April 3, 1974.. A Day I Will Never Forget..

Tomorrow marks a very important anniversary in my life.  Not only is it my parents 44th wedding anniversary, it marks the very first time I ever remember being scared.  A day that sometimes I have dreams about, and hope and pray it never happens again.  April 3, 1974.  The day of the killer tornados.  On that day, 148 tornados struck 13 states in 14 hours.  Many were killed and hundreds injured.  At one time that day, there were 11 tornados on the ground in Ky.  

I remember being absolutely terrified.  My parents and I spent the late afternoon when the storms hit hiding in my closet.  It was my parents 9th wedding anniversary.  No power, and storms all around.  We were all three listening to my Mickey Mouse AM radio. 

When the storms died down, we loaded up in the car and went to Cynthiana to check on my grandmother.  She lived on White Oak Pike at the time, and the tornado that struck there passed not far away from her house.  It took 90 minutes to make a 30 minute trip.  The roads were blocked everywhere.  She was OK when we got there.  She raised 9 kids before, during, and after the depression, so she was already pretty tough.  

This memory will always be with me..  The first time you are really scared usually does..