Go Texas!
On May 11, 1970, a huge tornado ripped through the business area of Lubbock. With winds clocking in at over 200 mph, the tornado destroyed hundreds of homes, schools, and businesses. 26 people were killed. A boy was ripped out of a car he was hiding in and a whole family of 5 was killed when their house was picked up an hurled into a field.
(My momma totally lived though! Great work, mom! She told me when I was younger, and I fully believe this was the fuel that fired my 16-year long storm anxiety, that she remembered running across the street to get to a neighbors storm cellar and her feet were barely touching the ground from the wind.)
The Great Plains Life Building though was so damaged that many thought it would collapse, but despite being twisted, damaged elevator shafts, and crumbling stair wells the owners decided to repair in instead.
(The PCLB is the tall one on the right. It's the tallest building in Lubbock at a whopping 20 stories!)
You can read a pretty creepy account here about an elevator.
I guess I feel a little connected to this one because I
a) lived in Lubbock for four years while attending Texas Tech.
b) My mom grew up there and I still have a lot of family living there.
And
c) I've been watching a lot of Storm Chasers on, you guessed it, Discovery Channel. It's like Twister only in real life, people! It's also one of the few English language channels we get here. :)
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