Paths of destruction
Subtitle: the story of West Michigan's worst natural disaster, the tornadoes of April 3, 1956
By: by Ernest J. Ostuno.
Contributors: United States. National Weather Service.; Grand Rapids Historical Society (Grand Rapids, Mich.)
Publisher: Grand Rapids Historical Society
Published: 2008
Place of publication: Grand Rapids, Mich
Language: eng
Number of pages: 126
ISBN-13: 9780961770631
Subjects: Tornadoes -- Michigan; Severe storms -- Michigan
Other titles: Changing winds, the 1956 tornados of West Michigan
Description: On April 3, 1956 at least four powerful tornadoes struck West Michigan, killing 18 people and injuring more than 300. It remains the worst natural disaster in West Michigan history. The reach of the tornadoes was vast, stretching from near the Indiana state line all the way to near Traverse City. One of the tornadoes was rated an F5, the most powerful and deadly rating for a tornado. It killed 17 people and devastated areas of Hudsonville and Grand Rapids, Michigan where entire neighborhoods were obliterated by the 200 mph winds. The book describes the weather conditions that resulted in such an awesome display of nature's fury and is illustrated with dozens of photos, many of them reproduced from color slides of the actual tornadoes and the damage they left behind. You can read over 100 eyewitness accounts of people who were near, and in some cases directly in, the paths of the storms. A DVD is also included with the book, which includes interviews with a dozen people who survived the F5 tornado. The interviews are illustrated with extremely rare movie footage of the F5 tornado. Information on tornado safety is also included in the book and the DVD.
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