lornajarrettblanchard

–12 AP. “Five Hurricanes, Mudslides, Floods…” Cumberland Sunday Times, MD. 12-29-85, A8

–12  USGS. Summary of Significant Floods in the US, PR, and the VI, 1970-1989.  9-17-2008.

–12  Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Cheyenne. “The day a storm stunned Cheyenne.” 8-1-2010.

 

Narrative Information

 

USGS: “Cheyenne, Wyoming, had its worst flood in more than 120 years on August 1. During the afternoon, a moderate thunderstorm developed southeast of Cheyenne, but the storm increased in intensity as it moved into the city during the early evening. Torrential rain, golf-ball-sized hail, and 70-mi/hr winds were produced by the storm. Seven inches of rain fell in less than 24 hours (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, 1985). The discharge for Dry Creek in Cheyenne greatly exceeded the estimated 100-year recurrence interval. The flood caused 12 deaths and $61.1 million in damages (Paulson and others, 1991). The city was declared a Federal disaster area.”  (USGS. Summary of Significant Floods in the US, PR, and the VI, 1970-1989.  17 Sep 2008.)

 

Newspapers

 

AP: “A flash flood struck Cheyenne, Wyo., killing a dozen people and causing $28 million in damage.” (AP. “Five Hurricanes, Mudslides, Floods Stagger the Country.” Cumberland Sunday Times, MD. 12-29-1985, A8.)

 

Wyoming Tribune Eagle/Rogstad: “…It was Aug. 1, 1985, and Nordberg was watching weather history being made in Cheyenne. That night would forever go down as The Flood of ’85. In all, 12 people died; 70 were hurt. A super-cell thunderstorm parked over the Capital City, towering higher than any peak of the Rocky Mountains, and over three hours, from 6-9 p.m., dumped as much as 7 inches of rain on Cheyenne. Large hailstones stripped leaves off the trees. As the rain kept falling, the leaves, hail and debris clogged the overwhelmed drainage systems. Dry Creek swelled to the size of a river….” (Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Cheyenne (Jodi Rogstad). “The day a storm stunned Cheyenne.” 8-1-2010.)

 

Sources:

 

Associated Press. “Five Hurricanes, Mudslides, Floods Stagger the Country.” Cumberland Sunday Times, MD. 12-29-1985, A8. Accessed 6-26-2014 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/fullpagepdfviewer?img=183783010&sterm

 

United States Geological Survey. Summary of Significant Floods in the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands, 1970 Through 1989 (Water-Supply Paper 2502). USGS Kansas Water Science Center, Sep 17, 2008. At: http://ks.water.usgs.gov/pubs/reports/wsp.2502.contents.html#HDR1

 

Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Cheyenne (Jodi Rogstad). “The day a storm stunned Cheyenne.” 8-1-2010. Accessed 6-28-2014 at: http://www.wyomingnews.com/articles/2010/08/01/news/01top_08-01-10.txt#.U68n-LEgfuk

— 10  PA Gen. Assembly. The Feasibility of Retrofitting High Rises, College Dorms…, 2001.

­­­­­– 10  Times Leader (Filaroski), PA. “Death at Rest Home Probed by The State.” 4-20-1993.

 

Narrative Information

 

PA General Assembly: “The wood-frame building had a central two-story area and two one-story wings. A common gathering area, a kitchen and three guest rooms were on the first floor of the core area, and the owner’s apartment was located on the second floor. One wing had five resident rooms and the other wing had three resident rooms… The building was equipped with a combination smoke and heat detection system and manual pull stations were also provided. The activation of any detector or manual pull station would initiate a local alarm only. There was no automatic sprinkler system…

 

“A neighbor heard screams coming from the facility and called the fire department. Arriving firefighters found that the fire had vented to the outside and involved the first floor common area

and kitchen areas. Smoke and heat spread into the exit access corridors for both first-floor wings and blocked the exits for the second floor. The four second-floor residents were able to escape. However, all six residents on one sing and four out of six residents on the second wing died. The fire was considered suspicious and the fire detection system did not operate properly during the fire. Contributing Factors

• Lack of an automatic sprinkler system
• Improper operation of the fire detection system.”

(PA Gen. Assembly. The Feasibility of Retrofitting High Rises, College Dorms…, 2001, p. 40.)

 

Times Leader: “….Colonial Estates, formerly called Thomas Guest Home under previous ownership, was the site of a fire seven years ago that killed 10 people and cast blame on then-owner Ronald Thomas. Investigators determined that the facility’s doors could not be opened from the inside without keys, but authorities failed to gather enough evidence to proceed with reckless endangerment charges against Thomas.” (Times Leader (P. Douglas Filaroski), Wilkes-Barre, PA. “Death at Rest Home Probed by The State.” 4-20-1993.)

 

Sources

 

Pennsylvania General Assembly, Legislative Budget and Finance Committee. The Feasibility of Retrofitting High Rises, College Dorms, and Certain Other Buildings With Fire Sprinklers, Volume II (A Report in Response to Senate Resolution 132). Harrisburg, PA: PA General Assembly, 1-18-2001. Accessed at:  http://74.125.93.132/search?q=cache:KBzYm2dK2qIJ:lbfc.legis.state.pa.us/reports/2001/224.PDF+Fire,+Boarding+Home,+Connellsville,+PA+April+1+1979&cd=10&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

 

Times Leader (P. Douglas Filaroski), Wilkes-Barre, PA. “Death at Rest Home Probed by The State.” 4-20-1993. Accessed 1-26-2017 at: http://archives.timesleader.com/1993_5/1993_04_20_DEATH_AT_REST_HOME_PROBED_BY_THE_STATE_PATIENT_DIED_FROM_RESTRAI.html

–21  Associated Press (Smith).  “Okla. Fireworks Blast Kills 21, Mostly Teens,” June 26, 1985.

–21  Curtis. “Blasts at Fireworks Factory Left 21 Dead.” Tulsa World, June 14, 2007.

–21  Daily Herald (Chicago). Fireworks Plant Explodes; 21 Die.” June 26, 1985

–21  Kyte. Aerlex Fireworks Plant Explosion, Jennings, Oklahoma, June 25, 1985. NFPA, 1986.

–21  National Fire Protection Association. Key Dates in Fire History.  1996.

–21  New York Times. “Fireworks Explosion Saddens a Tennessee Town,” June 7, 1997.

 

Narrative Information

 

Kyte/NFPA: “At 9:35 a.m. on June 25, 1985, a series of explosions and subsequent fires occurred at the site of the Aerlex Fireworks Manufacturing Corporation, near the town of Jennings, Oklahoma.[1] In all, 21 people were killed and 5 injured in what was the second—deadliest fireworks factory explosion in the United States reported to the NFPA between 1950 and 1986….

 

“As determined by the Oklahoma State Fire Marshals Office, the incident was most likely the result of careless unloading of pyrotechnic materials from a pickup truck to an adjacent assembly building. Investigators estimate that it was only a matter of seconds from the initial ignition before the explo­sions, which were felt 13 miles away, leveled most of the facility. Factors such as unbarricaded process buildings coupled with the quantity and type of explosive composition on hand are believed to be responsible for the magnitude of the loss.” (Abstract.)

 

“The Aerlex Fireworks Manufacturing Corporation was located on a 40-acre tract in the rural community of Jennings, Oklahoma. The facility was comprised of 20 buildings spread over an area of approximately 6 acres… With the exception of a remotely located magazine and Building R, the structures inside the compound were built of wood frame construction set on concrete slabs. The magazine was constructed of reinforced concrete masonry and Building R was a metal structure set on a concrete base. [p. 5.]

 

“At 9:35 a.m. on June 25, 1985, members of the Cleveland Fire Department reported hearing a series of explosions. The largest explosion actually caused the lay-in tile ceiling in the fire station to momentarily raise and then drop. From outside of the station, a white mushroom-shaped cloud an estimated half-mile high became visible.. Shortly thereafter, fire department dispatch received notification by telephone of an explosion and fire at the Aerlex fireworks plant located approximately 12 miles away in the community of Jennings…. [p. 8.]

 

“Interviews provided information concerning employee activities prior to the explosions. The best indication of what actually occurred on the morning of the incident is the testimony provided by two survivors, both of whom were in close proximity to the initial explosions. The witnesses and one employee who was killed, were in the process of making fuses. They had strung match material between two trees and were using a drill to twist it.

 

“The first account was given by the plant owner’s brother-in-law, who served as manager of the facility. He was positioned about 95 ft from Building B in close proximity to the northern most tree… His co-workers were located near the tree to the south, approximately 50 ft from Building B. He recalled seeing one employee standing in the bed of the pickup truck…parked adjacent to Building B, holding a container of finished stars. The second employee involved with the unloading process was standing on the ground near the left rear wheel of the truck. As the employee carrying the container stepped off the rear of the truck, his knees buckled. The container of stars hit the ground and the employee fell through the doorway of Building B. Suddenly, the explosion occurred. The plant manager then recalled being down on the ground and the area around him was black. He got to his feet and started running toward the west with the other survivor following him.

 

“The account was given by the other survivor as follows. Two employees were unloading 20-gallon galvanized cans of finished stars from the truck to the shell assembly building. Two of the containers were slid across the truck bed and then set on the ground. As the third container was slid across the bed, a sudden, large explosion occurred…. [p. 11.]

 

“Based on eyewitness testimony and physical evidence, there is little doubt that the origin of the fire and explosions was in the area of assembly Building B and the truck… The witness closest to the truck reported hearing the sound of metal containers being slid across the truck bed. He beleived that some containers had already been unloaded and another was in the process just moments prior to the incident. Evidence of the occurrence of an explosion in the bed of the truck-supports the belief that containers of pyrotechnic material were still on the truck when the incident took place. The truck roof was pushed upward, the cab forced forward on the driver’s side, and both sides of the truck were blown off along with the tailgate. The truck and an automobile parked nearby were hurled several feet by the force of the explosions…. [p. 12.]

 

“The initial explosions resulted in the destruction of Building B and adjacent vehicles. The subsequent rain of burning stars most likely fell into numerous other pyrotechnic stock, very susceptible to ignition, and these bulk supplies also exploded. The chain of events as described is consistent with the physical evidence observed during the on-site survey and with the testimony of survivors of the incident…. [p. 15.]

 

“Numerous facts relative to safety at the plant were documented by OSHA following the incident.

 

1. Employees involved with the processing of explosive or pyrotechnic composition were not required to wear cotton (non-static producing) work clothes or conductive footwear. In lieu of these requirements, spray-on Static Guard was used.

 

2. Work clothing that had been contaminated by pyrotechnic materials was permitted to be worn while on break and outside of the plant.

 

3. Process buildings were absent of properly grounded conductive flooring.

 

4. Electrical equipment and wiring methods were not approved for hazardous locations; i.e., conductors were not run in conduit, and common duplex electrical outlets, snap switches, and fuse boxes were used. Production equipment, including motors, were not suitable for their hazardous locations.

 

5. Vehicles used for transporting explosive materials were not placarded, equipped with portable fire extinguishers, or provided with with non-sparking material to cover loading surfaces.

 

6. Spark-producing metal containers were used to transport pyrotechnic material and cargo was not covered by a flame- and moisture-proof tarpaulin while being transported.

 

7. Proper separation distances and barriers were not maintained between other process buildings and non-process buildings relative to the quantities and types of explosive composition on hand.

 

“As a result of the investigation conducted by OSHA, Aerlex was cited for 13 violations with proposed fines amounting to $58,000. This represents the largest proposed penalty ever assessed by OSHA against a fireworks manufacturer…. [p. 13.]

 

“Since this incident, OSHA has been given a directive to inspect all fireworks manufacturers having more than ten employees. That task is to be completed between the period of January 4, 1986 and July 15, 1986.

 

“Since 1983, at least 43 persons have died in fireworks manufacturing incidents. While most of the fatalities have occurred at unregulated facilities, strict fire and explosion prevention measures are needed by legitimate operators, as well, to ensure their safe operation.

 

“Although federal licensure controls some aspects of fireworks plant operation, the day-to-day safety practices relating to actual manufacturing activity are not addressed. Only through the adoption and enforcement of safety provisions such as those specified in NFPA 1124, Code for the  Manufacture, Transportation, and Storage of Fireworks, by state or local officials can the gap be bridged and reasonable safety obtained.” [p. 16.] (Kyte. Aerlex Fireworks Plant Explosion, Jennings, Oklahoma, June 25, 1985, 21 Killed, 5 Injured. NRPA, 1986, 16 pages.)

 

June 25, Ukiah Daily Journal: “Hallett, Okla. (UPI – A Mammoth explosion ‘Obliterated’ a fireworks plant and many have killed more than a dozen workers, officials said…. The blast rattled windows in Cleveland [OK], 10 miles from the tiny northern Oklahoma town and produced a ‘giant mushroom cloud’ over the blast site…. The explosion occurred at about 9 a.m.” (Ukiah Daily Journal, CA, “Fireworks Plant ‘Obliterated’,” June 25, 1985, p. 3)

 

Curtis: The explosions “could be heard in Tulsa, about 25 miles away.” (Curtis 2007)

 

June 26, AP/Smith: “Hallett, Okla. (AP) – Most of the 21 people killed in an explosion at a fireworks plant were teen-agers apparently hired to meet demand for the Fourth of July, but severe burns make identification difficult… Five other people…were injured in a series of massive blasts Tuesday which were felt 13 miles away and hurled bodies and debris hundreds of yards.

 

“Reports that victims may have been under 18, forbidden by law to work at plants like the one making aerial fireworks used in civic displays, sent state Labor Department officials to the scene along with other investigators.

 

“The cause of the blast had not been determined, but Bob White of the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms, said authorities were checking reports of carelessness outside the building as a pickup truck was loaded….

 

“The plant had passed an inspection two months ago, he said [White].

 

“Dr. Joseph Pierce, a Creek County medical examiner, said he believed most of the victims were teen-agers, ‘but it’s awfully hard to tell. They were burned so badly, almost beyond recognition.

 

“Highway Patrol Lt. Jim King said a number of 17- and 18-year-olds had been hired for the holiday crush. ‘They worked until late at night, and then started again real early in the morning to make all of the fireworks,’ said Mary Lewis, whose trailer less than a mile away was shifted off its foundation by the explosion. ‘It was a real popular spot for teen-agers to work, and make some good money,’ she said, adding that the factory, about 35 miles west of Tulsa, had a normal staff of about 10 but had expanded to nearly 30 for holiday sales….

 

“The Tulsa Daily Oklahoman reported today that a 16-year-old and the 18-year-old son of Plant owner Alan Johnson were killed.” (AP/Smith. “Okla. Fireworks Blast Kills 21…” 26 June 1985.)

