Tornado Devastates Worcester
On this day in 1953, Worcester County was devastated by the strongest tornado ever to hit New England. With winds close to 300 mph, the twister traveled 46 miles across the county, reaching its peak intensity in Worcester. Cinderblock and brick buildings were picked up and smashed to rubble. Ponds were sucked dry. A 12-ton bus flew through the air. The storm left 94 dead, 1,288 injured, 15,000 homeless and over $53,000,000 in property damage. When survivors emerged from the wreckage, they viewed destruction so complete that many thought it was either a nuclear explosion or the apocalypse. Fifty years later one survivor recalled, "We thought the world was coming to an end. And when we saw what had happened, we were sure it had."
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