The Press-Dispatch
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A-6 Petersburg Tornado 30 Year Anniversar y Wednesday, June 3, 2020 The Press-Dispatch The Press-Dispatch Petersburg Tornado 20 Year Anniversary Wednesday, June 2, 2010 1 By Andy Heuring Six people were killed as the worst tornado in the midwest since 1974 blasted Petersburg wiping out a path about four blocks wide from Hornady Park to the Elementar y School. It hit in Union and bounced around the Bowman area before hit- ting Petersburg and going on just south of Alford. Nearly 400 homes were damaged in the path of the storm. According to American Red Cross —fi gures 114 homes were destroyed, 99 had major damage and 170 homes with minor damage. Agricultural offi cials fl ew over Pike County on Monday and esti- mated nearly 40 rural homesteads were damaged between Union and Alford, according to Rick Noble of the Soil Conser vation Ser vice. Six people died in Pike County, three deaths occurred within a block of each other, directly be- hind the Petersburg Moose, where a gathering of 200 to 300 people were at Clifford and Stacy (Shoultz) White's wedding reception. Those killed in the storm were Al- bin Harper, Billie Minniear, Emma Willis, Frank Mallott, Marjorie Mal- lott and Giles E. Evans. With the exception of Harper the deaths were all directly related to injuries received in the storm. Harper, 66, of Arrowhead Drive, a housing subdivision on Pike Av- enue, was in his backyard watch- ing the tornado when he suffered a heart attack and died. Evans, 89, and Willis, 69, lived in apartments in a large house at 303 Walnut Street. It was directly behind the Moose Lodge and was obliterated. It is believed much of this building ended up on the Moose's crowded parking lot. One block away Billie Minniear, 73, of 209 Sycamore was killed when the tornado blew apart his mobile home. Minniear and his wife, Ada, were holding hands in their mo- bile home. She was blown out of the trailer free from the wreckage and suffered broken ribs. She was taken to Jasper Memorial Hospital. He was trapped in the trailer and killed. The Minniears lived next door to his sister and brother-in-law, Julia and Joseph Dunn, who also suf- fered minor injuries as their mobile home was destroyed. Dunn's son, Larr y, said since his parents did not have time to fi nd shelter in another building they went to their bedroom. Dunn said the tornado hurled he and his family and the waterbed they were clutching away from the wreckage of their mobile home. They suffered only minor injuries from fl ying debris. The other two deaths reported in Pike County were in Union. Mr. and Mrs. Frank Malott, both 76, were killed when a tornado leveled their home. It was one of only two homes that were hit in Union. Forty-seven people were reported injured seriously enough to go to the hospital. That number does not include those who were taken to hospitals by their families. A temporar y hospital was set up in the fi re department. When the storm hit, water ser- vice to Petersburg was shut off to prevent the water from running out of damaged pipes. City Councilman Lowell Garland said because of the extensive damage to plumbing in homes and water mains the water had to be shut off. Fire chief Phil Taylor said crews worked most of Saturday and Sun- day going house to house turning off the water at individual homes that were damaged. Water was restored Monday morning shortly before noon. Al- though offi cials said it could be turned off again to prevent losing it through damaged lines. Garland said because the supply system is so fragile they could not Tornado devastates Petersburg; six dead; cleanup underway Two sections 36 pages Four inserts Thursday, June 7, 1990 Volume 123 Number 20 Phone: (812) 354-8500 Petersburg, Pike County, Indiana 47567 UPS 604-340 Cleanup crews were on the job before the wind died down Saturday night. Within two hours the roads and streets were opened for ambulances to reach the nursing homes. Utility personnels worked around the clock restoring ser vices to the area. Much of the work is volunteer and much is donated labor by area businesses. Mark Ashley and his girlfriend didn't quite make it home Saturday night. They were just a few feet from Ashley's driveway when they were hit by the storm. They were picked up and thrown backwards and upside down in their neighbor's yard. Both escaped without injur y. His family's home on Pike Ave. sustained serious damage. Wanda Harker sits on the steps of what is left of her home on 10th St. in Petersburg and talks to a neighbor. Mrs. Harker said when she and her husband Ray bough the home it needed a lot of work. "Ray worked 12 to 14 hours a day to fi x it and now it is all gone. We are totally wiped out." Continued on page 2 75¢ Three sections 34 pages Ten inserts Volume 142 Number 19 Phone (812) 354-8500 Petersburg, IN 47567-0068 (USPS 604-340) Wednesday, June 2, 2010 1990 PETERSBURG TORNADO COMMEMORATIVE EDITION By Andy Heuring Twenty years ago today Peters- burg was hit by the worst natural disaster Pike County has faced. On June 2, 1990, Petersburg was changed forever. The F-4 tornado that ripped through Petersburg left seven people dead, and 47 people were injured seriously enough to be taken by ambulance to the hospi- tal. This doesn't include those who went to hospital on their own. (The original story said six died. Evaline Hilgeman died on July 1 from inju- ries sustained in the storm.) Red Cross fi gures stated 114 homes were destroyed, 99 had ma- jor damage and another 170 homes had minor damage. As signifi cant as the numbers of the tornado are, they don't come close to telling the story of loss, devastation and fear, nor of the spirit of community and pulling to- gether that took place following the tornado. Time has a way of eroding our memories. I saw much of the dam- age fi rst hand and remember it was terrible, but it wasn't until prepar- ing for this section and looking back through the pictures of the streets being completely blocked with debris and the devastation did I remember just how bad it was. As bad as I remember it being when I looked back through the pictures I realized my memory of the dev- astation had faded over the last 20 years. I will never forget the Wednes- day following the tornado. I was de- livering the papers on Wednesday morning. A nasty-looking storm Remembering the greatest Pike County disaster CONNECT WITH US: WHAT'S INSIDE: NEWS TIPS: A large front end loader makes its way down Pike Avenue. Area mines and power plants sent large equipment into Petersburg following the tornado to help clear the debris. Most streets were impassable until the equipment cleared the way. Destroyed houses were pushed to the streets and loaded into trucks and hauled away. Continued on page 4 Continued on page 7 30TH ANNIVERSARY 1990 PETERSBURG TORNADO Petersburg was hit by an F- 4 tornado on Saturday eve- ning June 2, 1990. It killed sev- en people and injured 47 peo- ple badly enough to be hospi- talized. In its wake 114 homes were destroyed, 99 had major damage and 170 homes had minor damage. The tornado came about two weeks after a flood washed out the water line between Petersburg's well field and the water treatment plant. Damage from the tornado was so severe Highway 61 and much of Highway 57 an sever- al streets were block with de- bris several feet deep. Below and on the next two pages are a few of the stories and photos that ran in the first issue of The Press-Dispatch fol- lowing the tornado. Petersburg Mayor R. C. Klipsch placed wreath next to the memorial monument of the seven victims of the June 2, 1990 tornado that devastated Petersburg. The monument is located on the Main St. side of the Pike County Courthouse. Klipsch is with relatives of some of the victims. They are Annetta Nelson and Kay Benjamin both daughters of Frank Malott and Marjorie Malott, Klipsch and Tim Gregory, who is the nephew of Giles Evans. The victims honored on the monument are: Frank Malott, Marjorie Malott, Albin Harper, Giles Evans, Emma Willis, Billie Minniear and Sarah E. Hilgeman.