Salem Township, Steuben County, Indiana

April 3, 1974

From Norene Keller:
I have always been interested in weather, even as a child. I am so glad to be a part of the skywarn program. I was 8 years old in 1974, and I was spending some time with my grandparents and my cousins were there as well. I remember the weather was getting really scary. My grandmother always got very  scared when it thunderstormed. My grandparents lived in a mobile home, but the old farmhouse that they used to live in was still standing and it had a basement. My grandparents said it was time to go to the basement, so my cousins, the dogs, grandma, and myself went into  the basement. I wanted to stay outside with grandpa. He drove the car right up beside the old house door and he sat in the car and watched a  tornado go maybe an 1/8 of a mile down the road and destroy the neighbors barn (on the Chrysler Farm). Several of the neighbors lost things. A couple miles away a neighbor lost their house (on the Daily Farm). I remember grandpa telling me that I needed to go into the basement where I would be safe, but I really wanted to watch the sky. I really didn't like being around my grandma during  bad weather because she was so scared that she kinda freaked out. She was always like that. I realize now that grandpa was just trying to keep me safe, but I still would have liked to been with him in the car watching the sky.