Marshall McClung
Wednesday marked 50 years since a deadly tornado struck Yellow Creek and the Stecoah section of Graham County, killing two people and injuring several others.
Huge hailstones accompanied the storm, damaging roofs, vehicles and shredding leaves from trees in Yellow Creek Gap, leaving them as bare as in winter. Several homes were demolished or severely damaged.
Stecoah was the hardest hit section of the county, resulting in the deaths of Mrs. Pat Cook, 31, at Stecoah Heights; and Tom Jenkins, at a home on Gunter Gap Road. Two children – Donna and Phil – were saved by their father Dee Cook, who sustained serious injuries after using his body to shield them.
Tom and Clara Jenkins were thrown into the yard when their home was demolished. Clara came to and saw her husband lying nearby.
Both were injured and Tom was pronounced dead at the hospital.
A mobile home housing the Hardy and Vivian Cody family with three children – Stephanie, 5; Angie, 3; and Lisa, 5 months old – was struck and overturned. The home hit a nearby vehicle, which kept it from completely overturning and allowed the family to escape.
The home of Larry and Brenda McCracken and their 3-year-old daughter Michele near Wolf Creek Gap was destroyed. The family attempted to escape as the mobile home was being lifted off the ground. Michele ran back into the home and Brenda ran back to get her.
As the home was lifted into the air, it began to break into pieces. Brenda landed on the ground within a few feet of Michele. All of the family survived.
The roof on the home of the Billy Holder family on Gunter Gap Road was blown off, one barn destroyed, and another barn heavily damaged.
The first warning Mr. and Mrs. Floyd Jenkins got was when all the windows started breaking. The garage doors were lying on their car and most of the shingles were gone from their roof. Numerous other barns and outbuildings were destroyed or heavily damaged throughout Stecoah.
Much of the damage on Yellow Creek was from huge hailstones, said to have weighed in excess of ½ pound or more. Damage was estimated to be thousands of dollars. Few people escaped having damaged vehicles, as the area was hit by debris and pelted by hailstones – breaking windshields and leaving vehicles appearing as if someone had taken a hammer to them.
Graham County officials – along with representatives from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, HUD and the N.C. Office of Civil Preparedness – toured the affected areas.
Accounts were established at local banks in Robbinsville for five families most affected by the storm. A Stecoah Disaster Fund was also established, with donations being accepted at Northwesten and Wachovia Banks.
Marshall McClung writes a historical column for The Graham Star. He can be reached via email, mcclungs@email.com.