Remembering March 28, 1984

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Remembering March 28, 1984

Topic Author: Jamie Arnold

Posted: 12:00 PM Mar 27, 2008

Replies Posted: 16 comments

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Remembering March 28, 1984

Friday will mark the 24th anniversary of the March 28th, 1984 tornado outbreak. To date, this outbreak remains the deadliest and most violent in our states history, and even ranks as one of the more violent outbreaks of tornadoes that our country has ever seen.

Several violent tornadoes ripped through the heart of Eastern Carolina on that dreadfully stormy evening. Hardest hit areas were around Mount Olive, Winterville, Snow Hill, Greenville, and Simpson. In all, 57 deaths were reported in both NC and SC.

Wind speeds reached as high as 180 mph with the tornado that devastated parts of Wayne, Greene and Pitt Counties.

I would like for you to share your stories of that day. Were you affected? How did you survive? Did you see the tornado?

Leave those stories right here on the blog. It will be a place we can all remember one of the most violent days in the Eastern NC's weather history.

Jamie

Posted by: John Gibson Location: Eastern Wayne County, NC
I was just 4 years old, but the sounds that night, and the scenes of the next day will never leave my mind. My Aunt Bee owned a resthome near the middle Wayne/Lenoir county line. My grandmother thought it would be a good idea to go there when she heard the weather radio sound off. It was dark outside, but the lightning was so intense that it lit the sky as if the sun was shining on the clearest day. Strikes so numerous that the thunder seemed to roar forever. You could hear things hitting the walls of the home, trees snapping all around, sounding like fresh crisp carrots. I was so scared. At daybreak we ventured out to see the damage. Homes that were just yards away, destroyed, nothing left. Imagine this,about 40 yards off the left side of the road is an empty space where a 2story house once stood hours before, and 20 yards off the right side of the road is half of the garage that was once part of that beautiful home, and theres a 10-speed bicycle in there still on its kickstand. WOW!!

Posted by: Mikayla Whaley Location: 1 mile north of Mount Olive NC
I recall I worked that afternoon and it had reached about 81 degrees, that evening I traveled to Goldsboro to put a deposit on a dog, before returning home I drove to center street Mount olive, just 10 minutes before the tornado struck. I returned home and less than 5 minute the power went out, there were strong winds, and I may have heard the tornado just a few miles away, it was dark, so there was nothing to see from my home at the time. The next morning the temp had dropped to 47 degrees and it was raining. I went out the following day with 35mm camera and took many Pictures on the damage, esp. high damage occurred on the Duplin/Wayne county line on Highway 117, homes destroyed, cars and trailers overturned, even tin roofing wrapped arounf the remaining trunks of pine trees. weeks later I found damage in the Cliffs of the Nuese Park about 15 miles from that location, it was unclear if that was tornadic activity or outflow. I live near Asheville now, but still watch the skies closely

Posted by: Jeff Gise Location: Greenville
March 28, 1984 memories ---I remember being at my apartment with a bad thunderstorm occuring outside. I had no idea it was producing a tornado that was going to affect the rest of my night. During the storm I received a phone call from the ED(Emergency Dept) at PCMH. As the evening charge nurse in the ED, I was being notified of a Level 3 disaster(highest). When I arrived to the ED, I entered thru the temporary ambulance tunnel(a new ED was being built next to the current one at that time). I noticed bloody bandages on the floor of the tunnel and up ahead in the ED, there were patients in wheelchairs and on stretchers in the hallways, with staff scurrying all over the place. I immediately checked in with the Disaster Chief and went to the major trauma/resuscitation room. Two teams were treating two patients. Both died. That night 10 people died in this room and 4 went to the OR. It was a long night. And for many years following, I had reoccuring dreams of tornados.

Posted by: bobbie Location: greenville
I was fifteen when the tornadoes ripped through use to be known as Taylor Estates on Hwy 43 in Greenville. I was at my dads house. I was on the phone at 9:22 when it hit. The power had just went out and my sister had just lit an oil lamp that we had. I told her to blow it out and the walls began to shake. I knew it was a tornado. I trailor was destroyed my face went right through the lantern and me my sister and brother were trapped in the rubble. It was the worst night of my life. I still am terrified of storms and to this day no matter what time they hit I will leave my home and go to Walmart or some other big building until the storm passes. It will be a day I will never forget and haunts me everyday. there were many lives affected that night. It had destroyed many trailors in that park including my mother and stepfather.

