Murphy – In 1974, Cherokee County suffered the worst tornado in its history. Four people lost their lives, and the damage left in its wake was devastating.
The tornado of 1974 hit one local man especially hard, so hard that Frank Blair has not spoken of it in 50 years. He lost his mother, while he and his wife, Shirley, lost both a 2-year-old daughter and a 1-day-old infant son.
They knew the storm was coming and went into the bathroom to take cover. The tornado picked the house up on Old Murphy Road, and Blair said they landed in the creek.
“I want to thank the community. We had nothing, and they helped with everything,” Blair said, adamantly wanting people to know how appreciative he was for all their help.
The memories are still vivid for many other local residents on social media.
“I was inside the house when it picked it up, spun it around and deposited it into the front yard,” survivor Lisa Twiggs said. “Never forget it. The damage was huge. We lived in Ranger area.”
Donna Decker also remembered that sad day. “It got cold the next day. We lived in Bealtown at the time. It came over the top of us,” she said.
“Moved our mobile home off the foundation a little, and tore the roof of our porch off. We were very lucky, and most of all thankful, after seeing the rest of the devastation and learning about all the lives lost …”
Storms are an unavoidable part of life. However, knowledge and pre-planning can help minimize the losses.
On Thursday, the Murphy Fire Department was the location for community leaders and the public to come together and discuss tornado history, storm formation, survival and communities as well as other storm-related topics. More than 20 people attended the discussion, including Sam Davis with Cherokee County Emergency Management.
The discussion, aptly named “Tornado Talk” after her podcast of the same name, was led by meteorologist Jennifer Narramore, who is on tour from Columbus, Ohio. She is sharing tornado information, survival stories and gathering additional data on the subject during her travels.
Narramore’s passion for weather began when she was in middle school, which eventually led her to earn a degree in meteorology from Penn State University in 1995. She has been the meteorologist on WKRK radio in Murphy for more than a decade and formerly supplied a weather report to the Cherokee Scout.
Since 1950, Cherokee County has had 10 tornados. On April 3, 1974, an F-4 tornado started in Fannin County, Ga., and came through Murphy, leaving destruction in its path. Another devastating tornado, classified as an EF-2, hit the area on March 2, 2012.
Tornados have occurred in all 50 states, including Alaska.
In 1971, Ted Fujita developed the F-scale, which was later revised in 2007. The scale determines the tornado’s strength based on wind speed and the storm’s expected damage. The scale rates tornados from EF-0 to EF-5.
All tornado warnings are issued by the National Weather Service and received by the public in various ways. Narramore strongly recommends buying a NOAA radio.
To sign up for tornado alerts, text your zip code to Nixle at 888777.
Narramore offered tips on preparing for an approaching tornado, which include getting low, wearing shoes, staying away from windows and relocating to indoors. She also suggested wearing a helmet for flying debris.
After a tornado, Davis suggested contacting friends and loved ones, staying away from downed power lines, calling local authorities if possible and helping your neighbor.
“Tornado Talk,” owned by Narramore is a data base of tornado history with detailed narrative on tornados that have happened over the decades. It also focuses on individual stories and highlights the fatalities of tornados so that their lives can be honored.
Details: Visit www.tornadotalk.com.
