Is this Minnesota’s worst disaster?
Is the collapse of the 35W bridge the worst disaster in the history of Minnesota? I feels like it now, but what does history tell us? Ian Punnett posed that question this morning and here are some listener responses:
1918 Cloquet fire
Armistice Day blizzard
As bad as the bridge collapse is, the Anoka tornadoes of May 1965 have it beat. Growing up here, I heard stories over and over of the terrible tornadoes in 1965. Once in a while, my parents would point out something that had been damaged by those tornadoes, which affected more than just Anoka apparently. I think those tornadoes still hold the “record” for death and destruction. Here’s a little info:
The worst tornadoes in Twin Cities history occurred forty-two years ago, with five tornadoes sweeping across the western and northern portions of the 7-county region, and a sixth tornado just outside the metropolitan area. Four tornadoes were rated F4, one was an F3, and the other produced F2 damage. Thirteen people were killed and 683 injured. Many more would have been killed had it not been for the warnings of the U.S. Weather Bureau, local officials, and the
outstanding communications by local radio and television stations. Many credit the announcers of WCCO-AM with saving countless lives. It was also the first time in Twin Cities history that civil defense sirens were used for severe weather.
There were two photographs of tornadoes - the Deephaven tornado and the second Fridley tornado were both published in the Minneapolis Tribune. It is unknown whether anybody else took pictures of any of the tornadoes that day.
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