On April 3rd, 1974 as part of what is now called the "super outbreak," an F5 tornado devastated the small town of Xenia, Ohio. On it's 32 mile campaign it left the Arrowhead community, and the home of 9 year old twin girls Barb and Betsy Riggs and their family, destroyed. Their neighborhood was razed to the foundations, not a single wall was left standing, the tornado had passed right over top of them.

This page serves as a reminder of that event. A place to read of the accounts of people who were there, and to find links to other sites who have memorialized this cataclysm. The memories of this event should serve as a reminder to everyone of the awesome destructive force of nature, as well as the overwhelming power of God's grace. The F5 tornado killed 33 people in Xenia that day, but amazingly, left thousands of survivors.

Read Barb's short story based on her experience in the tornado. An excellent story of devine intervention in the midst of a disaster. This story is a must read!
(read Barb's other stories on our literature page)

Survivor's stories:

Elizabeth's reflection on the event as an adult

Barb's account of the tornado in 1974, at age 9

Jpegs of Barb's original account at age 9:

page 1

page 2

Note: After reading these accounts, you may be wondering: Jennifer Early survived the tornado

Xenia Tornado Links:

www.xeniatornado.com - Homer G. Ramby's site. Photos, accounts, links, info, other stuff. Even a sound bite of the tornado.

April 3 1974 Xenia Ohio - photos by John Hultgran and lots of info.

Kitty's page - Lots of links about the Xenia tornado.

Enquirer.com - pictures and coverage of the 2000 Xenia tornado and comparison with 1974 tornado.

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