 

Curtis: “An explosion at the pickup may have caused the rest of the factory – a large steel building and seven smaller ones….

 

“Aerlex was cited by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for 13 safety violations and was fined $58,000. Five of the citations alleged willful violations, those that managers knew about but didn’t correct. The citations alleged the factory had inadequate exits, used careless unloading procedures and trucks that weren’t flame-proof and stored explosives in unbarricaded buildings. The citations also alleged that smoking was allowed inside the factory.

 

“A lawsuit filed against Aerlex three years later claimed the that the explosions started because two employees mishandled explosives they were unloading from the pickup. One worker stumbled while unloading a canister of friction-sensitive material and his momentum carried him into an assembly room where an explosion occurred, the lawsuit alleged. That explosion caused other blasts throughout the plant, it was alleged.

 

“A $3 million default judgment was granted to the survivors of four employees who were killed in the explosions, but their attorney, John Nicks, said he expected it would go uncollected because Aerlex ‘has no money, that’s for sure’.”  (Curtis 2007)

 

Sources

 

Associated Press (Charlie Smith.  “Okla. Fireworks Blast Kills 21, Mostly Teens,” 6-26-1985.  At: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=6712031&firstvisit=true&src=search&currentResult=3

 

Curtis, Gene.  “Blasts at Fireworks Factory Left 21 Dead.” Tulsa World, 6-14-2007.  Accessed at:  http://www.tulsaworld.com/twpdfs/2007/Final/W_061407_A_4.pdf

 

Daily Herald, Chicago, IL. “Fireworks Plant Explodes; 21 Die.” June 26, 1985. Accessed at:  http://www3.gendisasters.com/oklahoma/4063/hallett,-ok-fireworks-plant-explodes,-june-1985

 

Kyte, Greg. Aerlex Fireworks Plant Explosion, Jennings, Oklahoma, June 25, 1985, 21 Killed, 5 Injured (Summary Investigation Report). Quincy, MA: National Fire Protection Assoc., 1986.

 

National Fire Protection Association. Key Dates in Fire History. 1996. Accessed 2010 at:  http://www.nfpa.org/itemDetail.asp?categoryID=1352&itemID=30955&URL=Research%20&%20Reports/Fire%20statistics/Key%20dates%20in%20fire%20history&cookie%5Ftest=1

 

New York Times. “Fireworks Explosion Saddens a Tennessee Town,” 6-7-1997. Accessed at: http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9D05E4D7173CF934A35755C0A961958260&sec=&spon=&pagewanted=

 

 

Ukiah Daily Journal, CA. “Fireworks Plant ‘Obliterated’,” June 25, 1985, p. 3. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/PdfViewerTags.aspx?img=122318913&firstvisit=true&src=search&currentResult=0

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[1] Hallett is approximately two miles due north of Jennings, OK

–227  Blanchard tally (CDC count of 226 & NCDC note of Montgomery Co. GA June 4 death.)

–226  CDC WONDER. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900, Excessive heat).[1]

—  12  June 2-7. NCDC. Storm Data, Vol. 27, No. 6, June 1985, p. 5.)

 

Summary of State Breakouts noted below:

 

Alabama                     (22)

Arizona                      (21)

Arkansas                    (  9)

California                   (29)

Colorado                    (  2)

Connecticut                (  1)

Florida                        (12)

Georgia                      (26)

Illinois                         (  3)

Indiana                       (  7)

Iowa                            (  2)

Kansas                        (  3)

Kentucky                   (  4)

Louisiana                   (  3)

Maryland                   (  1)

Massachusetts            (  1)

Michigan                    (  2)

Minnesota                  (  1)

Mississippi                  (  9)

Nebraska                    (  1)

Nevada                       (  9)

New Hampshire         (  2)

New Jersey                 (  2)

North Carolina          (  3)

Ohio                            (  1)

Oklahoma                  (11)

Oregon                       (  3)

Pennsylvania              (  2)

South Carolina          (  3)

Tennessee                   (  1)

Texas                          (17)

Virginia                      (  6)

Washington                (  3)

Wisconsin                   (  2)

 

 

Breakout By State and Locality (where noted):

 

Alabama                     (22)

–22  CDC WONDER. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900, Excessive heat).

–1  Autauga County. Male, 20-24.

–1  Barbour County. Male, 55-64.

–3  Dallas County. Male, 15-19 and two females, 85+.

–1  Escambia County. Female, 75-84.

–1  Fayette County. Male, 55-64.

–1  Hale County. Male, 35-44.

–4  Jefferson County. Females, 45-54 and 75-84; males, 35-44 and 75-84.

–3  Mobile County. Female, 85+, and two males, 65-75.

–3  Montgomery County. Males, 55-64, 75-84 and 85+.

–1  Perry County. Male, 55-64.

–1  Pickens County. Female, 65-74.

–1  Pike County. Female, 75-84.

–1  Russell County. Male, 65-84.

—   5  June 2-7.  NCDC. Storm Data, Vol. 27, No. 6, June 1985, p. 6.

–1  Autauga County. Young man playing in ball game; heat related heart attack.

–4  Birmingham, Jefferson County. Couple, 83 years-old each, and females, 53 and 73.

 

Arizona                      (21)

— 21  CDC WONDER. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900, Excessive heat).

—  1  Apache County. Male, 25-34.

—  4  Maricopa County. Females, 55-64 and 75-84; two males, 55-64.

—  2  Mohave County. Males, 25-34 and 55-64.

—  1  Pima County. Male, 85+.

—  3  Pinal County. Female, 65-74; males, 35-44 and 55-64.

–10  Yuma County. Females, 20-24 and 25-34; males 20-24, 45-54 and not stated (6).

 

Arkansas                    (  9)

— 9  CDC WONDER. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900, Excessive heat).

–1  Conway County. Female, 75-84.

–1  Crawford County. Male, 85+.

–1  Crittenden County. Female, 55-64.

–2  Jefferson County. Males, 5-9 and 75-84.

–1  Lonoke County. Male, 55-64.

–1  Pulaski County. Female, 65-74.

–2  Washington County. Two males, 85+.

 

California                   (29)

— 29  CDC WONDER. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900, Excessive heat).

—  1  Alameda County. Male, 35-44.

—  1  Contra Costa County. Female, 1-4.

—  2  Fresno County. Males, 25-34 and 75-84.

—  2  Imperial County. Males, age not noted.

–12  Los Angeles County.

Females, 20-24 (2), 25-34, 35-44 (2), 75-84; males 25-34 (3), 35-44 (2), 75-84

—  1  Orange County. Male, 25-34.

—  4  Riverside County. Males, 25-34, 35-44, 45-54 and 55-64.

—  2  San Bernardino County. Female, 65-74 and male, 75-84.

—  1  San Diego County. Male, 55-64.

—  1  Santa Barbara County. Female, 85+.

—  1  Santa Cruz County. Male, 85+.

—  1  Ventura County. Male, 20-24.

 

Colorado                    (  2)

— 2  CDC WONDER. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900, Excessive heat).

–1  Lake County. Female, 25-34.

–1  Pueblo County. Female, 55-64.

 

Connecticut                (  1)

— 1  CDC WONDER. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900, Excessive heat).

–1  Hartford County. Male, 55-64.

 

Florida                        (12)

–12  CDC WONDER. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900, Excessive heat).

—  8  Lushine. Figure 3, “Annual Temperature Deaths, Florida, 1979-1999.”[2]

–1  Broward County. Male, 25-34.

–1  Columbia County. Female, 65-74.

–3  Duval County. Females, 35-44 and 65-74; male, 65-74.

–1  Hillsborough County. Female, 45-54.

–2  Miami-Dade County. Female, 75-84 and male, 35-44.

–1  Orange County. Female, 55-64.

–1  Osceola County. Female, 85+.

–1  Pasco County. Female, <1.

–1  Pinellas County. Male, 75-84.

–2  Polk County. Males, 65-74.

–1  Volusia County. Male, 35.44.

 

Georgia                      (26)

–26  Blanchard tally. CDC count of 25 plus NCDC note of Montgomery Co. death on June 4.

–25  CDC WONDER. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900, Excessive heat).

–2  Bibb County. Females, 65-74 and 75-84.

–1  Calhoun County. Male, 45-54.

–1  Calhoun County. Male, 45-54.

–1  Clayton County. Male, 25-34

–1  Columbia County. Male, 65-74.

–1  Coweta County. Male, 75-84.

–2  DeKalb County. Males, 45-54 and 55-64.

–1  Dougherty County. Male, 65-74.

–1  Fulton County. Male, 45-54.

–1  Gilmer County. Male, 45-54.

–1  Henry County. Male, 35-44.

–1  Houston County. Male, 25-34.

–1  Jeff Davis County. Male, 75-84.

–1  Mitchell County. Male, 5-9.

–2  Muscogee County. Female, 75-84 and male, 55-64.

–2  Peach County. Female, 85+ and male 55-64.

–1  Richmond County. Male, 75-84.

–1  Spalding County. Female, 45-54.

–2  Terrell County. Female, 55-64 and male, 85+.

–1  Tift County. Female, 75-84.

–1 Wilkinson County. Male, 20-24.

—  6  June 1-7. NCDC. Storm Data, Vol. 27, No. 6, June 1985, p. 9.

–1  Henry County.                 June 6. Male, 40.

–1  Montgomery County.       June 4. Male, 64.

–1  Muscogee County.           June 4. Female, 75.

–1  Muscogee County.           June 6. Male, 59.

–1  Peach County.                  June 6. Female, 76.

–1  Peach County.                  June 7. Female, 98.

 

Illinois                         (  3)

— 3  CDC WONDER. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900, Excessive heat).

–2  Cook County. Males, 10-14 and 25-34.

–1  St. Clair County. Male, 75-84.

 

Indiana                       (  7)

— 7  CDC WONDER. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900, Excessive heat).

–1  Howard County.   Female, 75-84.

–3  Marion County.    Female, 45-54; males, <1 year and 85+.

–2  St. Joseph Co.       Female, 65-74 and male 65-74.

–1  Wayne County.    Female, 65-74.

 

Iowa                            (  2)

— 2  CDC WONDER. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900, Excessive heat).

–1  Scott County.       Male, 25-34.

–1  Wright County.    Female, 75-84.

 

Kansas                        (  3)

— 3  CDC WONDER. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900, Excessive heat).

–1  Harper County.     Male, 65-74.

–2  Shawnee County. Males, 55-64 and 75-84.

 

Kentucky                   (  4)

— 4  CDC WONDER. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900, Excessive heat).

–1  Christian County. Male, 20-24.

–1  Graves County.    Male, 75-84.

–1  Hardin County.    Male, 1-4.

–1  Jefferson County. Male, 35-44.

 

Louisiana                   (  3)

— 3  CDC WONDER. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900, Excessive heat).

–1  Lafayette Parish. Male, 25-34.

–1  Orleans Parish.     Male, 55-64.

–1  Ouachita Parish.   Male, 45-54.

 

Maryland                   (  1)

— 1  CDC WONDER. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900, Excessive heat).

–1  Allegany County. Female, 1-4.

 

Massachusetts            (  1)

— 1  CDC WONDER. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900, Excessive heat).

–1  Suffolk County.   Male, 65-74.

 

Michigan                    (  2)

— 2  CDC WONDER. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900, Excessive heat).

–1  Kalamazoo Co.    Male, 20-24.

–1  Monroe County.   Female, 85+.

 

Minnesota                  (  1)

— 1  CDC WONDER. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900, Excessive heat).

–1  Morrison Co.        Male, 75-84.

 

Mississippi                  (  9)

— 9  CDC WONDER. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900, Excessive heat).

–1  Adams County.    Male, 25-34.

–1  Coahoma Co.       Female, 85+.

–1  Forrest County.    Male, 45-54.

–1  Harrison County. Male, 45-54.

–1  Jackson County.   Female, <1 year old.

–1  Jasper County.     Male, 25-34.

–2  Jones County.       Female, 75-84 and male, 65-74.

–1  Panola County.     Female, 65-74.

— 1  Jones County, Laurel, June 1-7. Elderly male. NCDC. Storm Data, 27/6, June 1985, p. 21.

 

Nebraska                    (  1)

— 1  CDC WONDER. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900, Excessive heat).

–1  Lancaster Co.       Female, 65-74.

 

Nevada                       (  9)

— 9  CDC WONDER. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900, Excessive heat).

–9  Clark Co.  Females, 35-44, 45-54; males, 25-34 (2), 45-54 (2), 65-74, 75-84 (2)

 

New Hampshire         (  2)

— 2  CDC WONDER. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900, Excessive heat).

–2  Carroll County.    Females, 85+.

 

New Jersey                 (  2)

— 2  CDC WONDER. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900, Excessive heat).

–1  Hunterdon Co.     Female, 65-74.

–1  Morris County.     Male, 75-84.

 

North Carolina          (  3)

— 3  CDC WONDER. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900, Excessive heat).

— 2  Mirabelli and Richardson. Figure 1.

–1  Durham County.  Female, 55-64.

–1  Guilford County.  Male, 45-54.

–1  New Hanover Co. Female, 85+.

 

Ohio                            (  1)

— 1  CDC WONDER. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900, Excessive heat).

–1  Morrow County.  Male, 25-34.

 

Oklahoma                  (11)

— 11  CDC WONDER. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900, Excessive heat).

–1  Beckham Co.        Male, 65-74.

–1  Creek County.      Male, 55-64.

–1  Greer County.      Female, 55-64.

–1  Jackson County.   Female, 65-74.

–2  Kay County.         Males, 35-44 and 55-64.

–1  Latimer County.   Male, 55-64.

–1  McCurtain Co.     Male, 55-64.

–2  Oklahoma Co.      Females, 75-84.

–1  Tulsa County.       Male, 65-74.

 

Oregon                       (  3)

— 3  CDC WONDER. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900, Excessive heat).

–1  Clackamas Co.     Female, 45-54.

–2  Umatilla County. Female, 55-64 and male, 65-74.

 

Pennsylvania              (  2)

— 2  CDC WONDER. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900, Excessive heat).

–1  McKean County.  Male, 15-19.

–1  Somerset County. Male, 75-84.

 

South Carolina          (  3)

— 3  CDC WONDER. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900, Excessive heat).

–1  Bamberg County. Male, 55-64.

–1  Greenville Co.      Male, 35-44.

–1  Lexington Co.      Female, 55-64.

 

Tennessee                   (  1)

— 1  CDC WONDER. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900, Excessive heat).

–1  Hamilton Co.        Female, 65-74.

 

Texas                          (17)

— 17  CDC WONDER. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900, Excessive heat).

