History Moments Hallam Tornado 2004

History Moments

Air Date: 08/10/2017

Storms have a way of sticking in people's minds, and that is definitely the case of the Hallam tornado in 2004. It was May 22nd. An F4 tornado peaking at 2 1/2 miles wide ripped through the community south of Lincoln. At the time, it was the largest tornado on record, but it has since fallen to second largest. The twister was on the ground for more than 10 minutes and covered 52 miles. It left 1 person dead, 37 injured, 158 homes destroyed and 57 severely damaged. A coal train was tossed off the tracks and Norris High School and its school buses had major damage. The storm spawned 19 confirmed tornadoes. The community of Hallam saw 70 residents move away after the storm. Thirteen years later the memories of that night are still fresh, but new residents have moved in, and the homes and buildings have slowly been rebuilt.