First Person: Springfield, Mass., Tornado Hits Home
Since then, I've been reading the damage reports. The photos of the devastation throughout Springfield were the most compelling. When I saw a photo of an overturned truck across the Connecticut River in West Springfield, I didn't need to read the caption to identify the Rt. 5 location. I recognized the electric company at the edge of the photo.
To have a tornado strike a place you know so intimately and read about it in the news is totally unlike reading about a tornado in some place that was never home.
When I read about the funnel cloud spinning around by the bus station, I couldn't help but remember all the times I'd gone to that bus station to board the bus to Boston, where I attended college.
The woman who was trapped in a house on 124 Arcadia Blvd., as reported by the Republican, was only a handful of houses from my own childhood home. The short street I lived on connected to the end of Arcadia Boulevard containing #124. Her house wasn't there during much of my childhood. That tract was woods until a developer came in and built that house and a few others as I approached adolescence.
A car was crushed by a tree on the corner of Allen Street and Island Pond Road -- that's where I stood and waited each morning for that old green city bus that took me to high school. A photo showed a tree uprooted at the corner of Allen and Wheeler just blocks from there.
WWLP's list of street closings cinched the feeling that the tornado hit home:
Plumtree Road impassable -- that's where I went to church as a kid.
Parker Street from Wilbraham Road to Cooley Street closed -- that was my friend Linda's neighborhood, and my junior high school was right around the corner.
Island Pond Road from Allen Street to Roosevelt, no-go -- hey, this is too close for comfort. I lived just one house in from Island Pond Road along this stretch!
I moved far away a long time ago. Springfield is no longer where I live. When my father died, we sold the house I grew up in. Still, when Wednesday's tornado devastated places so permanently fixed in my growing-up memories, it hit home.
Published by Carol Bengle Gilbert - Featured Contributor in Travel and Lifestyle
2010 Yahoo! Outstanding Contributor of the Year, Carol has consistently been designated a Top 100 Yahoo! Contributor Network writer. She received a 2008 People's Media Award for "Best Article." Carol’s pr... View profile
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11 Comments
Post a CommentSuch a devastating event my thoughts and prayers are with the people of Springfield
Very sad situation, thanks for sharing from your perspective.
Hey Nancy, Great to hear from you. I haven't been in touch with Linda since college years. Glad to hear you're doing well and far from the tornado.
Oops...I just read that you're now in MD, Carol. I don't know if you're still in touch with Linda, but please give her my regards (Judy, too). My folks are now gone; old house was sold back in 2001, and Mom spent remainder of her years in AZ (with family). I still have an aunt and uncle and some cousins and old friends in Spfld area, and everyone was safe, although w/o power. I cringed when I saw footage of the twister over the CT river....I was really worried that people on the bridge were going to get nailed.
Hi Carol! It's Nancy from Kiley, one of Linda and Judy's old friends. I live in Durham, NC; been here for 20+ years; my daughter's graduating elementary schoo. I've still got some friends and family in Spfld, and I was very bummed that y'all (okay, "you guys") got hit with twisters. NC's been hit hard, too (mid-April); it's been a bad year for many states. What's the status of Linda's old neighborhood?
Excellent article, Carol. Glad you are safe! :-0 :-) Good reporting.
Great post, this weird weather is everywhere!
This has certainly been a devastating tornado season. My state has already reached its average for the year with several weeks to go. And tornadoes in Mass. are somewhat rare aren't they?
This is terrible, they are everywhere lately.
My two older sisters live near there and they said it was one of the scariest things they have ever seen. Luckily, neither was hurt nor were their homes but there is massive clean up underway surrounding them.