guys right? He wasn't even aware lol. Great documentary!

[@randidaeger157]

Watching Carly Anna’s videos is like visiting with a friend. A good friend.

[@MalachiTheFallen]

My dad survived this tornado. Always told me stories about it when he was still around.

[@nickinportland]

Joe Garrett was my relative actually. His wife was paralyzed as well sadly. I didn’t know the Jones stadium was damaged. It’s wild you can still see the twist in the Great Plains building.

[@laurierounds7102]

Thanks!

[@bchandler81]

I live in & grew up in Lubbock (this tornado happened before my time). I've nerded out about May 11, 1970 tornado & driven the path of destruction. I've even visited the graves of some of the victims. An entire family was killed in the Lubbock country club area. A local high school teacher survived the tornado (she was just a kid) but it claimed the life of her father. She said it picked up their home (they were all under a bed mattress) & threw them about 200 yards away from where their home once sat. I'm still reading everything I can about this horrific storm.

[@joe92]

Your teacher's dad was Joe Garrett? Very sad what happened to them and their extended family.

[@bchandler81]

@@joe92 She wasn’t my teacher (I went to Coronado & she taught/teaches at Monterey High School), but the local news channel did a story about her family’s tragedy.

[@davidchambers44]

Great documentary, I always look forward to these. It's always fascinating hearing about the older tornado stories that aren't covered as much.

[@minashepard1255]

Once again you released another great documentary. The tornado was very devastating for many residents. My stepmother had family who lived in Lubbock at that time. My heart goes out to those families who lost loved ones in that storm. Also if I'm not mistaken Dr. Fujita determined that this tornado may even had F6 intensity.

[@CortHiatt]

1970’s for those who experienced any of the tornados were changed. My mom and dad were 2 of them as result of April 3, 1974. I was terrified of storms as a kid, we would watch for them in an empty field by our house. If severe weather was predicted after school, I would find my dad waiting to get me. Wasn’t until I saw the after school tornado on weather channel it made sense.

[@marksanchez8055]

Great respectful coverage, ❤

[@jeremyest.878]

Thank you for this video & all that you do. This event along with the Saragosa Tx tornado in 1987 are among the most wicked in West Texas history.

[@josephfloyd4217]

Great vid! I always love the images from Fujita’s own research , especially the animation he made of the 1957 Fargo tornado.

[@carlyannawx]

oh my gosh I know! I have been so fascinated with the 70's severe weather as of late and it's difficult to really overstate just how much he contributed to the science. some really cool discoveries in the 70's too! what a time!

[@josephfloyd4217]

@@carlyannawx Right? The 1970s was basically the wild West of tornado research and the establishment of the bedrock of what weather surveillance is these days. My mother always told me stories of being a college student at Eastern Kentucky University during the 1974 Outbreak growing up. I showed her your video on it and she said it brought back memories of being there.

[@scottiejeanenemoore7]

My family lived in the south part of town, my Aunt and Uncle across the street had a storm cellar which we all got into. 5 in my family, 4 in their family. My Mom however, was at a Tupperware party close to the downtown area. They weren't hit and she told us of the drive home, not being able to get through some streets, driving up onto the roof of a house in the street at one point. Much more frightening was another Aunt, her husband and baby lived off the campus of Texas Tech where they were enrolled. My Uncle just had time to grab my Aunt and cousin and dive under a mattress before the apartments were hit by the tornado, they lived on the second floor which was ripped away. They weren't hurt but the close call left the whole family shaken. For the next week, unsettled weather spawned more storms, my brother and I climbed onto our roof and watched funnel clouds in the distance. I'll never forget it, I was about 10 years old.

[@ChrisWunsch-zc7cg]

As of November 28 2023, I'm 59. Lived through April 3 1973 north Alabama. Lived through hurricane Opal 1995. Lived through both tornado outbreaks in north Alabama in 2011 and 2016. Last one was Half a football field from the house. Don't ever want to go down that road ever again. My prayers to anyone involved in a violent storm.

[@joncampos-cw2tk]

You are so professional and poised. Glad to subscribe.

[@davidvanmarm6282]

Thanks for all the good work you do for victims of Natural Disasters.

[@icewaterslim7260]

Took a Greyhound bus from Dallas to Amarillo a few weeks after this. The bus station in downtown Lubbock still stood amid the devestation. I stood in awe looking at that single multistory twisted building. That whole drive through the damaged city made me a lot less dismissive of the potential of storms that I grew up with.

[@-Scotticus-]

Thank you Carly! As always, the work you do is so very much adored and appreciated! 🙏

[@wt1370]

51 seconds in and already liked. I’m paused on the suction spots graph. I’m not sure where you found that but I think it’s pretty interesting. Check out the Laplata MD F4 if you’re ever looking for more obscure material. Thanks for your time and effort Miss Carly. I appreciate it

[@duhdims]

If I'm not mistaken, that graph was made by Ted Fujita

[@wt1370]

@@duhdims Thank you

[@ironknightgaming5706]

Your videos are like looking through a time machine.

[@joe92]

Outstanding as usual. This is the single storm that fascinates me the most for a variety of reasons. There was a somewhat unusual meteorological setup similar to the Greensburg KS storm (retreating dryline producing an F5 well after dark). Existing forecast methods weren't quite up to the task that day. To this day there's some debate on what the final ingredient was that triggered a couple of extremely intense thunderstorms on what looked like a quiet weather day (weak shortwave, small storm-scale feature that went undetected, other). It would be fascinating to have the data that would be available today, but of course that's not to be. One sad coincidence in this storm is that one family suffered terrible loss at two different locations. A very young family of four (two parents and two small children) was killed along Mesa Rd in north Lubbock. The wife's brother in law was killed moments later at a separate location about a mile away, while his wife (first woman's sister) was made a paraplegic. Makes you wonder.

