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40th Anniversary of Kalamazoo tornado

Discussion pertaining to Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Muskegon, Battle Creek, Big Rapids, and Michiana
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Musicrewired
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40th Anniversary of Kalamazoo tornado

Post by Musicrewired » Thu May 14, 2020 3:18 pm

https://www.wzzm13.com/video/news/ted-r ... 27605bb754

Video footage taken 5/13/80 of the moments before and aftermath of the Kalamazoo tornado 40 years ago. It's good imagery of the area, and interesting to see the traffic driving as if there weren't a tornado bearing down upon them.



MasterB
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Re: 40th Anniversary of Kalamazoo tornado

Post by MasterB » Thu May 14, 2020 7:47 pm

I wasn't born when the tornado hit downtown Kalamazoo I was 3 months from being born in Aug of 1980. You wouldn't even know a tornado hit downtown Kalamazoo 40 years later.


Go Pistons, Let's Go Redwings.

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MWmetalhead
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Re: 40th Anniversary of Kalamazoo tornado

Post by MWmetalhead » Fri May 15, 2020 6:29 pm

That is great video footage; have watched it on YouTube on a few occasions.



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Musicrewired
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Re: 40th Anniversary of Kalamazoo tornado

Post by Musicrewired » Mon May 18, 2020 8:10 pm

I hadn't seen it before. It makes me want to look up more of its' type.



Rod Kackley
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Re: 40th Anniversary of Kalamazoo tornado

Post by Rod Kackley » Tue May 19, 2020 2:08 pm

I was the program director of an AM Daytimer, WBUK-Portage, when the tornado hit. I remember our afternoon jock called me at home, told me there was a tornado warning, and wondered if he should put it on the air. The sun was shining. It was a beautiful afternoon, so he couldn't believe there'd be a tornado. I didn't think so either, but told him to run the announcement because "people love to talk about that kind of thing at dinner."
Less than half-an-hour later, the tornado hit.
If memory serves, it was a DJ at a station on the west side of town who first saw it coming, pretty much yelled, "Take Cover!!" into his microphone and hit the floor. The twister blew over the top of the station. An elementary school downtown had just dismissed kids for the day, and the buses had just pulled out when the tornado flattened the school.

Robin Hook from WKMI and I got the first two press passes issued downtown. And it was a mess.

Oh, and the PD at WBUK took delivery on the first brand-new car he'd ever purchased that morning. His wife drove from the dealership to Gilmore's Department Store downtown where she worked. Parked right behind the store.
When the tornado hit, it took down the entire back wall of that building and flattened the PD's new car.
He cried.



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Musicrewired
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Re: 40th Anniversary of Kalamazoo tornado

Post by Musicrewired » Mon May 25, 2020 1:34 am

Those are some great stories about that day. Thank you for sharing them.



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