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What began as a humid and sunny day on May 31st, 1985 rapidly spiraled into a series of thunderstorms that traversed the plains of northeast Ohio. Looming cumulonimbus clouds quickly evolved into a whirling tunnel of dust and debris that would later rewrite the history of Portage County and its surrounding territories.
Eyewitness account from Don Bloom – VP of Penn Care and first responder at the ’85 tornado:
“Thunderstorms began to develop near Cleveland around 4 PM and grew explosively. Several tornadoes touched down between 5 PM and 6 PM in Ashtabula and Northern Trumbull Counties, which then traveled into Pennsylvania. When I first heard there was a tornado that struck Northern Trumbull County, I headed to Howland, Ohio to pick Shawn (Bryant) up. Traveling north along RT 11 I encountered a severe hailstorm. Shawn, the current President at Penn Care, was standing in his back yard gaping in awe at the giant F5 that was crossing State Route 46.”
“From the radio traffic, it became apparent that this was going to be a disaster of historic proportions. Requests for assistance were coming in from all locations around Niles, Lordstown and Newton Falls. Our first assignment was for a house collapse on Niles Rd. Downed trees and power lines, jumbled mounds of twisted wood, and shredded metal were everywhere.”
“As the night wore on, it sounded like Niles might have gotten the worst of the devastation. Without basic services like power or land-line phones, radio was the only communication to the outside world.
Several hours later more details came in about the Skate Center in Niles, the top of the strip area near Village Center Plaza, and the entire downtown area of Niles.”
“Dozens of ambulances from towns and cities more than 100 miles in every direction converged on the county. The top of the strip area of Niles became the epicenter for rescue operations. Contractors with heavy equipment converged on the area near the Niles Park Plaza where massive rescue operations were being conducted.”
“For most of us, the sense of time over the first hours and days became a blur. We stayed with our ambulances and near radio communication nearby effected neighborhoods.
Of all the horrors that were unfolding at the time, heroism and humanity were also being played out across Trumbull County that night. Responders and hospital workers went beyond the call of duty. Citizens pitched in and did what needed to be done. Several contractors provided heavy equipment for rescue operations clearing debris so that emergency medical personnel could get into effected neighborhoods and provide food, shelter, and comfort to those in need.”
“All area hospitals initiated their disaster response plan and had staff waiting outside the Emergency entrance to help EMS units unload and get back in service. Hospital workers desperate for information about their own homes pleaded for information from EMS crews about the extent of damages. Everyone put duty first while attempting to reach family members at home.”
Newspaper article listing of the dead and wounded. In the end, the infamous F5 cut a 47 mile swath through Newton Falls, Niles, and Hubbard before entering Pennsylvania. It was the only F5 in the U.S. in 1985, along with the deadliest Ohio tornado in 11 years. As part of a larger string of 41 tornadoes, it left 11 dead in Trumbull County alone.
If you’d be willing, we’d love to hear your stories from that fateful event in the comments section below. Please stay tuned to our blog as we feature more about our rich history of 25 years in EMS.
I was 9 when the tornado hit and it created a fascination that continues today. I lived in Middlefield so i didn’t see the tornado in action that day. My dad worked for ODOT and since the F5 destroyed Niles a state of emergency was declared and my dad worked in Niles for a few weeks. A couple days after the tornado he took us for a drive to Niles. I will never forget the absolute devestation. Thanks for the blog. I enjoyed reading it.
Nicely done, I remember it well. I spent several hours in Newton Falls that night. Later we went to Niles too, I was with Warren Township FD @ the time. I and a couple of others watched from behind the Dover Station as one of the twisters went within a mile or so of us coming from Newton Falls headed to Niles, I will never forget that sound or the lesson of how destructive mother nature can be.
McDonald Fire Dept. was able to get two ambulances on the scene in Niles.I was on the second ambulance.We were able to get down Hartzel and the first ambulance turned left to the convience store.We turned right to check on damage to a new home developement and the Park Plaza and skating rink.The destruction was everywhere.I remember going down 422 to the skating rink and seeing it was gone made the hair on my arms stand up.The things I saw will be with me to the day i die.