–1  Anderson Co.       Male, 65-74.

–1  Caldwell County. Male, 75-84.

–1  Collin County.     Female, 45-54.

–1  El Paso County.   Male, 55-64.

–4  Harris County.     Female, 75-84 and males 25-34 (2), and 35-44.

–1  Kaufman County. Female, 85+.

–1  McLennan Co.     Male, 85+.

–1  Pecos County.      Female, 75-84.

–1  Reeves County.    Male, 75-84.

–1  Tarrant County.    Female, 1-4.

–1  Trinity County.    Male, 75-84.

–1  Upshur County.    Male, 35-44.

–1  Wharton County. Male, 35-44.

–1  Wilbarger Co.      Male, 55-64.

 

Virginia                      (  6)

— 6  CDC WONDER. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900, Excessive heat).

–1  Dinwiddie Co.      Male, 45-54.

–1  Gloucester Co.     Female, 75-84.

–1  Lynchburg city.    Female, 55-64.

–1  Prince William Co. Male, 25-34.

–1  Richmond city.     Male, 45-54.

–1  Roanoke city.       Female, 65-74.

 

Washington                (  3)

— 3  CDC WONDER. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900, Excessive heat).

–1  Mason County.     Female, 75-84.

–1  Thurston County. Female, 55-64.

–1  Whitman County. Male, 55-64.

 

Wisconsin                   (  2)

— 2  CDC WONDER. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900, Excessive heat).

–2  Milwaukee County. Female, 75-84 and male, 20-24.

 

Narrative Information

 

NCDC: “Heatwave in the Southeast on June 2-7, 1985. A stationary ridge over the Southeastern U.S. brought unusually high temperatures for June to the area during the first week of the month. Most stations recorded daily highs in the upper 90s and lower 100s during the period, and many new records were set. The heat, combined with the humidity, resulted in numerous cases of heat-related illnesses and at least 12 deaths. Relief from the heat finally came on the 7^th in the form of severe thunderstorms as a frontal system moved through.” (NCDC. Storm Data, Vol. 27, No. 6, June 1985, p. 5.)

 

Sources

 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Health Statistics. Compressed Mortality File 1979-1998 (ICD-9, E900 (Excessive heat – Hyperthermia search). CDC WONDER On-line Database, compiled from Compressed Mortality File CMF 1968-1988, Series 20, No. 2A, 2000 and CMF 1989-1998, Series 20, No. 2E, 2003. Accessed at http://wonder.cdc.gov/cmf-icd9.html on Jan 24, 2017 4:54:51 PM

 

Lushine, James B. “Underreporting of Heat and Cold Related Deaths in Florida.” Miami, FL: National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, NOAA. 1-6-2009 modification. Accessed 11-1-2015 at: http://www.srh.noaa.gov/mfl/?n=fla_weather_casualties

 

Mirabelli, Maria C. and David B. Richardson. “Heat-Related Fatalities in North Carolina.” American Journal of Public Health, vol. 95, no. 4, April 2005, pp. 635-637. Accessed 9-2-2015 at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1449233/

 

National Climatic Data Center. Storm Data, Vol. 27, No. 6, June 1985. Asheville, NC: NCDC, NOAA. Accessed 1-24-2017 at: https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-125DF543-EFFA-4943-8D15-075803EA56BE.pdf

 

National Climatic Data Center. Storm Data, Vol. 27, No. 7, July 1985. Asheville, NC: NCDC, NOAA. Accessed 1-24-2017 at: https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-06FFD818-3523-46CE-88BA-3BE533C5FE3E.pdf

 

National Climatic Data Center. Storm Data, Vol. 27, No. 8, August 1985. Asheville, NC: NCDC, NOAA. Accessed 1-24-2017 at: https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-C9BE5C07-24A6-4533-BC5D-A8CABC5B4359.pdf

 

National Climatic Data Center. Storm Data, Vol. 27, No. 9, September 1985. Asheville, NC: NCDC, NOAA. Accessed 1-24-2017 at: https://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-DBAC6527-D398-4AF3-9CAA-01A088D1FD49.pdf

 

[1] CDC WONDER stands for: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Wide-ranging OnLine Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER). It is an internet system open to the public at large.

[2] Figure 3 is a chart which shows heat deaths in one color and cold deaths in another on the same horizontal bar for each year. The fatality range shown on the left of the chart is in increments of five, going up to thirty. The bars for each year are shown diagonally and do not show any numbers. This does not make them readily readable. Thus one has to measure with a ruler the bar showing the lowest combined deaths (1979), which appears to show one cold death and one heat death. With the unit of measurement of one death then measured against the heat portion of all the other bars, one can get an approximation of the heat deaths for each year. I say “approximate” in that by this method we counted 133 heat deaths over the 21-year period included in the graph, whereas the text of the article notes that there were 125. Repetitious measurement attempts gave us the same result. The article notes that the data came from death certificates collected by the Public Health Statistics Section, Office of Vital Statistics, Florida Department of Health and Rehabilitative Services.

–76-78  Blanchard tally based on State breakouts below.

—     76  NCDC. “General Summary of Tornadoes, 1985,” Storm Data. V27, N12, Dec 1985, 23.

—     75  Grazulis, Thomas P.  Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 1267-1270.

—     75  NWS Weather Forecast Office, Milwaukee/Sullivan. “Famous Large Tornado…” 2005.

—     75  Doyle. “10 Most Destructive Tornadoes From Around…World.” Scienceray, 6-19-2008.

—     74  NCDC. “Tornado Outbreak in the United…” Storm Data, 27/5, May 1985, 5.

 

Ohio                (     11)

–11  State. Sleptzoff and Dunkle. 1985 Tornado Outbreak Revisited, slide 42.

–11  State. NCDC. Storm Data, Vol. 27, No. 5, May 1985, p. 45.

—  1  Licking County, near Fallsburg.

–10  Trumbull County, Niles and Hubbard.[1]

—  8  Portage, Trumbull Counties.  Grazulis.  Significant Tornadoes. 1993, pp. 1267-1270.[2]

 

Pennsylvania  (65-67)

—  67  Grazulis, Thomas P.  Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, p. 1267-1270.

—  65  NCDC. “General Summary of Tornadoes, 1985,” Storm Data. V27, N12, Dec 1985, p. 23.

–~65  Titusville Herald (Allison Seib). “Day of Terror – 25^th anniversary of 1985 twisters.”

—  65  Sleptzoff and Dunkle. 1985 Tornado Outbreak Revisited, slide 5.

—  63  Gelber, Ben. The Pennsylvania Weather Book. 2002, p. 136.

—  61  Storm Data. 27/5, May 1985, pp. 50-51.

Grazulis:          (67)

—  9  Beaver, Butler Counties.  Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, 1267-1270.

—  1  Crawford County 1610  Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, 1267-1270.

—  2  Crawford County 1623.  Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, pp. 1267-1270.

–16  Crawford, Venango, Forest Counties.  Grazulis.  Significant Tornadoes. 1993, pp. 1267-1270.

–12  Erie County 1559.  Grazulis.  Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, pp. 1267-1270.

–10  Erie County 1730.  Grazulis.  Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993, pp. 1267-1270.

—  6  Lycoming, Union, Northumberland Counties.  Grazulis.  1993, pp. 1267-1270.

—  7  Venango, Forest Counties. Grazulis. Significant Tornadoes 1680-1991. 1993,  1267-1270.

—  4  Warren, McKean, Elk Counties.  Grazulis.  Significant Tornadoes. 1993, pp. 1267-1270.

NCDC:            (61)

—  2  Beaver County, Beaver, 1910-2005 EST. NCDC. Storm Data. 27/5, May 1985, 51.[3]

—  1  Beaver County, New Sewickley, 1910-2005 EST. NCDC. Storm Data. 27/5, May 1985, 51.

—  2  Butler County, Evans City, 1910-2005 EST. NCDC. Storm Data. 27/5, May 1985, p. 51.

—  4  Butler County, Saxonburg, 1910-2005 EST. NCDC. Storm Data. 27/5, May 1985, 51.

—  2  Crawford County, Centreville, 1623-1655 EST. NCDC. Storm Data. 27/5, May 1985, p.51.

—  1  Crawford County, 1610-1615 EST. NCDC. Storm Data. Vol. 27, No. 5, May 1985, 50.[4]

—  3  Crawford County, Atlantic, 1620-1730 EST. Storm Data. Vol. 27, No. 5, May 1985, 51.[5]

—  3  Crawford Co., Cochranton, 1620-1730 EST. Storm Data. Vol. 27, No. 5, May 1985, p. 51.

—  3  Elk, McKean and Warren Counties, 1950-2040 EST. NCDC. Storm Data. 27/5, 1985, 51.

—  9  Erie County, Albion. NCDC. Storm Data. Vol. 27, No. 5, May 1985, p. 50.[6]

—  3  Erie County, Cranesville. NCDC. Storm Data. Vol. 27, No. 5, May 1985, p. 50.[7]

—  7  Forest County, Tionesta, 1620-1730 EST. NCDC. Storm Data. 27/5, May 1985, p. 51.

—  2  Lycoming County. NCDC. Storm Data. Vol. 27, No. 5, May 1985, p. 50.

—  7  Mercer County, 1740-1820 EST. NCDC. Storm Data. 27/5, May 1985, p. 51.[8]

—  2  Northumberland County. NCDC. Storm Data. Vol. 27, No. 5, May 1985, p. 50.

—  2  Union County. NCDC. Storm Data. Vol. 27, No. 5, May 1985, p. 50.

—  2  Venango County, Cherry Tree, 1620-1730 EST. NCDC. Storm Data. 27/5, May 1985, 51.

—  5  Venango County, Cooperstown, 1620-1730 EST. NCDC. Storm Data. 27/5, May 1985, 51.

—  1  Venango Co., near Franklin, trailer park, 1620-1730 EST. NCDC. Storm Data. 27/5, 51.

Sleptzoff and Dunkle. 1985 Tornado Outbreak Revisited, slide 5. (65)

–12  Erie County. Sleptzoff and Dunkle.  1985 Tornado Outbreak Revisited, slide 38.

 

Narrative Information

 

Doyle: “In the late afternoon-evening of May 31, 1985 a series of deadly tornadoes push a path of nearly mind boggling devastation as on this day out of the 41 tornadoes reported a total of 27 tornadoes struck a powerful one-two punch to the states of Pennsylvania and Ohio. Hundreds of buildings and homes were damaged or completely leveled, which totaled more than $450 million dollars in property damage. There was even a higher loss of life in which 75 deaths and 1,025 injuries were reported to authorities.”  (Doyle 2008)

 

Grazulis: “OH-PA MAY 31, 1985 1559 12k 82 inj 400y 14m F4. ASHTABULA,OH /ERIE,PA — A major tornado first touched down 2m W of the Pennsylvania state line, SE of Monroe Center, Ohio. In Ohio, 10 mobile homes were destroyed or damaged, trees were downed and poles were snapped.  The tornado moved ENE into Pennsylvania, NW of Pennside and through Albion, to 3m ENE of Cranesville. In Albion, the tornado devastated an area eight to ten blocks long and about two blocks wide, through the center of town. Two trailer parks were leveled as well. Nine deaths occurred in the town. In Cranesville, two more trailer parks were ravaged, with more three deaths and 13 destroyed trailers….

 

“PA  MAY 31, 1985 1610 lk O inj 200y 4m F2. CRAWFORD… Moved ENE from the Pymatuning Reservoir to north of Linesville. After moving ashore, this tornado struck homes and campgrounds. About 75 to 80 campsites were damaged, as were several permanent homes. A woman was killed when she was crushed beneath her travel trailer. Two trailer homes were swept away, and a house, barn, garage, and other buildings were damaged.

 

“OH-PA MAY 31, 1985 1617 16k 125 inj 350y 56m F4. TRUMBULL/OH; MERCER/ CRAWFORD/VENANGO/FOREST, PA… Moved ENE from the extreme NE corner of Trumbull County. The tornado was on the ground for only a few hundred yards in Ohio, and damaged some farm buildings and trees. Moving ENE in Pennsylvania, it passed through northern parts of Jamestown, and Atlantic and Cochranton, both in Crawford County. In Venango County, it hit parts of Hannasville, Cooperstown, and Cherry Tree. It finally narrowed as it turned SE, ending 4m S of Tionesta. Three homes were destroyed at Jamestown. The tornado then struck along Hwy-322, destroying homes and businesses. Two mobile homes were blown 100 feet across the road and into an embankment….A tavern was destroyed, but the patrons survived with only a few injuries since they dropped to the floor. A church was unroofed, and four homes and a trailer were destroyed along Snake Road. In Atlantic, five people were killed when a house near the entrance to a trailer park was destroyed. A chair factory was leveled. The Atlantic Feed and Grain Mill was destroyed, and looters drove off with truckloads of grain. A post office building was destroyed, as was an old school. A 312-foot-tall microwave communications tower, built to withstand winds of 200 mph, was toppled lm E of Atlantic. Further east, 5m N of Sheakleyville, a tavern and a motel were heavily damaged, resulting in a fatality. A church in Cochranton and a trailer park near Cooperstown were heavily damaged. Two houses and 11 trailers were destroyed at a trailer park between Dempsey town and Cherry Tree, leaving five dead. A poultry farm lost 160,000 birds and 100,000 eggs that were hatching in eight brooders. $5,000,000.

 

“PA  MAY 31, 1985 1623 2k inj 275y 23m F3.  CRAWFORD…Moved ENE from 2m S of Saegertown to Woodcock Dam, to 2m ENE of Centreville. This tornado hit a ranger’s home at the Army Corps of Engineers Station at Woodcock Creek Lake, and rolled the ranger’s car 100 feet. The deaths occurred at Centreville….

 

“PA  MAY 31, 1985 1730 7k 30inj 800y 29m F4.  VENANGO/FOREST… Moved E from WNW of Tionesta, German Hill, Stan, Green Hill, Whig Hill, Kellettville, to 7m NE of Marienville, near Pigeon. All seven deaths occurred in the German Hill area. Over 700 structures were damaged, and 125 of them were destroyed. A car was blown 100 yards off Hwy-36, and its three occupants killed. Fourteen of the 17 trailers at a drug and alcohol rehabilitation center were destroyed.

