Driving through Lubbock, TX the day after Mother's Day in 1970, a friend and I got caught up in one of the worst tornadoes in Texas' history:
HONORABLE MENTION - THE LUBBOCK TORNADO - MAY 11, 1970
The Lubbock tornado formed over the southwest corner of the city and touched down just south of the downtown area. It tracked toward the northeast near US 87, just east of the Texas Tech campus, and continued for 8 miles before lifting. It destroyed over 1000 homes and apartment units, 10,000 vehicles and over 100 aircraft. It killed 26 persons and injured 500. This tornado was studied and mapped in detail by Professor Fujita, and was an important key in the development of his Fujita Scale. It was rated F5 on this scale.
http://www.srh.noaa.gov/ama/?n=top10_tornadoesWe drove so hard to get out of the area that a radiator hose burst. We stopped at a small rural highway service station to buy a new one. The station was open but abandoned. We found the hose that we needed and left what we figured to be enough money to cover the price and a note as to what we were "buying". I was in the Army at the time and had to get back to base in AZ, besides, the station was abandoned because the owner was probably in a storm shelter at the time and I wasn't about to hang around until he returned.
Was it right or wrong of us? I guess only the owner of the station could really say. But, we didn't get our Green Stamps!
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