I am writing this to fill in what I can remember of the tornado as described in my mother's handwritten account of the incident. 

First of all, I have absolutely no recollection of any of it. The tornado hit us on my third birthday, November 7, 1957. Eula Marie and James Francis were my elder siblings at the time. Oddly enough we were all born in November two years apart, Marie the 14^th, James the 17^th.  Must have been cold in February-March of 1950, 1952 and 1954!!!

As indicated in Mom's writing my parents were share-croppers at the time. I have some vague recollection of being out in the fields and riding on a sled being pulled by mules as my parents and grandparents harvested potatoes. I also remember bathing in a #3 wash tub...that water was cold coming out of the well! 

As my Mom states in her writing, everything was destroyed. The house was a clapboard house on a pier and beam foundation, probably not much better than a mobile home. My grandfather's car was actually parked directly in front of the house and according to reports didn't have a scratch on it. Both the mules were found dead approximately half a mile from the house. All the crops that had been harvested and stored in barn were also gone.  All the sheep and cattle were also dead. Dad's bird dog survived.

Of the injuries suffered my grandfather had a concussion, and as Mom said, Dad had strained shoulder. My mother and grandmother suffered no other physical injures.

Marie's right arm was broken just above the elbow, and according to what Mom told me, that happened when the tornado hit the house and slammed the bed against the wall. Her arm was hanging over the edge of the bed.

She told me that James actually had bailing wire wrapped around his legs but he had no other injuries.

Since it was my birthday, I got most of the gifts...

My left ear was almost completely severed from my head and so was my lower lip. I was partially scalped and had a deep laceration under my left eye. Mom said that the reason I suffered so many injuries was that she had hold of me by my ankle only and could feel the debris striking my body as the wind tried to pull me away.

There are only two things I can remember about the whole thing. The burning sensation when they were cleaning my wounds in the hospital a visit from my uncle Amede, dad's brother. Got fifty cents too!!!

For the rest of my childhood every time thunderstorms would build my parents and grandparents would go and hide in the car...of all places. I remember nights sitting in that car thinking "what the hell is wrong with these people" - it's just a storm!  Probably a good thing I couldn't remember anything about the tornado.

I can't think of anything that I truly fear...maybe that was the real birthday present.

Mom obviously took her time finishing her story because the two additional children are Christine and Michael...Michael is six years younger than I.

To translate my mother's last statement...Man proposes, God disposes.

- Ed Meche
 

Survivor account used with permission by Mr. Ed Meche