This was the first tornado I had ever seen. Considering the damage it caused, it was a miracle no one was killed. There were 37 injuries. It had a relatively short track, about 11 miles. It began as two distinct funnels and merged into one, multiple-vortex tornado. A two-story, 16-unit apartment complex was moved about 150 feet into the middle of main street. The building was still fully intact. The tornado completely removed the roof of our house, collapsing one wall. Debris from businesses located in Fort Payne was found in Rome,Georgia, about 45-50 miles away. The NWS rated it F4.
An interesting side note to this story is that there was another tornado exactly 10 years to the date of this one. The path of the 1983 tornado was about one mile to the north of the first one. The first one occurred at 6:55 P.M., the second one at 6:15 P.M. The second tornado was rated F2.
An interesting side note to this story is that there was another tornado exactly 10 years to the date of this one. The path of the 1983 tornado was about one mile to the north of the first one. The first one occurred at 6:55 P.M., the second one at 6:15 P.M. The second tornado was rated F2.
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