 

“OH-PA MAY 31, 1985 1730 18k 310 inj 400y 47m F5. PORTAGE/TRUMBULL, OH/ MERCER, PA…A maxi-tornado touched down 1.5m N of Charlestown in the Ravenna Arsenal in Portage County, and moved E, entering Trumbull County. The tornado destroyed much of the town of Newton Falls, having passed through its center. It continued E through northern Lordstown, Niles, the center of Coalburg, and northern portions of Hubbard. The storm path was continuous, and destruction was total in many areas. All of the deaths occurred in the Niles and Hubbard area. Most of the deaths were in the Top of the Strip Mall area on state Hwy- 46 in Niles (F5). Another woman died in Niles when she suffered a heart attack upon reviewing the destruction of her home after the storm. This death should not be counted. The injury total is approximate, and may be slightly higher. Hundreds of homes were destroyed, and more than a thousand others were damaged. Public buildings, schools and businesses also sustained serious damage. Damage estimates totaled more than $60,000,000 in Ohio, where eight people died and 250 were injured along the 33-mile-long path.

 

“The tornado entered Pennsylvania lm W of Wheatland, and continued E to 2m SSW of Mercer. It produced F5 damage as it passed through Wheatland, destroying or badly damaging many businesses. The building of one trucking company had all of its sheet-metal roofing and walls torn away, and the steel-girder frame was “twisted like a pretzel.” Thirty tractor-trailers, valued at $60,000 apiece, were housed in the structure, and were either damaged or destroyed. A church and at least 50 homes were destroyed in Wheatland. About 95% of the town’s industry was destroyed, costing 500 jobs in a community of 1,122 people. Seven people were killed in Wheatland, and at least 32 were injured. Further east in Hermitage, another trucking company and a steel-processing business were heavily damaged. A construction-maintenance garage housing 20 vehicles, some valued at $100,000, was demolished. Hermitage had six businesses and 71 homes destroyed or damaged. A hangar and four planes were destroyed at the Hermitage Airport, and a trailer was then picked up and set down on the hangar rubble. A wing from one of the planes was carried 10 miles to Mercer.  Fifteen homes were destroyed, and 30 more were damaged in the Greenfield area….

 

“PA  MAY 31, 1985 1900 4k 40inj 1000y 29m F4.  WARREN/MCKEAN/ELK…Moved ESE from 4m S of Sheffield to the SE part of Kane, Burning Well, Elk State Park, to 6m ENE of Instanter. The worst damage was at Kane, where the schools incurred $3,000,000 damage, three businesses were destroyed, and 99 homes were made uninhabitable. A church in East Kane had only steps left. Scores of vehicles were crushed under collapsed garages. Deaths were in frame homes and trailers. $15,000,000.

 

“PA  MAY 31, 1985 1910 9k 120 inj 275y 39m F3.  BEAVER /BUTLER… A tornado started 2m W of Darlington, passed north of Beaver Falls, through southern portions of Zelienople, near Evans City and Saxonburg, and ended lm S of Sarver. It struck the Big Beaver Borough Shopping Plaza on Hwy-18, north of West Mayfield, causing extensive damage to all 14 shops. Twelve of the stores were totally destroyed, as only brick walls were left standing. Two people were killed at the shopping center, which was filled with hundreds of shoppers. More than 100 cars in the parking lot were either damaged or destroyed.

 

“Across the Allegheny River from the shopping plaza, 16 antique cars were demolished in a storage garage on River Road. At the intersection of Hwys-588 and 65, a drive-in, a service station, three homes, and two other businesses were destroyed. There were some occupied cars at the drive-in, but no one was killed and only one person was injured critically. A van traveling south on 1-79 was picked up by the tornado and thrown a quarter mile from the road. The van was demolished, but the family inside was thrown free of the vehicle and survived. In Evans City, a trailer park was leveled, and two men were killed when their trailer home along Water Station Road was demolished. Forty homes were damaged between Mars and Callery. Fallout in the form of pink insulation material, roof shingles and pieces of metal accompanied a green sky about three minutes prior to the tornado’s arrival in the area. A baby sitter and a young girl were killed in a house near Saxonburg. In all, there were nine deaths, two at the shopping center, one in North Sewickley Township (where a man was struck by flying debris), two at Evans City, and four near Saxonburg. There was $10,000,000 damage in Beaver County.”  (Grazulis.  Significant Tornadoes, 1993, p. 1267-1270)

 

“PA  MAY 31, 1985 2025 6k 60inj 900y 19m F4.  LYCOMING/UNION/Northumberland …A tornado moved ESE from lm W of Bastress, passed over North White Deer Ridge, and continued to 3m NE of Watsontown. It lifted momentarily as it crossed the ridge, but later widened to 1.5 miles as it crossed the Susquehanna River. In Union County, 48 of 60 campers were destroyed at the Hidden Creek campground, and the remainder were damaged. An 83-year-­old woman survived in her mobile home when it was blown over an 80 foot cliff and landed in a tree. A total of 48 campers, eight homes, three mobile homes, and 18 vehicles were destroyed in Union County, and five homes received minor damage. In Northumberland County, 30 mobile homes were destroyed at a park near Dewart. Two businesses, 140 mobile homes, 77 homes, a church, 28 barns, nine silos and 28 garages were either damaged or destroyed. In all, at least 190 structures and 50 vehicles, including four school buses, were damaged or destroyed. Thousands of trees were uprooted or snapped off, and six people were killed, all female and two in each county. Three of the deaths occurred in trailer homes, two in houses and one in a camper. The injuries resulted from flying or falling debris, and persons being caught in overturning mobile homes or campers. Thirty-five farms were destroyed or heavily damaged, and at least 12 cows were killed. Damage estimates for the three counties ran $16,000,000, with at least $2,000,000 and $10,000,000 in Union and Northumberland Counties, respectively.” (Grazulis.  Significant Tornadoes, 1993, p. 1267-1270)

 

NCDC: “On the afternoon of May 31^st, thunderstorms along and ahead of a strong cold front produced the most devastating outbreak of tornadoes since the Superoutbreak of April 3-4, 1974. Most of the tornadoes occurred in two separate areas, one between Lake Ontario and Georgian Bay in Canada, ant the other centered in northwestern Pennsylvania…Of the 41 tornadoes mapped, 1 was F5, 9 were F4, 1`1 F3, 9 F2, 9 F1, and only 2 were F0. 74 deaths and over 850 injuries occurred in the United States alone.”  (NCDC. “Tornado Outbreak in the United States and Canada on May 31, 1985.” Storm Data. Vol. 27, No. 5, May 1985, p. 5.)

 

Sources

 

Doyle, Nelson. “10 Most Destructive Tornadoes From Around the World.” Scienceray, 6-19-2008.  Accessed at: http://www.scienceray.com/Earth-Sciences/Meteorology/10-Most-Destructive-Tornadoes-From-Around-the-World.142263

 

Gelber, Ben. The Pennsylvania Weather Book. Piscataway, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 2002. Google preview at:  http://books.google.com/books?id=34RKv9fMFo4C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

Grazulis, Thomas P.  Significant Tornadoes Update 1680-1991.  St. Johnsbury, VE:  Environmental Films, 1993.

 

National Climatic Data Center. “General Summary of Tornadoes, 1985,” Storm Data. Vol. 27, N12, Dec 1985, p. 23. Accessed 7-23-2014 at: http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-7204E9C9-C22F-4440-8800-A79D8C79313D.pdf

 

National Climatic Data Center. “Tornado Outbreak in the United States and Canada on May 31, 1985.” Storm Data. Vol. 27, No. 5, May 1985, p. 5. Accessed 7-8-2014 at: http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-97EB5B93-FB2D-429C-9DA8-A25254120724.pdf

 

National Weather Service Weather Forecast Office, Milwaukee/Sullivan, WI. Famous Large Tornado Outbreaks in the United States. NWS, NOAA, DOC. November 2, 2005 modification.  Accessed at:  http://www.crh.noaa.gov/mkx/climate/torout.php

 

Sleptzoff, Nick (former EMA Director Erie County, PA) and Tim Dunkle (former EMA Director Venango County, PA). 1985 Tornado Outbreak Revisited (slide presentation, Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency “Partners in Professionalism” conference, Sept. 28-30-2009. Accessed 7-9-2014 at: http://www.erh.noaa.gov/cle/office/localinterest/1985Tornado/1985%20Tornado%20Final%5B1%5D.pdf

 

Titusville Herald (Allison Seib). “Day of Terror – 25^th anniversary of 1985 twisters” (Part 2 of 3). 5-28-2010. Accessed 7-9-2014 at: http://www.titusvilleherald.com/articles/2010/05/29/news/news01.txt

 

 

 

 

 

[1] “A maxi tornado touched down at the east end of the Ravenna Arsenal in Portage County. The storm moved east, entering Trumbull County around 1740EST. The storm destroyed much of the town of Newton Falls and continued east through Lordstown, Niles and Hubbard before moving into Pennsylvania and causing serious damage at Wheatland. The storm path was continuous and destruction was total in many areas. All of the deaths [10] occurred in Niles and Hubbard. Most of the deaths were in the Top of the Strip Mall area on State Route 46 in Niles. Another woman died in Niles when she suffered a heart attack upon reviewing the destruction of her home after the storm had moved out of the area. The injury count [440] is approximate and may be slightly higher. Hundreds of homes were destroyed and more than a thousand others damaged….”

[2] Grazulis probably did not include the heart attack fatality noted by the NCDC, which occurred afterwards.

[3] At a shopping center. “All fourteen shops at the shopping center were damaged extensively. More than 100 cars in the parking lot were damaged or destroyed.”

[4] “A tornado touched down at the north shore of Pymatuning Reservoir, near Linesville, and moved four miles east-northeast. A woman was crushed under a trailer.”

[5] Notes that “Atlantic was almost completely destroyed.”

[6] “In Albion, an eight to ten block area and two trailer parks were leveled, with nine dead.”

[7] “In Cranesville, two trailer parks were destroyed with three deaths and thirteen trailers destroyed. There were 82 injuries and 309 buildings damaged or destroyed.”

[8] “A tornado that started in Ravenna Arsenal, Ohio (Portage County), moved through Wheatland, Pa. to two miles southwest of Mercer. Over 100 buildings were leveled, and several industrial facilities were severely damaged in the Wheatland area. About 59 other homes were also damaged.”

–11  Assefa and Wahrhaftig. The MOVE Crisis in Philadelphia. 1990, p. 3.

–11  Demby. “Why Have So Many People Never Heard of the MOVE Bombing?” 5-18-2015.

–11  NFPA. The U.S. Fire Problem. Home Fires with Ten or More Fatalities (1980-2007). 2008.

–11  Philadelphia Inquirer. “Recent Fire Falls Short of the City’s Deadliest,” Dec 28, 2008.

 

Narrative Information

 

Assefa and Wahrhaftig: “….on May 13, 1985, the assault on MOVE’s Osage Avenue headquarters began. Police shot 10,000 rounds of ammunition in a 90-minute period from automatic weapons, machine guns, and antitank guns. Finally they dropped a bomb from a helicopter, starting a fire that incinerated five MOVE members and six children. Sixty-one homes lay in smoldering ruins, about 110 houses were damaged, and 250 people were left homeless…. [p. 3.]

 

“This book emphasizes negotiation and mediation, though other conflict resolution mechanisms were used as well. We contend that negotiation and mediation are the most viable methods available to contain, if not resolve, this kind of conflict. Adjudication is ineffective particularly if one party does not recognize the rules of the process to be fair and just. The win-lose approach of court litigation seldom address the root causes of the conflict. The use of force may not be effective either, since the underlying problems behind the conflict remain unresolved. Coerced solutions usually contain the seeds of future tension….” [p. 5.] (Assefa and Wahrhaftig. The MOVE Crisis in Philadelphia. 1990, p. 3)

 

Demby: “After my stories last week on the 30th anniversary of the MOVE siege in West Philadelphia in 1985, in which Philadelphia police dropped a bomb on a residential neighborhood, leaving 11 dead — including five children — we were surprised by how many people told us they’d never heard of the bombing….

 

“It’s seems incredible that so many people had never heard about the time American law enforcement bombed U.S. citizens on U.S. soil, which, on top of the deaths, left dozens of bystanders’ homes destroyed in an uncontrolled fire that the police commissioner told firefighters not to put out right away. The details are so extreme, so over-the-top. How have we forgotten this?…. In the universe of violent fringe movements that ended in deadly mayhem, MOVE occupies a lonely branch. To some degree, maybe this helps explain why the story of MOVE isn’t better known: If few people feel like your ideological kin, few people feel cause to carry your torch….

 

“…technology has changed everything in the decades since May 13, 1985. If the MOVE bombing were to happen today, bystanders would be furiously uploading videos to YouTube, spawning Twitter hashtags and interconnected protests in cities around the country. CNN would be camped out in West Philly for weeks, to say nothing of the countless think-pieces….” (Demby. “Why Have So Many People Never Heard of the MOVE Bombing?” NPR, 5-18-2015.)

 

Newspapers

 

May 14, UPI: “PHILADELPHIA (UPI) – An inner-city row-house neighborhood lay in smoldering ruins today after police, weary of a daylong siege punctuated by gunfights, bombed the headquarters of a radical back-to-nature group that killed a policeman seven years ago….

 

“The concussion-like bomb, dropped Monday from a police helicopter, smashed through a crude wood-and-steel battlement atop the house and caved in the roof.  A fire, fanned by hot winds, spread to as many as 60 surrounding structures, and gunfire from within the building kept firefighters from dousing the swirling flame s for about an hour.  Fire Commissioner William Richmond said.

 

“Firefighters early today hosed down the rubble, and police waited to search the demolished headquarters of the group — called MOVE — for secret escape tunnels….

 

“Police Sgt. Charles Bloom, surveying the grim scene before dawn today, commented, “It’s going to take a few days to figure all this out.”  He shook his head. “It looks like a World War II movie with all the buildings gutted out”.”….

 

“Police had been trying to evict the MOVE members because of neighbors’ complaints that their house was filthy and rat-infested, posing a health hazard. Officers also had arrest warrants for four members of MOVE for allegedly harassing and beating neighbors.

 

“Monday’s Shootout was the second in seven years between police and MOVE , founded in 1972 as a back-to-nature group by a man who called himself John Africa. On Aug. 8, 1978 a policeman was killed when officers tried to evict MOVE members from a Philadelphia house because of similar complaints about bad sanitation.

 

“Goode said police bombed the building even though they believed at least one child was in the house because “there’s no way you could avoid it. I don’t believe there is any way to extradite them without an armed confrontation”.  The mayor had said previously he was convinced MOVE wanted violence and was not interested in negotiations. “There may have been some young people that lost their lives,’ he said…. Goode guessed Monday night no more than four adults and one child were in the house at the time of the bombing….

