Xenia tornado damage photographs

These two photographs document damage in Xenia, Ohio after a devastating tornado in 1974. The first photograph shows Koehler's furniture company. The second photograph, taken a month after the tornado, shows an overturned car still lying near the road. On April 4, 1974 an F5 tornado (the most intense tornado, reaching speeds of over 261 miles per hour) hit Xenia. It touched down at 4:30 p.m. nine miles southwest of Xenia and entered town at 4:40 p.m. Of 25,000 residents, 33 were killed and 1600 were injured. More than 1400 buildings were damaged or destroyed and total estimated damages exceeded $400 million. Xenia was declared a national disaster area, and the American Red Cross, as well as several hundred Ohio National Guard troops, moved into Xenia for several weeks to assist with the rescue and clean up. The Xenia tornado was the deadliest and most damaging of storms that comprised the "Super Outbreak," that occurred April 3 and 4, 1974, when 148 storms hit thirteen states