A look back at Amarillo's 1949 Tornado
Amarillo, TX - This week is the anniversary of the 1949 tornado that hit the southern and eastern part of Amarillo. Although the storm was not the biggest or deadliest to hit the Panhandle, it is considered to be the strongest to strike Amarillo.
Leelan Ashford has had photos of the disaster for over 60 years. He was just a child when the tornado hit Amarillo.
"The next day we got up and looked around, I didn't even recognize the place. Everything was on a foundation, nothing left. It cleaned everything out," said Ashford.
200 homes were damaged, over 80 people were injured and 7 killed. The cost of damages was nearly $5 million. The city didn't see it coming at the time, but Amarillo Emergency Management's technology has grown since then to make sure that does not happen again.
"We've evolved with an outdoor warning system. We have 88 sirens outdoor. They're used to notify the public," said Assistant Emergency Management Coordinator, Chip Orton.
EMC also has the ability to cut into Suddenlink cable and set off the alert.
"We work with the National Weather Service to do that," said Orton.
Orton also recommends families have a weather radio and an emergency plan in case a tornado strikes, something Ashford says he wished his family had over 60 years ago.
"It kind of make you think people disregarding things like this happening to Amarillo. It was over looked and was the biggest Amarillo ever had, and we really don't want another one," said Ashford.
NewsChannel 10's Weather Team will be helping people program weather radios Wednesday evening at Academy between 5 and 8.
