Three days ago, on March 2nd, several tornadoes struck southern Indiana. Washington, Jefferson, Ripley, Clark and Scott counties were affected, and more than 14 people were killed.
These were certainly not the first twisters to hit the region, nor were they the worst. Here is a list of some of the deadliest tornadoes in Indiana history:
- The ‘Tri-State Tornado’ struck in March, 1925, sweeping from southern Missouri to southwestern Indiana at more than 200 miles per hour. More than 730 people were killed across the two states, while more than half of Princeton was wiped out.
- In April of 1965, Palm Sunday saw ten tornadoes strike Indiana. This disaster was the most deadly in the state’s history, causing more than 137 casualties and 1,700 injuries, as well as over $30 million in property damage. As a result, the state worked to develop more efficient tornado safety plans.
- In 1974, more than twenty tornadoes struck in April, killing at least fifty citizens and injuring more than one thousand, a tragic but significant improvement on earlier crises.
- Sixteen years later, in June of 1990, no less than 37 tornadoes struck Indiana, affecting 31 counties and killing at least ten people in Petersburg and Bedford.
- In November of 2005, more than 22 people were killed by a tornado in Vanderburgh and Warrick counties, also in southwestern Indiana.