 

“Nearby stood Janice Walker, tears in her eyes, watching her home consumed by flames. “My family had all its dreams, all of its” aspirations, tied up in that house.” she said. She said the residents had hoped for a peaceful settlement, “so we could live like normal people.” “There was no need to destroy an entire neighborhood,” she said. “The fire was not necessary.”  “It’s tragic, absolutely tragic,” said the Rev. Joseph Meehan, a Roman Catholic priest, as he helped an elderly man away from the fire scene.

 

“Many of the crowd that gathered at the police barricades to watch the fire were angry.  “It is ridiculous. Why did they have to burn down the whole block,” said one man who declined to give his name.  Another, who called himself only Aba, 39, said, “They didn’t bring a solution to the problem. They inflamed the problem, by using these kinds of weapons”.” (Daily News (Huntingdon, PA).  “Philadelphia Police Burn City Block,”  May 14, 1985, p. 1.)

 

May 14, Indiana Gazette: “On Monday morning, the group refused to leave, demanding instead that nine members imprisoned for a 1978 Shootout that left a police officer dead be released from prison. A 90-minute gunbattle erupted after MOVE’S refusal, and police used tear gas and water cannon in an attempt to flush the members from the building. The front of the building was torn open under the pressure of the deluge.  The row house remained under siege with periodic exchanges of gunfire until 5:27 p.m. Monday, when a state police helicopter dropped a bomb on the rooftop bunker.” (Indiana Gazette. “Fire Destroys 60 Homes in Philly After Assault on Radicals’ House,” May 14, 1985, p. 1.)

 

May 14, Syracuse Herald-Journal: “….The fire was started by police Monday evening when an officer tossed a small bomb from a helicopter onto the house where the radicals were living. Firefighters stood by when the bomb blew up and lit the roof on fire. Witnesses said the firefighters put off fighting the fire in hopes of flushing the radicals out.

 

“But the blaze spread as thousands of residents watched in stunned disbelief that slowly changed to” horror. The fire methodically spread to many dozens of houses nearby, and at least 60 houses

were leveled. Officials believed that all the houses except for the one held by MOVE had been evacuated.  Many of those who houses were burning stood behind barricades and shouted: “Murder! Murder! Arson! Arson!”.” (Syracuse Herald-Journal (NY). “When the Radicals Wouldn’t Move, Police Dropped a Bomb,” May 14, 1985, p. 1.)

 

Dec 28, 2008: “Eleven died in the May 13, 1985, inferno that destroyed 61 houses in the 6200 block of Osage Avenue in West Philadelphia when a police helicopter dropped explosives on the roof of a house where members of the radical group MOVE were holed up.” (Philadelphia Inquirer. “Recent Fire Falls Short of the City’s Deadliest.” 12-28-2008.)

 

Sources

 

Assefa, Hizkias and Paul Wahrhaftig. The MOVE Crisis in Philadelphia: Extremist Groups and Conflict Resolution. University of Pittsburgh Press, 1990. Google digital preview accessed 1-25-2017 at: https://books.google.com/books?id=fC0j68EZgxQC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false

 

Daily News, Huntingdon, PA. “Philadelphia Police Burn City Block,” 5-14-1985, p. 1. Accessed at: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=105546779

 

Demby, Gene. “Why Have So Many People Never Heard of the MOVE Bombing?” NPR, 5-18-2015. Accessed 1-25-2017 at: http://www.npr.org/sections/codeswitch/2015/05/18/407665820/why-did-we-forget-the-move-bombing

 

Indiana Gazette, Indiana, PA. “Fire Destroys 60 Homes in Philly After Assault on Radicals’ House,” 5-14-1985, 1. At: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=112455328

 

National Fire Protection Association. The U.S. Fire Problem. “Home Fires with Ten or More Fatalities (1980-2007).” Quincy, MA:  NFPA, April 2008 update. Accessed at:  http://www.nfpa.org:80/itemDetail.asp?categoryID=953&itemID=30981&URL=Research%20&%20Reports/Fire%20statistics/The%20U.S.%20fire%20problem

 

Philadelphia Inquirer. “Recent Fire Falls Short of the City’s Deadliest.” 12-28-2008. Accessed at: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/world_us/36793314.html

 

Syracuse Herald-Journal, NY. “When the Radicals Wouldn’t Move, Police Dropped a Bomb,” 5-14-1985, p. 1. At: http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=44110139

 

 

 

[1] Short for “The Movement.”  (Assefa and Wahrhaftig 1990, p. 9.)

 

–15-19  The Capital, Annapolis, MD.  “19 Killed in Crash of Copter.” 5-6-1985, p. 2.

—     17  Aviation Forum.  “US military accidents in 1972 to 2000 in Okinawa, Japan.”

—     17  Baugher.  “US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos Third Series (156170 to 160006).”

—     17  LA Times. “A Ritual Repeated Too Often: 4 Tustin Marines Mourned…” 7-18-1985.

—     17  LA Times. “It’s Getting Worse’: Copter Victim’s Tape Detailed Craft’s Faults.” 5-14-‘86

—     17  The News, Frederick, MD.  “Hunt Ends for Crash Survivors.” 5-7-1985, p. 1.

—     17  USMC History Div.  “Yearly Chronologies of the United States Marine Corps – 1985.”

 

Narrative Information

 

Aviation Forum: “6 May 1985:  In Kagoshima Prefecture, south of Yakushima Island, a USMC CH-53D crashed into the sea, while returning to Futenma AB from Iwakuni AB, Yamaguchi Prefecture. It belonged to the 462nd Helicopter Squadron, 36th Wing, 1st Group, USMC, based at Futenma AB. 17 killed.” (Aviation Forum. “US military accidents in 1972 to 2000 in Okinawa, Japan.”)

 

Baugher: “Sikorsky CH-53D Sea Stallion….157138 (HMH-462) crashed into Pacific Ocean off Kyushu Island May 6, 1985.  17 occupants killed.”  (Baugher, Joseph F.  “US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos Third Series (156170 to 160006).”

 

USMC: “6 May – A CH-53D Sea Stallion from Marine Heavy Helicopter Squadron 462 crashed off the island of Yakushima in the Sea of Japan.  All 17 Marines on board were presumed dead after a day-long search. The helicopter was en route from Marine Corps Air Station, Iwakuni, in central Japan, where it participated in a Friendship Day celebration, to its home base on Okinawa when the crash occurred.”  (USMC History Division.  “Yearly Chronologies of the United States Marine Corps – 1985.”)

Newspapers

 

May 6, AP: “Tokyo (AP) — A U.S. military helicopter with 19 people aboard plunged into the ocean off southern Japan today and there were believed to be no survivors, the Maritime Safety Agency said.

 

“In Washington, a Pentagon spokesman, Air Force Maj. Peter Hefler, said the Marine Corps helicopter apparently was returning from Japan to the Marine Corps base on Okinawa.  He said between 15 and 19 men were believed aboard.  “I haven’t got anything as to their fate, but it does not look, as if there were survivors;” he said.  Marine spokesman Capt. Mark Hough said the number on board was in the “high teens.” A U.S. Marine spokesman in Okinawa also said an initial search found no survivors.

 

“The Japanese Maritime Safety Agency reported that the helicopter, traveling from the U.S. Marine base at Iwakuni, about 431 miles southwest of Tokyo, to the U.S. Marine base at Futemma in Okinawa, crashed at 12:50 p.m. today (11:50 p.m. Sunday).

 

“Captain Dan Trout, spokesman at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, could not confirm the number of victims and did not know if they were all Americans. He read the following statement to The Associated Press ‘A CH-53D helicopter from the First Marine Aircraft wing went down in the Pacific Ocean about 15 miles south of the Japanese island of Yakushima early this afternoon.  A search of the area is being conducted at this time by both Japanese and U.S. rescue teams. No survivors have been reported rescued’.”  (The Capital, Annapolis, MD.  “19 Killed in Crash of Copter.” 5-6-1985, p. 2.)

 

May 7, AP: “Tokyo (AP) — The U.S. military today abandoned the search for survivors of the crash of a Marine Corps helicopter off southern Japan, saying the 17 U.S. Marines on board were missing and presumed dead.  An overnight search by Japanese patrol boats yielded only small amounts of debris, including some personal items and an unopened 12-man life raft.  Japanese officials said they probably would call off their search soon, also.

 

“The Marine Corps command on Okinawa, where the victims were based, issued a statement today saying:  “An accompanying helicopter witnessed the impact and observed that there were no survivors.  All aboard are missing and presumed dead.”

 

“The casualties were the highest involving U.S. military personnel in the area since March 1984, when another Marine Corps CH-53D helicopter crashed into a Korean mountainside during military exercises, killing 18 Okinawa-based Marines and 11 Koreans.

 

“A Marine Corps officer at Kadena Air Base in Okinawa, who asked not to be identified, said U.S. rescue aircraft essentially quit the search late Monday because, “We knew they were all dead.”  Lt Col. John Toner, a U.S. Air Force public affairs officer at Kadena, said officials decided to call off the search after finding so little debris in the crash area, about 15 miles off the southern Japan island of Yakushima, after a 24-hour period of constant surveillance.

 

“The big Sikorsky helicopter is a workhorse model used for carrying cargo and troops, and is similar to those used in the disastrous attempt to rescue the American hostages from Tehran in 1980.

 

“The Marine helicopter went down while on a flight from Iwakuni, a Marine Corps air station in southwestern Japan, to another Marine base in Futemma, Okinawa, early Monday afternoon.  It was accompanied by a second CH-53D helicopter on the flight.  According to Lt. Gary Shront a public affairs officer at the U.S. Navy Base at Yokosuka, south of Tokyo, the pilot reported by radio that he was experiencing mechanical problems and was turning back to Iwakuni.  This was followed by an emergency call.

 

“A Marine Corps news release said the crew of the second helicopter saw the crash, dropped a life raft and blue dye marker, and remained on the scene until relieved by rescue aircraft from a Maritime Self-Defense Force base.

 

“Satoshi Imbayashi, a maritime safety official, said earlier that the second helicopter also saw a man floating face down in the water and another man clutching a fuel tank, who then disappeared.  But Shrout said the second helicopter spotted only an oil slick, and Marine spokesman Capt. Dan Trout, based at Kadena, said no details on what the second helicopter saw were available.”   (The News, Frederick, MD.  “Hunt Ends for Crash Survivors.” 5-7-1985, p. 1.)

 

May 14, LA Times: “May 6, 1985: A Ch-53D experiences apparent transmission failure and falls into Sea of Japan, killing 17. Accident under investigation.”  (LA Times. “`It’s Getting Worse’: Copter Victim’s Tape Detailed Craft’s Faults.” 5-14-1986.)

 

July 18, LA Times: “11 Tustin-based Marines,[1] were among those killed in the May 6 crash of a Sea Stallion helicopter that plunged into the sea off southern Japan, killing all 17 aboard.”  (LA Times. “A Ritual Repeated Too Often: 4 Tustin Marines Mourned; Base Copter Toll Grows.” 7-18-1985.)

Sources

 

Aviation Forum. “US military accidents in 1972 to 2000 in Okinawa, Japan.” Accessed 6-27-2016 at: http://forum.keypublishing.com/showthread.php?t=43214

 

Baugher, Joseph F. US Navy and US Marine Corps BuNos Third Series (156170 to 160006). 11-7-2011 revision. Accessed at: http://www.joebaugher.com/navy_serials/thirdseries20.html

 

Los Angeles Times. “A Ritual Repeated Too Often: 4 Tustin Marines Mourned; Base Copter Toll Grows.” 7-18-1985. http://articles.latimes.com/1985-07-18/local/me-7264_1_ch-53e-super-stallion-helicopter

 

Los Angeles Times. “`It’s Getting Worse’: Copter Victim’s Tape Detailed Craft’s Faults.” 5-14-1986. At: http://articles.latimes.com/1986-05-14/local/me-5469_1_marine-corps-super-stallion-helicopter/2

 

The Capital, Annapolis, MD. “19 Killed in Crash of Copter.” 5-6-1985, p. 2. Accessed at:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=5525584

 

The News, Frederick, MD. “Hunt Ends for Crash Survivors,” 5-7-1985, p. 1. Accessed at:  http://www.newspaperarchive.com/FullPagePdfViewer.aspx?img=32681256

 

United States Marine Corps History Division, Reference Branch. “Yearly Chronologies of the United States Marine Corps – 1985.” http://www.tecom.usmc.mil/HD/Chronologies/Yearly/1985.htm

 

 

 

[1] Tustin Marine Corps Air Station, Tustin, CA.

 

— 10  NCDC. “Storm Data and Unusual Weather…” Storm Data. 27/4, April 1985, pp. 41,

—>9  Associated Press. “Texas Weather.” Paris News, Paris, TX. 4-29-1985, p. 2A.

 

— 4  North TX, Dallas County, Duncanville, Apr 28. Drownings; car driven into high water.[1]

— 1  North TX, Johnson County, near Godley, Apr 28. Drowning; car driven into high water.[2]

— 3  North TX, Rockwall County, near Rockwell, Apr 27. Drownings; car driven into water.[3]

— 1  North TX, Taylor County, near Shep, Apr 28. Tornado hits frame home; female, 81.[4]

— 1  West TX, Crockett County, Wildcat Draw, Apr 28. Drowning; motorist rescue attempt.[5]

 

Narrative Information

 

AP: “Dallas…A flash flood and tornado watch remained in effect today across North Texas in the wake of violent thunderstorms that spawned damaging winds, hail and torrential rain, resulting in the deaths of at least nine people.” (Associated Press. “Texas Weather.” Paris News, Paris, TX. 4-29-1985, p. 2A.)

 

NCDC: “North Texas [April] 27-Late PM – 28 Early AM…Flooding. Intense thunderstorm rains blanketed most of North Texas during the late evening and early morning hours. Some of the most intense rainfall occurred near Rockwall where approximately 10 inches fell from 9 to 11 PM. Other areas did not receive as much rainfall, but creeks and rivers were overflowing over much of the area. As a result, 8 people died from drowning during the night, and all were related to cars driving into high waters.” (NCDC. “Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena.” Storm Data. 27/4, April 1985, p. 41.)

Sources

 

Associated Press. “Texas Weather.” Paris News, Paris, TX. 4-29-1985, p. 2A. Accessed 1-26-2017 at: http://newspaperarchive.com/us/texas/paris/paris-news/1985/04-29/page-2?tag

 

National Climatic Data Center. “Storm Data and Unusual Weather Phenomena,” Storm Data. Vol. 27, No. 4, April 1985. Asheville, NC: NCDC, NOAA, U.S. Department of Commerce. Accessed 7-7-2014 at:

http://www1.ncdc.noaa.gov/pub/orders/IPS/IPS-FE1CDCFD-D21B-46A9-8C64-53BE308AB253.pdf

 

 

 

[1] Parents and two children in car go into swollen 10 Mile Creek on Danieldale Road. Car swept away. Mother’s body never recovered. (NCDC. “Storm Data and Unusual Weather…” Storm Data. 27/4, April 1985, p. 41.)

