Remembering the Powerful West Bloomfield Tornado of 1976: Video

WEST BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, MI – Do you remember where you were on March 20, 1976?

If you lived in West Bloomfield Township at the time, you probably do.

It’s the day a powerful EF4 tornado with wind speeds between 208 and 270 mph cut a nearly 4-mile long, 350-yard wide swath of destruction.

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West Bloomfield Civic Center TV talked to local historian Charlie Martinez and former residents Debbie Zager and Steve Landry, who was in a coma for more than a week after the storm, about the first day of spring that year.

“It was very short-lived,” he said.

The National Weather Service said the tornado took shape near Halstead between 13 and 14 Mile roads and traveled northeast toward the most heavily populated parts of West Bloomfield at the time

Watch the video below.

Image: Photo of an EF5 tornado by Justin 1569 via Wikipedia / Creative Commons