Flint-Beecher tornado: The 70th anniversary of Michigan's deadliest tornado
(CBS DETROIT) - Thursday, June 8, 2023, marks the 70th anniversary of the Flint-Beecher tornado.
The tornado is the 10th deadliest in United States history and the deadliest in state history, with 116 people killed and 844 injured. The ages of those killed ranged from 80 years old to 5 months old.
The twister is one of only two F5 (original Fujita scale) tornadoes Michigan has experienced. The other occurred a few years later, in 1956, in southwest Lower Michigan (Ottawa-Kent-Montcalm Counties).
Wind speeds are rated between 261 and 318 mph. The tornado caused a total loss of $19 million in 1953 dollars ($215 million in 2023 dollars).
Nearly 350 homes were destroyed, 107 suffered "major damage," and 153 suffered "minor damage." Another 66 buildings were destroyed or damaged farms, businesses, and other buildings.
