John Willoughby
reporter2@greenepublishing.com
Over two weeks ago, with untimely warnings, three tornados forced their way through Madison County over the course of thirty minutes as a dangerous line of storms rolled through the North Florida afternoon sky. It wasn't long before the remains of split trees were cleared from rooftops and roadways, and crumpled metal cleared from the path. This surely wasn't Madison County's first rodeo with twisters.
In recent years, residents in the northern part of the county felt the impacts of a cyclone. Cherry Lake and Pinetta were shook in the middle of the night on Monday, Dec. 3, 2018, as an EF-1 tornado touched down in northern Madison County, uprooting large trees and slinging trailers like toys.
Madison County resident Diane Riley stated that she woke up to the sound of the twister around 2:30 a.m. "I yelled for my husband, grabbed my phone … we got to the closet and, by that time, the [National Weather Service text message alert] went off, but [the tornado] had already passed," said Riley.
A severe weather alert had been issued, alerting of critical conditions to arrive in the Cherry Lake and Pinetta area at approximately 2:50 a.m., but by the time the alert was received, it was too late.
Since 1958, Madison County has experienced well over 15 tornadoes, but none have been as deadly as the two storms in 1988. The April 19, 1988 tornado, determined to be an EF-3 tornado, plowed through Madison County, claiming the lives of four: Walter Oliver Jr., Dearmiste Pinesett and couple, Robert and Lavelle McCullough.
The spring twister was no ordinary storm as cars were piled up on top of each other, structures had crumbled and notable buildings in Madison, such as Grace Presbyterian Church and Van H. Priest Auditorium were brought to rubble. Homes were battered by heavy winds and falling trees as the major tornado cleared its way from the City of Madison up toward the Hickory Grove area, near Pinetta.
Governor Bob Martinez called the path of the tornado "chilling." "The people of Madison County have suffered a tragedy, and I will make sure the state will do everything it can to help them recover," the then-Governor of Florida stated in a news release on the same day.
An estimate of just under $1 million was assessed as crews toured the damage of up to 80 homes. Out of that, 25 to 30 homes were utterly destroyed.
As if that didn't do enough damage, the Town of Lee was ravaged just months afterwards by an EF-2 tornado which claimed the life of Debbie Rutherford and injured many others. The twister touched down southwest of Lee, coming through the area at around 1:50 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 5, 1988. One of the first places the tornado laid into was Lee Feed and Fuel, twisting and ripping feed bins. Continuing its damaging path, it moved easterly across County Road 255, peeling roofs from homes and shattering windows.
Stanley Bland had lost two buildings, but had been through a number of tornados before – one in 1971, which caused little damage; and the other in 1984, taking the roof off of his home.
The "Little But Proud" town showed love to one another during their time of need. Within moments of the whirlwind passing by, dozens of locals flowed out of their homes to search the area and the skies cleared and the stars brightly shined. The Jiffy Food Store along US Hwy. 90 East had opened for those who needed supplies and members of the Lee Community Volunteer Fire Department had mobilized within minutes to help begin the process of healing.
According to the National Weather Service, a tornado is classified as a violently rotating column of air extending from the base of a thunderstorm down to the ground. More common in the central plains and the southeastern United States, tornadoes have been reported in all 50 states.
Tornadoes are measured according to the Fujita-Pearson Scale, determining the strength of the cell by its winds. The scale is a 0-6 scale, with an EF-0 showing winds of 40 to 72 miles per hour. A EF-6 tornado would produce winds of up to 379 miles per hour, but there is no official record of an EF-6 striking the United States.
In May 3, 1999, an EF-5 tornado plowed through the suburbs of Oklahoma City, with winds clocked at 301 miles per hour. If winds had reached 319 miles per hour, the 1999 Bridge Creek-Moore devastation would have been the only EF-6 tornado on record.
The deadliest single tornado in US history was the Tri-State Tornado, which claimed the lives of nearly 700 people in Missouri, Illinois and Indiana in March of 1925.