November 25, 1970
Typical scene in Hartford & Rockport
"We were lucky a lot of
people were not killed," one man said as he sat talking to neighbors and
friends in a cold and darkened restaurant.
"I thought it was the
end of the world,'' a woman said as she surveyed the ruins of a friend's home.
These were just two of the
many sentiments expressed Friday morning following Thursday night's storm which
spawned winds of tornado force.
Sections of Rockport and
Hartford were two of the hardest hit areas in the storm's path which stretched
from Cleaton in Muhlenberg County to Tell City, Indiana. One section of
Rockport looked as though it literally had been bombed. Many houses were
extensively damaged and at least two
house trailers were demolished.
Roland Wilkerson and his wife
were in one of those trailers when the storm struck around 10 p.m. Mrs.
Wilkerson was slightly injured and was admitted to the Ohio County Hospital. The
wind lifted their mobile home from its concrete block foundation and rolled it
more than one hundred feet down a hill and into another house. Only the wheels
remained intact. Wilkinson was vitally concerned about the injuries to his wife
and the loss of their home. He also had
another worry. While discussing the ordeal with others in a restaurant,
Wilkerson said, "it broke my only Johnny Cash record."
Half of Mrs. Helen Grave's
home was torn away by the unexpected storm. Luckily, Mrs. Graves was in the
other half.
The exact velocity of the
wind has not been established. A spokesman for one usually reliable source said
his recording instruments were knocked out with the wind reading gauge stuck on
66.8 miles an hour. It could have been much higher.
Devastation was evident in
every direction. Roofs were ripped from the houses, large trees were uprooted,
barns were demolished and utility poles
were down. Many power lines were down and the fact that electrical service was
knocked out could have been a blessing in disguise. Broken lines lay in
streets, across cars and in yards. Because the power supply from Beaver Dam was
disrupted, those lines lay harmless.
Many homes were without electricity and water for more than 18 hours. This also meant an equal number of homes
were without heat.
At least nine persons were
treated for storm-caused injuries at the Ohio County Hospital. Two were
admitted but none was injured seriously.
The mobile home of Mr. and
Mrs. Calvin
Abbot in Echols was blown from a hill wrecked. Mrs. Abbot was slightly injured. She said she protected her
two year-old son by placing two pillows around him.
Gill's Radiator Shop and
Myers' Restaurant, both south of Hartford, were extensively damaged. A
remodeling project was almost completed at the radiator' shop.
Clifford Smith's trailer
home, located near the hospital, was
overturned and totally, wrecked. Smith, who was in the mobile home with his
wife and three children, said the roof of the trailer started flapping like
canvas prior to the strongest gusts of wind.
John Shields was in his
residence on the Bob Hudson-Jack Baird farm off Highway 69 when the storm
struck. Shields said many of the more than 200 head of cattle on the farm ran
for the barn when the wind toppled a nearby tree. That proved to be a mistake
for at least five of the animals. Within a matter, of minutes, the barn
collapsed, killing four cows and a calf. Two more cows were injured and
reportedly would be destroyed. Several trees around the house were blown down
and several pieces of farm machinery were damaged when the shed they were in
collapsed. Shields had his personal car parked in a garage behind the house.
The wind lifted the garage from its foundation, demolishing the structure as it
hit the ground. Shields' car was not scratched.
A large barn on the Goshen
Road was lifted off the ground and set down just a few yards away. Damage to
the building was light.
Clifton Cardwell, Rockport,
stayed busy trying to keep his restaurant customers in coffee. Because the
power was off, his large coffee maker was inoperative and he was attempting to
keep cups filled with the use of a small perculator.
Larry Todd, manager of
Kentucky Utilities office in Hartford, estimated the wind damage to his
company's facilities at $12,000 to $15,000. Todd said electrical service was
restored to most residents in Rockport by 5 p.m. last Friday. Homes which were
not going to be lived in that night were omitted. The KU executive also said a
125 foot tower just across the county line in Muhlenberg County was twisted and
will have to be replaced. The tower supported a 33,000 volt transmission line
which serves Ohio County.
Members of the Ohio County
Chapter of the Red Cross went to Rockport Saturday and determined property
damage and human suffering was sufficient to warrant Red Cross aid. A
spokesman for the chapter said between 40 and 50 family homes were damaged. A
registration office was set up Monday in the Rockport Presbyterian Church to
handle applications. The amount of relief provided by the Red Cross will be
determined by individual needs.
No official estimate of
financial loss has been released but the figure is expected to run into the
hundreds of thousands of dollars.
Service station just south of Hartford on U.S. 231 leased by Jim Don Tichenor
Trailer off Highway 62 owned by Danny Asberry
Home of Mrs. Helen Graves
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