F5 Tornado Disaster - Guin, AL
Posted by: 
YoSam.
N 33° 57.950 W 087° 54.880
16S E 415497 N 3758744
The downtown business district was leveled
Waymark Code: WMPXWQ
Location: Alabama, United States
Date Posted: 11/07/2015
Views: 8
County of memorial: Marion County
Location of memorial: US 278 & US 43, downtown Guin
Disaster: April 3, 1974 F5 Trnado
Marker text:
GUIN MEMORIAL PARK
In memory of
Those Who Died in Tornado
April 3, 1974
Bertha Mae Baird
Jennifer Susette Ballard
Jimmie Sue Ballard
Billy Joe Brown
Virginia Louise Brown
Janet Lynn Brown
Rosie Bell Burleson
Howard Monroe Calvert
Virginia Dale Green Calvert
Raymond Ratford Edwards
Maggie Lee Fisher
Minnie Ellen Gilmore
James Lionel Herron
Orville James (Boots) Hess, Sr.
Florence Eva Helsey
Mat Knight
Herbert Preston Martin
Juanita Harkins Pennington
Joseph Emmitt Shiret
Luis Jessma Shiret
Troy Y. Stanford
Trevor Kyle Thompson
Mark Ronald Todd
William Paul Todd
"On April 3, 1974, the Guin area was struck by an outbreak of violent tornadoes which still rank among the most severe in recorded history. The tornado which struck downtown Guin was classified as an F5 super cell tornado registering speeds of up to 250 miles per hour. Twenty-Three local people lost their lives that night and hundreds more were injured. About 2,000 residents were left homeless from the total loss of 221 homes and partial damage to 358 more. Guin's business district was flattened, with 55 businesses, its hospital, City Hall, and rural electric office all sustaining damage. The Baptist, Church of Christ, and Methodist Churches were also demolished. In the months after the storm, The Alabama National Guard, U.S. Small Business, H.U.D. Administration, the American Red Cross, and thousands of volunteers from all over America poured into Guin to assist in the rebuilding effort." ~ Alabama Tourism Department