Tracking a beast (equivalent of $1.1 billion in damage, one of the costliest in U.S. history)

[Omaha Steve]

Marta, her mom, Steve Jr. (a little over 3 months old), and I stayed in Marta's mom's basement. The tornado stopped it's damage less than a mile away. It just missed Marta's aunt and uncle by less than a hundred yards.

OS



The F4/EF4 that struck Omaha May 6, 1975, caused the equivalent of $1.1 billion in damage, which, 40 years later still ranks as one of the costliest in U.S. history. This photo was taken near 70th and Leavenworth Streets. THE WORLD-HERALD

http://dataomaha.com/bigstory/weather/tracking-a-beast

As a powerful tornado made its way through the Omaha area, the gutsy tornado tracking of Police Officer David Campbell, among others, helped keep the death toll to three.

Video: http://studio.omaha.com/?ndn.trackingGroup=91341&ndn.siteSection=omahalanding&ndn.videoId=28996618&freewheel=91341&sitesection=omahalanding&vid=28996618

By Nancy Gaarder / World-Herald staff writer

Sunday, May 3, 2015

Police Officer David Campbell had one thing on his mind the afternoon of May 6, 1975, as he joined the chase for the tornado approaching Omaha: Find it, follow it and radio his updates to 911 so that other police and firefighters wouldn’t rush into harm’s way.

What the 23-year-old Campbell didn’t realize was that the chase would lure him into the center of one of the costliest and most damaging tornadoes in U.S. history.

Nor could he know — in an era when weather radar was primitive and communications limited — how crucial his dispatches would become to Omahans’ safety. Some 30,000 people were estimated to have been in the path of the monster.

Luck, circumstance and the determination of numerous people like Campbell were why Omaha survived with only three dead and 157 seeking help at hospitals.

FULL story at link. Photo gallery: http://www.omaha.com/tornado-of/collection_38c93e5e-e789-11e4-b590-3342317d657e.html


Officer David Campbell kept pace with the twister, relaying critical details to be shared with the public. Cruiser 360 took a beating: broken windows, rooftop lights ripped off, car floor filled with rainwater. After limping back to the precinct parking lot, one of the tires blew — and the car died. THE WORLD-HERALD


Campbell survived his six-mile drive in and out of the tornado without a scratch. "Cold and soaking wet ... was the worst that I got." REBECCA S. GRATZ/THE WORLD-HERALD