The Press-Dispatch
Issue link: https://www.ifoldsflip.com/i/1254479
A-8 Petersburg Tornado 30 Year Anniversar y Wednesday, June 3, 2020 The Press-Dispatch Ted Merter clears debris and loose bricks from a second story bedroom of his home at 401 S. Ninth St. "We were all home and the grandkids were vis- iting. We did not have time to get to the basement. We all (seven people) just climbed into the bathroom under the staircase and rode it out," said Merter. An aerial view of the school and 10th St. and State Road 61 areas that were hit by the tornado show devastation of the storm. Pilot services provided by Wilfred Bahr. Jean Cooper, of Petersburg, at left, surveys the extensive damage to the home of Ida Zimmerman, her mother, at 213 Fifth St., while grandson, Tom Miley, sifts through the rubble for valuables. Volunteers carried coolers through storm-ravaged neigh- borhoods, dispensing soft drinks and sandwiches to the hundreds of workers who have converged on the communi- ty to assist in the clean-up Vice President Dan Quayle came to Petersburg following the tornado. Along with helping the area be declared a National Disaster he helped honor Pike Central's softball team, which won the regional on the day of the tornado and then a week later was runner-up in the state championship. Team members above are (l to r) Shea Smith, Michele Martin, Roci Willis, Randi Pauw, Tara McAllister, Quayle, Jessica Schmitt, Lee Ann Coplen, LuAnn Brown and Kristy Knight. Walnut Street in the area of Fifth and Sixth Streets is barely recognizable.