The 54th Anniversary of the Lubbock Tornado Is Coming Up

This Saturday will mark the 54th anniversary of the May 11, 1970 tornado that ripped through Lubbock. There were actually two tornados that night, but it was the larger, F5 tornado left behind death and destruction.

26 people died during the storm and more than 1,500 people were injured in the storm. 255 people were seriously injured. The damage left behind totaled more than $250 million dollars, over $1 billion in today's dollars. Downtown Lubbock and Northeast Lubbock were the hardest hit areas of town and many say that night changed the growth pattern and the financial hub of the city.

During the storm, KFYO Radio was the only broadcast outlet that was able to broadcast continuously before, during, and after the Lubbock tornado and was Lubbock's only link to the outside world by broadcasting over the phone to KRLD in Dallas during the event.

Just a few years ago, the City of Lubbock unveiled a new memorial to those who lost their lives during the event. If you haven't seen the memorial or stopped to walk around, you should. It's very well done and tells the entire story of the events from that night.

READ MORE: A Sneak Peak At Lubbock's Tornado Memorial

According to the City of Lubbock, the Fujita Scale was actually developed by data collected by Tetsuya Fujita from the Lubbock Tornado.

You can read more about the tornado here.