[@midcenturymoldy]

My family lived in Midland in May of 1970. My dad was a graduate of Texas Tech. I remember seeing snapped light poles at the stadium on campus while visiting Lubbock later in the year. A month after the tornado we moved to Corpus Christi. A couple of months after that we got hit by Hurricane Celia.

[@BigMexican151]

This is such a good and well done video, thank you Carly!!

[@danielgardner394]

I was 13 years old when our city in Minnesota was hit by enormous storms and tornados. My mother was imploring everyone to the basement. Being the typically invincible young kid, I had to see it. I opened the front door just as a five foot diameter old oak was plucked from the front yard as if it were a tiny weed. Needless to say, I ran to the basement after seeing that.

[@karaknight3496]

Thank you so much for doing this video! I was born and raised in Lubbock and I am so happy you did this tornado!

[@mfkhometheater7742]

We passed through there just a few days after that tornado, I was just 11 years old but I still remember all the destruction, it was incredible.

[@texasiguana]

I was 11 yrs old when this occurred, and we had uncles and aunts in Lubbock. I remember my father and grandfather were ready to travel and find family. My father asked if I wanted to travel, not knowing why we were going. Lubbock was a one-hour drive and when we got there, I was speechless seeing the devastation! I saw the back building and the one side was torn, all that one side and curtains were flapping in the wind! Seeing this post, just brought back all those memories and i was living the drive around Lubbock. We did fin all family members but, they had no homes. I remember one of my uncles telling my father and grandfather that he was asleep and was awakened when rainwater was falling on his face only to see nothing but sky as the tornado tore one side of his house. (what a flashback!)

[@debcardy468]

I was in that storm. Was my first major storm. The water was up to the windows of my car, the hail, the winds. The rain! I found two buildings to hide between.

[@steveahle9921]

Excellent presentation.

[@St3rnbergStudi0z]

BABE WAKE UP, CARLY ANNA UPLOADED‼️‼️ But seriously, I love your videos so much they've become such a comfort for when I have meltdowns. Meterology has been my passion since I was little, and your videos only make me love it more. Please keep making content ❤❤

[@carlyannawx]

hahaha oh my gosh that is so kind! I'm so happy you are enjoying them and I so appreciate it:)

[@St3rnbergStudi0z]

@@carlyannawx literally about to scream in my AP environmental class omghshs. I'm studying hard right now to become a storm chaser one day and your videos help fuel my passion for it. 😭💕💕

[@TheDistingueOne]

Hey, this is where I was born and live. Ty for covering this!

[@Kflinn15]

Great job on this documentary, Carly! Your passion for this type of investigatory work shines through naturally...keep up the great work!

[@terrimobley6067]

I just found your channel and it's so informative. For those is us that live in tornado Alley it calls to our memory things that effected our life and is in it's own way a memorial. ❤

[@scottg62g]

I was 8 yrs old when this tornado struck. The house I was in was on 24th between University and Q just south of the touchdown. The next day we drove to see some damage one church that was his only the cross was left standing. All the big Elm trees at McKenzie state park were downed. The metro tower was twisted and curtains that were coming out of the building were were imbedded into the mortar. Straws were stuck in telephone poles like porcupines. My Cousin was in a band and had an album cover where the members took a picture in the twisted rebar and concrete. I still have that pic. If you like to see it. There is a pioneer museum that still has evidence of it's power as it cut a channel through the earth and caused a high berm of earth for several hundred yards. The noise this tornado produced was like 100 freight trains just outside. I was young but I remember vividly.

[@T1625-w7d]

I was born 9 months after this tornado almost to the day. My father taught at Tech at the time. He also coached a 15-16 year old baseball team. He had worked his team out that afternoon and always says it was the most humid day he has seen her. He has said the death toll would have been higher but Tech had finish the spring semester and the majority of students had gone home. The area hit was a high student populated area. The next day he drove around the loop to check on a kid who played on his baseball team. All the landmarks(billboards/buildings) you are used when driving to were gone. There was nothing standing on the north side. The two story hotel this kid’s parents owned and lived at was leveled. My parents live in the south part of town and did not get and damage. My mother also said the next night another big thunderstorm rolled through spooking everyone.

[@user-rw2dq3vp9t]

love the vids, i have always been obsessed with storms and tornadoes and love hearing about severe storms in the recent past, stories that need to be remembered

[@alexhennigh5242]

Tornado footage from the 70s especially in Texas just looks unreal. Something out of a nightmare

[@enid0mom]

I moved to Lubbock n September of 1971. The tornado was still a frequent topic. By then, the worst of the damage had been cleaned up and rebuilding was in progress. I still have a small paperback book written by one of the local TV meteorologists. I don’t remember which one. What I also saw was the results of the huge influx of money that turned a stagnant local economy into a dynamic economy. One of the major projects that eventually happened was building the medical school at Texas Tech. My husband was a plumber in one of the buildings. This was around 1976-77. I left Lubbock in June of 1980 and moved to Houston, TX because there was absolutely no way a woman could get a chance at a real career in any field. I was told a woman couldn’t be a computer programmer because a woman can’t think logically! I eventually got a degree in Computer Information Systems at the University of Houston-Downtown. And worked as a programmer/analyst for about 20 years. It is odd how a tornado I didn’t experience first hand over 50 years ago has affected my life. I won’t try to guess what it was like for the direct victims.

[@LashLeRoux.1]

I lived in Amarillo, Texas in the early 1980s. They were still talking about this tornado then.

[@LashLeRoux.1]

Love the red hair!