[2] “…between 0300 and 0500CST on the 28^th, a 24 year old male drove into flood waters on Farm Road 1192 east of Godley.” (NCDC. “Storm Data and Unusual Weather…” Storm Data. 27/4, April 1985, p. 41.)

[3] “…a car with 4 passengers inside was swept into a drainage ditch off the Interstate service road near Rockwall… The Rockwall Fire Chief attempted to rescue the stranded people about 2230CST on the 27^th, but drowned in the attempt. Two passengers inside also drowned…” (NCDC. “Storm Data…” Storm Data. 27/4, April 1985, pp. 41.)

[4] NCDC. “Storm Data and Unusual Weather…” Storm Data. 27/4, April 1985, p. 41.

[5] “A flash flood, the result of 7 inches of rain, drowned the Chief Deputy Sheriff while he was attempting to rescue a motorist whose auto was washed off a flooded road.” (NCDC. “Storm Data…” Storm Data. 27/4, April 1985, 44.)

 

85-95  Blanchard estimate based on sources below.[1]

 

California                                           (85)

County breakouts where noted:          (55)

–43  Los Angeles County.

—  7  Orange County.

—  2  San Diego County.

—  1  San Joaquin County.

—  1  Riverside County.

—  1  Ventura County.

 

–95  UPI. “Tainted cheese epidemic over.” Ukiah Daily Journal, CA, 8-13-1985, p. 12.[2]

–(“About half the deaths occurred in Los Angeles County…”)

–86  AP. “More suites to hit cheese company. Times-Standard, Eureka, CA. 8-1-1985, p. 6.[3]

–85  CA. AP. “Questions about listeriosis linger.” Orange County Register, CA. 8-14-1985, B7.

–43  Los Angeles County.

–85  Orange County Register, CA. “Agency shuts down 3^rd cheese plant.” 7-24-1985, A3.

–81  California, primarily Los Angeles area.[4]

–84  Orange County Register, CA. “2 more stillbirths tied to Listeria, LA officials say.” 7-20-1985, A3.[5]

–41  Los Angeles County. Deaths and stillbirths.

–75  AP. “No new strain of bacteria, just a lab error.” Orange County Register, CA. 7-18-1985, A3.[6]

–64  AP. “Vendor who sold cheese after recall…sought.” Times-Standard, Eureka CA. 7-16-1985, 8.[7]

–62  NYT. “62 Deaths From Cheese Traced to Single Source.” 7-14-1985. Accessed 11-8-2017.[8]

–62  Orange County Register. “Officials give Cacique Cheese Co. clean bill of health.” 7-14-1985, A3.[9]

–61  Orange County Register, CA. “Second source of listeriosis feared.” 7-11-1985, A3.

–36  Los Angeles County.

–58  Orange County Register. “Cacique cheese ordered removed from shelves.” 7-10-1985, 1.[10]

–57  AP. “More deaths linked to cheese.” Times-Standard, Eureka, CA, 7-9-1985, p. 3.[11]

–34  Los Angeles County.

–52  Neuman. “Deaths From Cantaloupe Listeria Rise.” New York Times, 9-27-2011.[12]

–51  AP. “Criminal probe in toxic cheese case.” Times-Standard, Eureka, CA, 6-27-1985, p. 6.[13]

–50  UPI. “Probe into cheese processing expands.” Ukiah Daily Journal, CA, 6-30-1985, p.16.[14]

–2  San Diego County.

–48  Linnan, M.J., et al. “Epidemic listeriosis associated with Mexican-style cheese.” NEJM.

–18 adults.

–10 newborns.

–20 fetuses

–48  Orange County Register, CA. “Cheese recall expands to second firm.” 6-26-1985, A3.

–47  Segal. “Invisible Villains; Tiny Microbes Are Biggest Food Hazard,” FDA Consumer.

–18 adults.

–10 infants

–19 stillbirths.

–43  Orange County Register, CA. “Recall of tainted cheese gets scrutiny.” 6-24-1985, A3.[15]

–40  UPI. “40^th death from tainted cheese.” Ukiah Daily Journal, CA, 6-25-1985, p. 3.

–32  Orange County Register, CA. “Cheese maker laying off 100 workers.” 6-20-1985, p. 3.

–24  Las Angeles County.

—  7  Orange County.

—  1  Riverside County.

–31  CDC WONDER. ICD-9 Code 027 (listeria) compressed mortality file search 11-8-2017.[16]

–27  Adults

—  4  Under 1 year old.

–30  UPI. “Fatal bacteria may have survived pasteurization.” Ukiah Journal, 6-19-1985, p. 16.[17]

–29  CDC. “Epidemiologic Notes and Reports Listeriosis Outbreak…”MMWR, 34/24, 357-9.

—  8  non-neonatal.

—  8  neonatal.

–13  stillbirths

–29  Orange County Register. “Jalisco chief says crisis may close plant.” 6-15-1985, p.A3.[18]

–29  Orange County Register, CA. “Investigators comb cheese factory…” 6-16-1985, p. 1.

–22  Los Angeles County.[19]

—  7  Orange County.[20]

–28  Flynn. “Remembering the Sad 1985 Listeriosis Outbreak.” Food Safety News, 11-4-2011.

–18 adults.

–10 infants

–20 miscarriages [not included in death-toll]

–28  Healthline.com. “Worst Foodborne Illness Outbreaks in Recent U.S. History” (webpage).

–18 adults.

–10 infants

–20 miscarriages [not included in death-toll]

 

CDC WONDER County Breakout[21]

 

Alameda County       (  3)

–1  Female, 75-84.

–2  Males, 75-84.

 

Los Angeles County  (11)

–2  Infants, under 1, male and female.

–2  Females, 45-54.

–1  Female, 55-64.

–1  Female, 65-74.

–1  Female, 75-84.

–1  Female, 85+.

–1  Male, 20-24.

–1  Male, 45-54.

–1  Male, 55-64.

 

Orange County         (  3)

–1  Female, under 1 year.

–1  Male, under 1 year.

–1  Male, 45-54.

 

Riverside County      (  3)

–1  Female, 65-74.

–1  Male, 65-74.

–1  Male, 75-84.

 

San Bernardino Co.  (  4)

–1  Female, under 1 year.

–1  Female, 75-84.

–1  Male, 65-74.

–1  75-84.

 

San Diego County     (  2)

–1  Female, 65-74.

–1  Male, 75-84.

 

San Joaquin County (  1)

–1  Male, 55-64.

 

Santa Cruz County   (  1)

–1  Female, 55-64.

 

Sutter County            (  1)

–1  Female, 65-74

 

Ventura County        (  2)

–1  Female, under 1 year.

–1  Male, 75-84.

 

Narrative Information

 

CDC, June 21: “Between January 1, and June 14, 1985, 86 cases of Listeria monocytogenes infection were identified in Los Angeles and Orange Counties, California. Fifty-eight of the cases were among mother-infant pairs. Twenty-nine deaths have occurred: eight neonatal deaths, 13 stillbirths, and eight non-neonatal deaths. An increased occurrence of listeriosis was first noted at the Los Angeles County-University of Southern California Medical Center; all cases were in pregnant Hispanics, and all appeared to be community-acquired. A systematic review of laboratory records at hospitals in Los Angeles and Orange County identified additional cases throughout the area.

 

“An analysis of Los Angeles County cases showed that 45 (63%) of the Listeria cases were among mother-newborn pairs. Most (70%) of these women had a prior febrile illness or were febrile on admission to the hospital. Forty-two of the neonatal patients had onset of disease within 24 hours of birth, and all isolates available for testing were serotype 4b. Three of the neonatal patients had late onset disease; only one of the two isolates available for testing was serotype 4b.

 

“The mothers ranged in age from 15 years to 43 years (mean 28 years). The mean gestational age was 33 weeks. Forty-three (96%) of these pairs were Hispanic; one was white; and one was Asian….

 

“A case-control study was conducted among the Los Angeles County Hispanic patients who had early onset; mothers with listeriosis were more likely to have consumed Mexican-style fresh cheeses than age-matched controls, Hispanic women who had delivered at the same hospital within 10 days of their matched case (odds ratio: 5.5; 95% confidence interval: 1.2-24.8). Consumption of cheese from one particular manufacturer, Jalisco Products, Inc., was significantly associated with risk of disease (odds ratio: 7.5; 95% confidence interval: 1.4-94.6).

 

“Samples of Mexican-style cheeses from three different manufacturers purchased from markets in Los Angeles were cultured at CDC; four packages of Jalisco cheese products grew L. monocytogenes serotype 4b. The four positive cheese samples were of two varieties, queso fresco and cotija. All four contaminated samples had different expiration dates–ranging from June 28, to August 16, 1985–suggesting a continuing problem with this manufacturer’s cheese products.

 

“On June 13, the manufacturer instituted a voluntary recall of the implicated cheese products. Television, radio, and newspaper announcements were made warning the public against ingestion of Jalisco brand cheese products, as well as Guadalajara, Jimenez, and LaVaquita brands manufactured in the Jalisco plant. Currently, the California State Department of Food and Agriculture and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration are conducting studies of the dairy herds, physical plant, and cheese manufacturing processes.

 

“Eighty percent of the cheese made by this manufacturer is distributed to Los Angeles and Orange Counties. However, Jalisco cheese products are distributed to at least 16 other states and most areas of California.” (CDC. “Epidemiologic Notes and Reports Listeriosis Outbreak…”MMWR, 34/24, 357-9.)

 

Healthline.com: “1985 Jalisco Products cheese. Over eight months, a Listeria outbreak affected 142 residents of Los Angeles County. This lead to the deaths of 10 newborns and 18 adults. It was also responsible for 20 miscarriages. An in-depth investigation linked the deaths to Jalisco Products’ Mexican soft cheeses. According to the New England Journal of Medicine, the suspected cause of the outbreak was unpasteurized milk. The company instituted a voluntary recall of its products.” (Healthline.com. “Worst Foodborne Illness Outbreaks in Recent U.S. History” (webpage).)

 

Linnan, et al. Abstract: “In Los Angeles County, California, 142 cases of human listeriosis were reported from January 1 through August 15, 1985. Ninety-three cases (65.5 percent) occurred in pregnant women or their offspring, and 49 (34.5 percent) in non-pregnant adults. There were 48 deaths: 20 fetuses, 10 neonates [newborns], and 18 non-pregnant adults. Of the non-pregnant adults, 98 percent (48 of 49) had a known predisposing condition. Eighty-seven percent (81 of 93) of the maternal/neonatal cases were Hispanic. Of the Listeria monocytogenes isolates available for study, 82 percent (86 of 105) were serotype 4b, of which 63 of 86 (73 percent) were the same phage type. A case-control study implicated Mexican-style soft cheese (odds ratio, 5.5; 95 percent confidence interval, 1.2 to 24.8) as the vehicle of infection; a second case-control study showed an association with one brand (Brand A) of Mexican-style soft cheese (odds ratio, 8.5; 95 percent confidence interval, 2.4 to 26.2). Laboratory study confirmed the presence of L. monocytogenes serogroup 4b of the epidemic phage type in Brand A Mexican-style cheese. In mid-June, all Brand A cheese was recalled and the factory was closed. An investigation of the cheese plant suggested that the cheese was commonly contaminated with unpasteurized milk. We conclude that the epidemic of listeriosis was caused by ingestion of Brand A cheese contaminated by one phage type of L. monocytogenes serotype 4b.” (Linnan, et al. “Epidemic listeriosis associated with Mexican-style cheese.” NEJM, 319/13, 9-29-1988, 823.)

 

Segal: “….Summer 1985: In Southern California, the largest number of food poisoning deaths recorded in recent U.S. history is traced to Mexican-style soft cheese. Of the 142 reported cases, there were 47 deaths, including 19 stillbirths and 10 infant deaths. The killer — Listeria monocytogenes.” (Segal. “Invisible Villains; Tiny Microbes Are Biggest Food Hazard,” FDA Consumer, 7-1-1988.)

 

Newspapers

 

June 15:  “Artesia[22] — The president of Jalisco Mexican Products Inc., whose contaminated cheese has been blamed for 29 deaths, said Friday [June 14] that the tragedy could close the company for good. ‘There is a very good possibility we could close,’ said Gary McPherson, who escorted an army of state and federal investigators at the company plant. “Right now we are trying to determine where the problem is and get the product off the shelf.’….

 

“The national Centers for Disease Control said bacteria called Listeria monocytogenes, which causes a flulike illness, have been detected in sample of Jalisco cheese.

 

“The illness has killed 29 people since April, most of them women and children and all in Orange and Los Angeles counties.

 

“Workers…from the plant that employs 100 people, said they first heard of the problem Thursday night [June 13] through the news media….” (Orange County Register, CA. “Jalisco chief says crisis may close plant.” 6-15-1985, p. A3.)

 

June 15: “Hispanic community groups in Orange County on Friday denounced health authorities for not notifying the public earlier about the Listeria outbreak. Warning should have come a week and a half ago, they said, when investigators had pinpointed cheese as the factor all the listeriosis victims had in common, or at least on Tuesday, when tabulations pointed at cheese made by Jalisco Mexican Products Co. ‘Probably the delay has caused some deaths,’ said Lorenzo Quintana, president of the League of United Latin American Citizens chapter in Orange.

 

“Professionals in the medical community, on the other hand, heaped praise on health investigators for tracking the contamination source so quickly after being alerted to the problem some five weeks ago. ‘I think they’ve done a remarkable job, when you consider we’ve had situations like this in the past where we’ve had large numbers of infections and never figured out the source,’ said Dr. Thomas Prendergast, director of epidemiology for the Orange County Health Department…..

 

“Eyebrows were first raised by Jalisco-brand cheese about three weeks ago when a health investigator found in one victim’s refrigerator a chunk of uncovered cheese that turned out to be contaminated with Listeria, a common bacteria in livestock but usually killed in the pasteurization process…That find, in itself, was not enough for a warning, Fannin said,[23] because the cheese could have been contaminated from being left out. Investigators then decided to test some unopened packages of cheese, selecting for test supermarket samples of Jalisco and cheeses from two other unnamed companies. Those samples were sent on June 8 to thee national Centers for Disease Control laboratory in Atlanta. While awaiting results, Los Angeles County officials said, they discovered Tuesday that Jalisco brand cheese was a common factor among the victims….” (Orange County Register, CA. “Hispanics say Listeria warning slow in coming.” 6-15-1985, p. A3.)

