The Flint and Beecher communities of Michigan were struck with this tornado on the 8th of June, 1953, at 8:30 p.m. Tornadoes that strike at night are often more devastating because it becomes difficult to see what is taking place and this prevents people from getting out of the tornado’s path as much as possible or moving to a cellar or bunker that would give them a higher chance of survival. A commemoration page has been created on the NOAA Web site showcasing the 50-year anniversary of that tornado in 2003.
People that were in those communities and survived the tornado, as well as those individuals that came from nearby communities in order to help with the cleanup efforts talked of the devastation that they saw, and many survivor storiesare available. The width of the tornado’s path was 833 yards, and the length of its path was 27 miles. A child of 5 months was the youngest person killed in the Flint-Beecher tornado, and a person of 80 was the oldest. Overall, the tornado took 116 lives and injured almost 850 more people.
The tornado, which was rated an F5 on the Fujita scale, damaged hundreds of homes, with the largest amount of them sustaining major damage and having to be torn down. Sixty-six farms and businesses are also damaged or destroyed. The total cost of the Flint-Beecher tornado was $19 million in 1953, which would equal over $150 million in 2007 dollars.
