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Storm
spotters gave residents of Hale
Center a thirty-minute warning to take shelter as a ferocious
tornado approached the town on June 2, 1965. Seven miles southwest
of town the twister dumped a combine into an electric power station.
Sparks ignited the debris rotating inside the funnel, giving the tornado
the appearance of being on fire. A woman died in her farm home near
the power station. At 9:15 P.M. the tornado cut a block-wide path
through the town, demolishing historic and new buildings alike in
the downtown section.
Mid-week services were just ending at the Church of God of the First
Born when the tornado plowed into the crowded building. All of the
children and many of the adults were injured; one child died. The
tornado's trip through the town left three others dead and $8 million
in damages. Instead of closing the town to sightseers, city officials
invited visitors to tour the devastated area on the Sunday following
the tornado. The National Weather Service retroactively rated this
tornado an F4, with winds exceeding 200 miles per hour.
© Marlene
Bradford May 31, 2015 guest column
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