 

June 15: “The first clues were the babies’ deaths. In April, stillborn and newborn deaths from listeriosis…alarmed doctors at UCI Medical Center in Orange. Similar concern surfaced at County-USC Medical Center in Los Angeles. By early May, health departments in both counties were alerted and checking for other reports of the disease. Soon, the medical detectives centered in Los Angeles were on the trail of the mysterious outbreak. Less than a month later, they had their culprit: a popular Mexican-style cheese produced by Jalisco Mexican Products Inc. of Artesia….” (Orange County Register, CA. “On the trail of a mystery infection.” 6-15-1985, A3.)

 

June 15: “Listeria monocytogenes, the bacterial villain responsible for 29 deaths from contaminated cheese, is a hardy little organism that can live almost everywhere, medical and agricultural experts said Friday. But if the milk used to make Jalisco cheese had been pasteurized properly, all the bacteria should have been killed, they said….The milk used in manufacturing the contaminated cheese supposedly had been pasteurized, the experts said — a process in which milk is heated to at least 145 degrees to kill any microorganisms.

 

“If the pasteurization was conducted properly, all Listeria contaminating the milk would have been killed, said Michael Doyle, a University of Wisconsin microbiologist…But if the bacteria are not all killed, perhaps because of faulty temperature gauging or timing, he said, they take on a second life — in the refrigerator. ‘It is nearly unique in that it will grow at refrigeration temperatures,’ Doyle said. ‘If you have one cell that’s not killed by pasteurization, then if the cheese is held in a refrigerator a few weeks, you can develop large numbers of cells.’….

 

“Listeria only poses a threat to those whose own natural defenses are inefficient, primarily infants under 1 year old and people over 55…People with cancer also are at risk for serious infections from this bacterium…But in pregnant women, the results of a Listeria infection frequently are tragic, because the bacteria spread quickly to the placenta and attack the fetus, said Dr. Gerald Greene, an assistant professor of pediatrics at UC Irvine School of Medicine who specializes in childhood infections. The bacteria rage through the body of an unborn baby, which has no defenses, Green said. The infection attacks the liver, kidney, lungs and other internal organs of a fetus and kills up to half the babies who are infected before birth, he said….The mother, meanwhile, may never feel symptoms of the disease, or may have only mild, flu-like symptoms while the infection kills her baby, he said….” (Orange County Register, CA. “Bacterial villain can live almost anywhere — including people.” 6-15-1985, A3.)

 

June 20: “….health officials said…[Jalisco] cheese, contaminated with a bacteria known as Listeria monocytogenes and recalled a week ago, may be linked to two listeriosis deaths in Texas and as many as 39 more in California. All but seven of the California deaths have been reported in Riverside, Orange or Los Angeles counties….A package of the suspect cheese was found in the refrigerator of an 83-year-old woman who died early Wednesday in Fort Worth, Texas. And in Houston, city health department officials Wednesday blamed contaminated cheese for a stillbirth last month….

 

“Los Angeles County has reported 77 cases with 24 deaths; Orange County has reported 16 cases with seven deaths. Riverside County has reported one case and one cheese-linked death.” (Orange County Register, CA. “Cheese maker laying off 100 workers.” 6-20-1985, p. 3.)

 

June 22: “The normal pasteurization proves was disrupted at Jalisco Mexican Products Inc. when raw milk contaminated pasteurized milk, officials….To comply with the state’s minimum standards for pasteurization, cheese makers hear raw cow’s milk to 161 degrees Fahrenheit for at least 15 seconds. The raw milk, held in a storage tank, is pumped twice through a regenerative heat exchanger, the core of the pasteurization system. It first enters the exchanger as cold, raw milk but exits heated but still raw. Before being pumped through the second time, the milk is heated to at least 161 degrees Fahrenheit. The pasteurized milk then enters the heat exchanger and is cooled down by incoming raw milk.

 

“Inside the heat exchanger, the raw and pasteurized milk are separated by a stainless steel plate less than one-sixteenth of an inch thick.. The equipment is designed so the pressure is higher on the side of the plate holding the pasteurized milk than on the side containing the raw milk, said Walter Dunkley, a professor in the Department of Food Science and Technology at UC Davis. If a leak develops, the flow will be from the pasteurized side to the raw milk side, instead of the other way around. He said that there are safeguards to ensure proper pressure is maintained.

 

“Normal wear and tear may cause the heat plates to spring leaks, said Jan Wessell, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Food and Agriculture in Sacramento. Maintenance of the pasteurization equipment normally is the company’s responsibility, she said, and state inspectors are not required to check for leaks in pasteurization equipment.” (Orange County Register, CA. “Raw milk is pasteurized to kill disease-bearing bacteria.” 6-22-1985, A2.)

 

June 24: “Two state legislative committees have planned hearings this week on the recall of Jalisco brand cheese linked to a bacterial infection that has claimed 43 lives, several of them in Orange County. The Senate Toxics and Public Safety Committee had scheduled its hearing for today on the June 13 recall of cheese produced by Jalisco…the Assembly Agriculture Committee has scheduled a similar hearing for Friday.

 

“Meanwhile, health officials on Sunday continued their investigation into the cheese contamination they blame for at least 139 cases  of listeriosis in California and four other states….Of those listeriosis cases, 16 have been in Orange County. Four of the Orange County deaths were stillborn infants and three were infants who died after birth….

 

“Officials with the state Department of Health Services on Friday announced they found pinhole leaks in the plant’s pasteurization equipment that could have caused raw milk to contaminate the final cheese products….

 

“More than 100 tons of cheese made by Jalisco Mexican Products Inc. has been destroyed, state health officials said, and the recall is nearly complete….” (Orange County Register (Anita Snow), CA. “Recall of tainted cheese gets scrutiny.” 6-24-1985, A3.)

 

June 25: “Los Angeles (UPI) — Another woman has died of listeriosis….Los Angeles County health officials Monday reported a new listeria bacteria infection death, but said they do not know if the 50-year-old Burbank woman had eaten the contaminated cheese. Health officials also reported five more cases of listeriosis, raising to 90 the number of people in Los Angeles County infected with the bacteria. There are 127 reported cases nationwide — which have produced 40 deaths — and officials say it is likely most of the victims contracted the infection by eating the cheese because listeriosis is rare…” (UPI. “40^th death from tainted cheese.” Ukiah Daily Journal, CA, 6-25-1985, p. 3.)

 

June 26: “….a fetus spontaneously aborted in a 27-year-old Los Angeles woman…[adding] to the listeriosis outbreak too, raising total deaths to 48. Two deaths in San Joaquin and Ventura counties that earlier had been considered possible listeriosis deaths were confirmed Tuesday as caused by the bacteria….

 

“…[Jalisco] company records…indicate Jalisco has processed more raw milk than its pasteurization equipment possibly could handle, leading authorities to speculate that raw milk might have been slipped directly into the product in an attempt to raise cheese production. Tuesday, an official from a…cheese company told the Register that, in his industry, there is often ‘a battle between production people and sales people who sell more cheese than the company can make.’….” (Orange County Register, CA. “Cheese recall expands to second firm.” 6-26-1985, A3.)

 

June 27: “Los Angeles (AP) — As the number of deaths and stillbirths linked to a bacteria found in tainted cheese rose to 51, prosecutors announced a criminal probe of whether the manufacturer deliberately used unpasteurized milk. Three new listeriosis deaths and stillbirths were reported Wednesday [June 26] by Los Angeles County health spokeswoman Myrtha Woolley.

 

“An investigation over the weekend found the plant’s pasteurization equipment working properly and that unpasteurized milk could not have been introduced into the cheese inadvertently….” (AP. “Criminal probe in toxic cheese case.” Times-Standard, Eureka, CA, 6-27-1985, p. 6.)

 

June 30: “Los Angeles (UPI) — State auditors will examine records at six California cheese processing plants in an expanding investigation triggered by a deadly bacterial outbreak that has killed 50 people.

 

“Doctors in San Diego confirmed Friday the stillbirth of an infant whose mother had eaten trained cheese made by Jalisco Mexican Products Inc. bringing to at least 50 the number of deaths and stillbirths reported in the worst food-poisoning epidemic of the century. It was San Diego County’s second death associated with the outbreak of listeriosis a bacterial infection that can kill those with weak immune systems, such as infants, pregnant women and the elderly.

 

“Another infant’s death was also reported in Los Angeles County Friday, but the countywide death toll remained unchanged because an earlier death of a stillborn baby proved unrelated to the contamination….” (UPI. “Probe into cheese processing expands.” Ukiah Daily Journal, CA, 6-30-1985, p. 16.)

 

July 9: “Los Angeles (AP) — An outbreak of illness linked to germ-laden cheese made by Jalisco Mexican Products Inc. has caused two more deaths of newborn infants, the county Department of Health Services said Monday [July 8]. Myrtha Woolley, a spokeswoman for the health agency, said mothers of the infants both were Hispanics from East Lost Angeles. One was 19 and the other 34. One of the women had previously been listed as suffering from listeriosis…

 

“In addition, Ms. Woolley said two other cases of listeriosis illness were reported — one in the mother of an infant in East Los Angles and one in a 90-year-old woman in the San Gabriel Valley. This brings the number of listeriosis illnesses to 108 and deaths to 34 in Los Angeles County. In eight states including California, the number of illnesses exceeds 170 and deaths from listeriosis 57. Most of the illnesses have occurred among Hispanics…..” (AP. “More deaths linked to cheese.” Times-Standard, Eureka, CA, 7-9-1985, p. 3.)

 

July 10: “Sacramento — State health officials Tuesday ordered Cacique cheese removed from shelves because some of the bacteria that cause listeriosis were found in samples. Cheese dated through Aug. 17 and undated cheese should be removed from stores and not be eaten, state Health Director Kenneth Kizer said. Cacique cheese previously had been recalled voluntarily by the maker, Cacique Fine Foods of the City of Industry, because tests indicated some of the cheese had not been pasteurized….

 

“On Tuesday, the number of deaths and stillbirths in the case reached 58 with the death of an 89-year-old San Gabriel Valley woman….” (Orange County Register, CA. “Cacique cheese ordered removed from shelves.” 7-10-1985, p. 1.)

 

July 11: “The recent listeriosis outbreak that has claimed at least 61 lives in fact may be two separate outbreaks caused by different strains of the same bacterium, health authorities said Wednesday [July 10]. The finding, revealed in a report to Los Angeles County supervisors from the county’s health department, came on the heels of the recall of a new brand of Mexican-style cheese, and prompted speculation that products other than Jalisco brand cheese may be implicated in the listeriosis deaths.

 

“But health officials said they had no clear-cut evidence linking the outbreak to the recently recalled Cacique brand cheese, other than the recent federal Food and Drug Administration tests that turned up Listeria monocytogenes bacteria in one Cacique sample.

 

“Dr. Shirley Fannin, associated director of communicable disease control for the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services, said at least 18 of the county’s 109 listeriosis cases and at least a half-dozen of its 36 deaths appear to have been caused by Type 1B Listeria monocytogenes — a different strain of Listeria bacteria than the Type 4b strain found in tainted Jalisco cheese. The new strain, she said, was uncovered Friday after staffers at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center noticed that they had logged 10 cases of Type 1b listeriosis since the end of May, far in excess of the usual incidence. Eight more cases at other Los Angeles-area hospitals were traced to the Type 1b strain….” (Orange County Register, CA. “Second source of listeriosis feared.” 7-11-1985, A3.)

 

July 12: “The small outbreak of listeriosis uncovered this week probably was not caused by Cacique cheeses but may be linked — like other cases in the broader outbreak — to Jalisco Mexican Products Inc., health authorities said Thursday [July 11]. The determination by the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services came as the last of the recalled Cacique products were pulled from local restaurants and grocery shelves and as the federal Food and Drug Administration expanded the Cacique recall nationwide. Dr. Shirley Fannin, associate director of communicable disease control for the health department, said interviews with the 12 survivors of the 18-case ‘mini-outbreak’ indicated Thursday that Cacique cheese was not the source of the Type 1b Listeria monocytogenes that sent the illness surging through their systems recently. A significant number of them, however, said they had eaten Jalisco cheese, which as been linked to the broader outbreak since June….” (Orange County Register, CA. “Cacique not blamed for listeriosis cases.” 7-12-1985, A3.)

 

July 14: “Los Angeles, July 13–Officials investigating an outbreak of listeriosis, a bacterial infection blamed for 62 deaths and stillbirths since April, said today that they were convinced the contamination had been caused by unpasteurized milk used by a single cheese manufacturer.

 

“Ira Reiner, the Los Angeles County District Attorney, has asserted that records of the manufacturer, Jalisco Mexican Products Inc., indicate the company could not have pasteurized all the milk it had purchased, and he has accused the company of knowingly processing untreated milk along with pasteurized milk. A lawyer for Jalisco has denied any improprieties.

 

“The infection is caused by a bacterium, Listeria monocytogenes, that often infects cattle. In pasteurization, raw milk is heated to kill this and other microorganisms.

 

“Last month, in announcing they had found a widespread outbreak of the infection, county health officials said that in a month of epidemiological detective work they had traced its source to two kinds of Mexican-style cheese made by Jalisco at a plant in suburban Artesia. They reported that the Listeria bacteria had been found in samples of Jalisco cheese that investigators had found at retail stores and that many, if not all, of those who had become ill from the infection had had access to the products.

 

“Most of the deaths, and about 150 cases of illness, occurred in southern California’s large Mexican-American community, health officials said.

 

“The investigation of the listeriosis outbreak appeared to have been thrown into confusion early this week when health officials had reported finding traces of the bacteria in a second brand of Mexican-type cheese, made here by the Cacique Cheese Company. The discovery prompted the Federal Food and Drug Administration to order a nationwide recall of the company’s dairy products. The follow-up tests also found that not all the 62 people had died from the same strain of the Listeria bacteria. Some had died from a strain that had not been detected in the analysis of the Jalisco products.

 

“Despite the twists, Dr. Shirley Fannin, associate director of communicable disease control for Los Angeles County, said in an interview Friday that epidemiologists were sticking to their conclusion that the Jalisco cheese was responsible for all the reported deaths and illnesses….

 

“The Listeria bacteria, which is carried in the blood, has an unusual capability to overwhelm the immune system of some people, especially pregnant women, where it infects the placenta, which envelops the fetus and provides it nutrients….” (NYT/Robert Lindsey. “62 Deaths From Cheese Traced to Single Source.” 7-14-1985.)

 

July 16: “Los Angeles (AP) — Authorities have begun searching for a food vendor who sole Jalisco cheese well after the brand was recalled due to contamination by a bacteria which causes an illness linked to 64 deaths and stillbirths.

