Community Corner

Tornadoes Turn Cars and Lives Upside Down in Western Mass.

An Attleboro woman talking to her sister in Springfield during the storm says, 'it was chaos.'

When word that two tornadoes had touched down in the area of Springfield and Westfield, MA, reached Cathy Killough of Attleboro, the long-time resident immediately tried to reach her sister and father, who live in nearby Agawam, and her cousins in Monson.

She was able to reach her sister, Sarah Hoffman, by phone, and when she heard her voice she felt instant relief knowing her family was not hurt by what Mother Nature brought to Western Massachusetts.

While her family did not sustain any physical injuries, they have suffered in other ways. Hoffman's car was ruined when the shop where it was being fixed was destroyed by the tornado, and Tom Ruane, her sister's fiancé, no longer has a place to work because the building was leveled.

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While Killough's family was thankful to not have sustained physical injuries, they will deal with emotional scars of what they witnessed, including one of the four reported fatalities from the tornadoes.

"I try not ot overreact, but I called Sarah and she answered the phone and she said, 'it's a war zone out here, there are cars overturned,' and I could hear people screaming in the background."

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"Tom (Sarah's fiancé) and my niece, Hannah, were screaming and crying, and that's when I thought, wow, this is real," Killough said. "As she was talking to me, she said, 'oh my God, there is a guy in that car, he's got to be dead.'

"Then, I heard 'there's another one coming, get in the basement' in the background – it was chaos," Killough said.

The Killoughs plan to head to west to help area residents in any way they can this weekend, whether it is to remove debris or just offer comfort and support. 

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Office has offered the community support of a different form – tips on what to do before, during and after a tornado:

  • Purchase a NOAA Weather Radio with a battery backup and tone-alert feature and a battery-powered commercial radio and extra batteries.
  • Determine locations to seek shelter, such as a basement or storm cellar. If an underground location is not available, find an interior room or hallway on the lowest floor.
  • Practice going to your shelter with your household.
  • Assemble a disaster supply kit.
  • Make a record of your personal property, taking photographs/video of your belongings. Store these documents in a safe place. 
  • Listen to NOAA Weather Radio 
  • Be alert for approaching storm, particularly revolving funnel-shaped cloud. Other tornado danger signs include a dark, almost greenish sky; large hail; a large, dark, low-lying cloud; or a loud roar, similar to a freight train.
  • Be warned that sometimes tornadoes develop so rapidly, there is no visible advanced warning.
  • Avoid places with wide-span roofs such as an auditorium, cafeteria, supermarket or shopping mall.
  • Be prepared to take shelter immediately. Gather household members, pets and disaster supplies.
  • In a residence or small building, move to a pre-designated shelter, such as a basement or storm cellar. If there is none, go to an interior room on the lower level (closet, interior hallway). Get under a sturdy table and use your arms to cover your head and neck.
  • Do not open windows. Use the time to seek shelter.
  • Go to the center of the room, avoiding the corners, which attract debris. Interior hallways on the lowest floor are usually safest. Stay away from windows and open spaces.
  • In a high-rise building, go to a small interior room or hallway on the lowest possible floor.
  • Get out of vehicles, trailers and mobile homes immediately and go to the lowest floor of a sturdy nearby building. Never try to outrun a tornado in a congested area.
  • If caught outside with no shelter, lie flat in a nearby ditch or depression and cover your head with your hands. 
  • Do not go under a bridge or overpass. You are safer in a low, flat location.


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