Xenia, Ohio

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Our final stop is at Xenia City Hall, where near the flagpole you will find a Tornado Memorial Plaque. The name Xenia is practically synonymous with the 1974 tornado. Though the Super Outbreak produced 148 tornados–30 being considered F4 or F5 intensity–the most destructive tornado of all touched down in Xenia, OH. Like many other towns affected by the Super Outbreak, Xenia was compared to a warzone. Entirely unprepared, the city had no shelters and no sirens in place in the event of a tornado. Many were not alerted at all, though Gil Whitney, a local weatherman for WHIO-TV, is credited with saving the lives of many through his urgent warnings to find cover. The city of Xenia was absolutely devastated by the tornado that struck in 1974. More than 10,000 people reported homelessness in the aftermath of the tornado, while 2,600 homes were either completely destroyed or considered unlivable. In total, 32 people lost their lives to the tornado’s destruction. Two days later, a fire in a demolished furniture store took the lives of two National Guardsmen, bringing the total death toll to 34. Perhaps more than anything, however, the very heart of Xenia was changed forever by the events of April 3, 1974. Today, Xenians take tornadoes very seriously. Unlike in other semi-rural Midwestern towns, you will not find anyone on their front porch watching the clouds as the sirens blare. The emotional impact of the tornado issued far more damage than what was physically lost. The lesson Xenia learned that fateful April day is that death–and the weather–does not discriminate. Old and young, rich and poor, white or Black–no one was truly safe. “Respect the power of the storm,” is an adage that has been drilled into the minds of survivors’ children and grandchildren in the days and years to follow.

Despite the fear that still plagues many hearts and minds in the wake of a major storm, Xenia’s physical destruction built a community bond that was unexpected and revered by all who remember. Thousands of people, though still reeling from their own losses, came together to support each other. Complete strangers joined hands in prayer, while others shared tools or their dining room tables. The city was further encouraged by the arrival of Richard Nixon on April 8, 1974. “This town will come back,” he stated. “...The more it has suffered physically the stronger its spirit has become.” His words remain true to this day.