Tornado in Liberal

May 27, 1933  Worked in the garden until 9:30.  Corney and John finished digging post holes.  Then we went to Liberal to see the destruction caused last week by the tornado.  It was very sad.  In the evening we worked in the garden.

On May 22 a tornado had struck Liberal, Kans., in the midst of the total darkness of a dust storm.  It killed 4 people and destroyed or badly damaged 165 homes and 48 businesses, including city hall, the armory, and two of the five schools in the town.  Much of the damage was uninsured.  It was a devastating blow for a community already suffering from the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression, but it was also remarkable for the extent of assistance offered by similarly poverty-stricken neighboring towns.  So the Siemens went to see the destruction. 

Here is an account of the tornado with many good pictures.