Posted by: Erik Location: Greenville
I was a little boy when those storm came through. We were living off HWY 58 - right down the road from the storm. I remember waking up and finding my father looking out the window with a concerned look on his face. We had tall pine trees in our yard and they were swaying violently. My dad is the kind of guy that - when he is worried - everyone else should be too b/c not much scares him. Anyway - we made it throught he night w/o any damage - and heard about the Tornados the next morning. We went to look at the damage and it started only a mile or two down the road. Huge Huge Oaks were uprooted like they were nothing and the devastation was like something none of us have ever seen. I will never forget that as long as I live. Prayers go out to the families that were involved in that tragedy.

Posted by: LSK Location: greenville
While originally from NC, I was living in TX at the time of the tornados. They made the front page of the Dallas Morning Herald.Because tornados are so common out there, someone asked me why people didn't go to their storm cellars when the storms hit. I said - you have to understand people in eastern NC don't have storm cellars because we don't get storms like that!It was surreal reading about the destructive tornados from such a distance.

Posted by: a person who was affected by the tornadoes Location: Belhaven
I was not physically affected by the tornadoes but,emotionally I was VERY affected.My husband was picked up off the ground and thrown into a field by one of the tornadoes...he was paralyzed from the waist down.:O :( But,thankfully he is still alive today.:)

Posted by: Brendan Location: LaGrange
I remember I was 4 years and standing under our carport watching the wind and rain. Being so young, I can still see those scenes in my mind of the fallen trees, and the roof of my uncles apt. complex completely torn off.

Posted by: KT Location: eastern NC
I was 13 years old and living in Winterville, but I remember it like it was yesteday.It was very warm and windy that day.This continued into the night. With no warning at all the lights suddenly went out and the sound of a train was blaring. You could hear the tornados passing by all night . My family was very fortunate that we were not harmed but many others were not so lucky. The most frightening thing for me was seeing the devastation the next day. It has forever changed my life. My children do not understand why I am so scared now if the weather turns bad.I hope they never have to experience it either.

Posted by: RS Location: Plymouth
After 24 year I still do not like to talk about that day . A dear friend did not survive that storm . The word Tornado had very little meaning to me ( that was something that happened somewhere else ) but it sure grabs my attention now !!!!

Posted by: Gatha Location: Dover, NC
I remember well that evening. I was home alone and terrified. Although the storm circumvented us, I remember the terrifying news accounts as each tornado made its appearance. I stood on my porch and watched the unusual lightening. The air just felt so odd! As each account of destruction was told, and the tornadoes were tracked, I prayed for the safety of those in the pathway, and for us to be spared. My brother lives in Snow Hill and I was concerned for him and his family until I was finally able to contact them the next day. Since then, I have been terrified of any possibility of tornadoes, and I take very seriously any watches issued.

Posted by: Andrea Location: Grimesland
I was 14 at the time. We lived in a mobile home park on Hwy. 43 South. The tornado came through our mobile home park around 9:30. It destroyed our trailer, as well as several others in the park that night. There was no warning. It just happened. I knew exactly what was happening as soon as it hit because I heard the oft mentioned sound of a train - very unmistakable. It was an experience that I will never forget and it was only by the grace of God that me and my family lived through that night.

Posted by: Beth Location: Washington
I was 13 when the same line of tornadoes raced across my family's farm in Robeson Co. Our school was so damaged that we completed the remainder of the year in several church educational and fellowship centers in the community. I will never forget the wind and the fear that something really bad was happening "out there"; the results were not visible until the morning. Nearly every spring storm reminds me of the tornadoes and how many of my friends were affected. Read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carolinas_Tornado_Outbreak

Posted by: Linda Location: Pactolus
My son and I were on 264 just east of Pactolus on the night of March 28, 1984 at 9:20 pm. We saw the tornadoes cross the highway in the headlights of my car. I had stopped on the highway. With both feet on the brake pedal, the wind was blowing us sideways on the highway. We live on Sheppard Mill Road. The tornadoes that we saw in our headlights blew away my house, my storage barn and all of my dad's tobacco barns and pack house. It was very tramatic. We measure our lives in BT (before the tornado) and AT (after the tornado). We were the first family in Pitt County to get a FEMA trailer because neighbors and church family members came to help with the clean-up. Needless to say, about 3 week ago, we had a terrible wind storm that brought down trees everywhere. My son and his family live next door and they were in their closet and I was in my bathroom in the center of the house. The experience of loosing almost everything makes me a more thankful person for our lives.