 

“The toll rose by two Monday with the inclusion of two recent stillbirths, and one of the mothers told inspectors she bought Jalisco cheese from a food vendor who parked his truck in her south-central Los Angeles neighborhood June 25. Cheese made by Jalisco Mexican Products Co. was recalled June 13….

 

“Listeriosis deaths have occurred in California and six other states but not all have been linked to tainted Mexican-style cheese…..” (AP. “Vendor who sold cheese after recall being sought.” Times-Standard, Eureka, CA. 7-16-1985, p. 8.)

 

July 18: “Los Angeles — The mystery over a new strain of a bacteria linked to 75 recent deaths and stillbirths was solved when officials discovered it never existed — a hospital lab misdiagnosed a bacteria contamination….

 

“Health experts had been dealing with Type 4B of the bacteria, which causes the flu-like illness, listeriosis. Type 4B, which was found last month in Mexican-style cheese manufactured by Jalisco Mexican Products Inc. of Artesia, has been linked to 75 deaths or still births in three states….” (AP. “No new strain of bacteria, just a lab error.” Orange County Register, CA. 7-18-1985, A3.)

 

July 20: “Los Angeles — County health officials on Friday [July 19] linked two more stillbirths to listeriosis as a doctor warned that an outbreak of the bacterial disease would continue. The new cases bring the Los Angeles County total to 41 deaths and still births since the outbreak began in April, said Myrtha Woolley, spokeswoman for the Health Services Department. Nationally, there have been at least 84 deaths and stillbirths, and scores of other people hve become ill from the Listeria monocytogenes bacteria, which was found in soft, Mexican-style cheese made by Jalisco Mexican Products Inc.. Woolley said one victim was a Hispanic infant whose 27-year-old mother lives in East Los Angeles. The other was a non-Hispanic whose mother is 26 and a San Gabriel Valley resident.” (Orange County Register, CA. “2 more stillbirths tied to Listeria, LA officials say.” 7-20-1985, A3.)

 

July 24: “….Mexican-style cheeses…have been linked to a recent bacterial listeriosis outbreak that has killed 85 people nationwide, 81 of them in California….on Tuesday [July 23] Los Angeles County health officials reported their 128^th case of listeriosis this year, and the sixth new illness this week, one of them a stillborn….” (Orange County Register, CA. “Agency shuts down 3^rd cheese plant.” 7-24-1985, A3.)

 

Aug 13: “Los Angeles (UPI) — An epidemic of food poisoning caused by tainted Mexican-style cheese and blamed for about 95 deaths nationwide has been declared at an end because no new cans have been found in more than two weeks, health officials said. Dr. Shirley Fannin, head of the Los Angeles County communicable disease control division, said Monday [Aug 12] the outbreak was declared over because no new cases involving people who ate suspect cheese had been reported for 15 days — which is longer than the incubation period of the illness.

 

“The outbreak is believed to be the deadliest of its kind this century and resulted in 95 known deaths and hundreds of illnesses — mostly in California and Texas. About half the deaths occurred in Los Angeles County, site of the plant that made the suspect cheese….” (UPI. “Tainted cheese epidemic over.” Ukiah Daily Journal, CA, 8-13-1985, p. 12.)

 

Aug 14: “Associated Press. Los Angeles — A listeriosis outbreak that claimed 85 lives statewide has been declared over by health officials but many unanswered questions remain, including what caused it…. One person is unconvinced the outbreak is over. County Supervisor Pete Schabarum said Tuesday that it has not been determined how Jalisco cheese was contaminated….More than 250 listeriosis cases, including the 85 deaths, have been reported statewide since March. This year, there were 141 listeriosis cases in Los Angeles County, 43 of which resulted in death. Twenty-seven of the deaths were stillbirths or infants, and all were caused by tainted cheese. Investigators are studying the cause of the remaining 16 listeriosis deaths, said Dr. Shirley Fannin, associated director of the health service department….” (AP. “Questions about listeriosis linger.” Orange County Register, CA. 8-14-1985, B7.)

 

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Associated Press. “Lawsuits filed against Jalisco.” Times-Standard, Eureka, CA. 7-31-1985, p. 8. Accessed 11-9-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/eureka-times-standard-jul-31-1985-p-8/

 

Associated Press. “More deaths linked to cheese.” Times-Standard, Eureka, CA, 7-9-1985, p. 3. Accessed 11-9-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/eureka-times-standard-jul-09-1985-p-3/

 

Associated Press. “More suites to hit cheese company. Times-Standard, Eureka, CA. 8-1-1985, p. 6. Accessed 11-9-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/eureka-times-standard-aug-01-1985-p-6/

 

Associated Press. “No new strain of bacteria, just a lab error.” Orange County Register, CA. 7-18-1985, A3.  Accessed 11-9-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/santa-ana-orange-county-register-jul-18-1985-p-3/

 

Associated Press. “Questions about listeriosis linger.” Orange County Register, CA. 8-14-1985, B7. Accessed 11-9-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/santa-ana-orange-county-register-aug-14-1985-p-23/

 

Associated Press. “Vendor who sold cheese after recall being sought.” Times-Standard, Eureka, CA. 7-16-1985, 8. Accessed 11-9-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/eureka-times-standard-jul-16-1985-p-8/

 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. CDC WONDER. ICD-9 Code 027 (listeria) compressed mortality file search 11-8-2017. Accessed 11-8-2017 at: https://wonder.cdc.gov/controller/datarequest/D16;jsessionid=1A15BFF43D8FD48CDD8DE234EF6A7785

 

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. “Epidemiologic Notes and Reports Listeriosis Outbreak Associated with Mexican-Style Cheese–California.” MMWR (Morbidity and Mortality Monthly Report), Vol. 34, No. 24, pp. 357-359. Accessed 11-8-2017 at: https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00000562.htm

 

Flynn, Dan. “Remembering the Sad 1985 Listeriosis Outbreak.” Food Safety News, 11-4-2011. Accessed 11-8-2017 at: http://www.foodsafetynews.com/2011/11/remembering-the-sad-1985-listeriosis-outbreak/#.WgNBJ4hrynI

 

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Linnan, M.J., L. Mascola, et al. “Epidemic listeriosis associated with Mexican-style cheese.” New England Journal of Medicine, Vol. 319, No. 13, 9-29-1988, pp. 823-828. Abstract accessed 11-8-2017 at: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/3137471

 

Neuman, William. “Deaths From Cantaloupe Listeria Rise.” New York Times, 9-27-2011. Accessed 11-8-2017 at: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/09/28/business/deaths-from-cantaloupe-listeria-rises.html?src=me&ref=general

 

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Orange County Register (Cheryl Katz and Don Skinner), CA. “Bacterial villain can live almost anywhere — including people.” 6-15-1985, A3. Accessed 11-8-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/santa-ana-orange-county-register-jun-15-1985-p-3/

 

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Orange County Register (Shawn Hubler), CA. “Cheese recall expands to second firm.” 6-26-1985, A3. Accessed 11-8-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/santa-ana-orange-county-register-jun-26-1985-p-3/

 

Orange County Register, CA. “Cacique cheese ordered removed from shelves.” 7-10-1985, p. 1. Accessed 11-9-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/santa-ana-orange-county-register-jul-10-1985-p-30/

 

Orange County Register (Shawn Hubler), CA. “Cacique not blamed for listeriosis cases.” 7-12-1985, A3. Accessed 11-9-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/santa-ana-orange-county-register-jul-12-1985-p-110/

 

Orange County Register (Jim Carlton), CA. “Hispanics say Listeria warning slow in coming.” 6-15-1985, p. A3. Accessed 11-8-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/santa-ana-orange-county-register-jun-15-1985-p-3/

 

Orange County Register (Edward Humes), CA. “Investigators comb cheese factory in search for contamination clues.” 6-16-1985, p. 1. Accessed 11-8-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/santa-ana-orange-county-register-jun-16-1985-p-1/

 

Orange County Register (Deborah Bruner), CA. “Jalisco chief says crisis may close plant.” 6-15-1985, p. A3. Accessed 11-8-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/santa-ana-orange-county-register-jun-15-1985-p-3/

 

Orange County Register(Julie Flynn), CA. “Officials give Cacique Cheese Co. clean bill of health.” 7-14-1985, A3. Accessed 11-9-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/santa-ana-orange-county-register-jul-14-1985-p-3/

 

Orange County Register (Cheryl Downey-Laskowitz), CA. “On the trail of a mystery infection.” 6-15-1985, p. A3. Accessed 11-8-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/santa-ana-orange-county-register-jun-15-1985-p-3/

 

Orange County Register (Julie Flynn), CA. “Raw milk is pasteurized to kill disease-bearing bacteria.” 6-22-1985, A2. Accessed 11-8-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/santa-ana-orange-county-register-jun-22-1985-p-166/

 

Orange County Register (Anita Snow), CA. “Recall of tainted cheese gets scrutiny.” 6-24-1985, A3. Accessed 11-8-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/santa-ana-orange-county-register-jun-24-1985-p-3/

 

Orange County Register (Shawn Hubler), CA. “Second source of listeriosis feared.” 7-11-1985, A3. Accessed 11-9-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/santa-ana-orange-county-register-jul-11-1985-p-115/

 

Segal, Marian. “Invisible Villains; Tiny Microbes Are Biggest Food Hazard,” FDA Consumer, 7-1-1988. Accessed 11-8-2017 at: https://www.highbeam.com/doc/1G1-6589512.html

 

United Press International. “40^th death from tainted cheese.” Ukiah Daily Journal, CA, 6-25-1985, p. 3. Accessed 11-8-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/ukiah-daily-journal-jun-25-1985-p-3/

 

United Press International. “Fatal bacteria may have survived pasteurization.” Ukiah Daily Journal, CA, 6-19-1985, p. 16. Accessed 11-8-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/ukiah-daily-journal-jun-19-1985-p-16/

 

United Press International. “Probe into cheese processing expands.” Ukiah Daily Journal, CA, 6-30-1985, p. 16. Accessed 11-8-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/ukiah-daily-journal-jun-30-1985-p-18/

 

United Press International. “Tainted cheese epidemic over.” Ukiah Daily Journal, CA, 8-13-1985, p. 12. Accessed 11-9-2017 at: https://newspaperarchive.com/ukiah-daily-journal-aug-13-1985-p-16/

[1] We seek, herein, to isolate deaths from listeria tainted/contaminated cheese from the Los Angeles County Jalisco company. The figure of 85 deaths refers to California deaths and stillbirths and miscarriages. The figure of 95 refers to deaths outside California, mostly in Texas, but is several other states as well.

[2] All tainted-cheese-linked deaths, not just California.

[3] Notes announcement on July 31 by LA County Dept. of Health Services of the death of a fetus, bring total to 86, “most of them in the Los Angeles area.

[4] Associated Press. “Lawsuits filed against Jalisco.” Times-Standard, Eureka, CA, 7-31-1985, p. 8.

[5] “Nationally, there have been at least 84 deaths and stillbirths, and scores…ill from…Listeria…”

[6] Deaths and stillbirths in three states.

[7] Deaths and stillbirths.

[8] Deaths and stillbirths.

[9] “The death of a 34-year-old Hispanic Woman’s fetus brings the death toll in the outbreak to 62.”

[10] Deaths and stillbirths, “with the death of an 89-year-old San Gabriel Valley woman” the latest victim.

[11] “In eight states including California, the number of illnesses exceeds 170 and deaths from listeriosis 57.

[12] “The deadliest outbreak in the United States [of listeria] since then [early 1970s], occurred in 1985 when a wave of listeria illness, linked to Mexican-style fresh cheese, swept through California. A federal database [?] says 52 deaths were attributed to the outbreak, but news reports at the time put the number as high as 84.”

[13] Deaths and stillbirths.

[14] Deaths and stillbirths.

[15] “Two state legislative committees have planned hearings this week on the recall of Jalisco brand cheese linked to a bacterial infection that has claimed 43 lives, several of them in Orange County.”

[16] I suspect two different types of listeria deaths are captured here. Listeria is an on-going cause of deaths, though rare. The event we are seeking to isolate is one particular outbreak related to soft cheese from Mexico using contaminated raw (unpasteurized) milk. We are not trying to capture/report on “background” listeria deaths. In addition about half of the deaths were fetus deaths (stillbirths and miscarriages); the CDC figures concern only deaths after birth and later age groups.

[17] “Besides the 30 confirmed deaths in Los Angeles and Orange counties, authorities also probed for a link to the cheeses to two infant deaths in Riverside County and one each in San Diego and Santa Clara counties. Contra Costa County health inspectors said they were looking for a link to Jalisco cheese in the May 8 death of 3-day-old infant whose body contained the same Listeria bacteria found in others who have died in the outbreak.”

[18] “The illness has killed 29 people since April, most of them women and children and all in Orange and Los Angeles counties.”

[19] We derive 22 from note that there had been 29 deaths in Orange and Los Angeles counties, with seven in Orange.

[20] “At least 15 cases of the flulike disease, seven of them fatal, have been reported in Orange County. All the Orange County deaths were of infants who were stillborn or died within two days of birth.”

[21] A problem with these figures is that there are not all necessarily tied to the Jalisco Cheese contamination outbreak.

[22] City in southeast Los Angeles County.

[23] Dr. Shirley Fannin, associate director of communicable disease control, Los Angeles County.

–12 AP. “’Copter crash kills 12 servicemen.” Daily Independent, Kannapolis, NC. 3-14-1985, 1.
–12 AP. “Remains removed from helicopter…wreckage.” Burlington Times-News, NC, 3-15-1985, 7A.
–12 Aviation Safety Network. US Army Black Hawk crash, Fort Bragg, NC, 13 Mar 1985.

Narrative Information

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database:
“Date: 13-MAR-1985
“Type: Sikorsky UH-60A Black Hawk
“Owner/operator: US Army
“Registration: 79-23314
“MSN: 70.131
“Fatalities: Fatalities: 12 / Occupants: 12
….
“Location: Fort Bragg, NC
….
“Departure airport: Ft. Bragg, North Carolina
“Destination airport: Ft. Bragg, North Carolina
….
“Narrative: Crashed as a result of a technical failure. The four-man crew and eight
paratroopers died in the crash.”

Newspaper

March 14, AP: “Fort Bragg – The twisted wreckage of a $4.8 million Blackhawk helicopter that crashed and killed all 12 paratroopers aboard smoldered during the night, preventing workers from removing the victims’ bodies, as army spokesman said. ‘The main body of the helicopter was in one hear and (is)…still smoldering,’ Capt. Pete Eschbach of Fort Bragg Joint Public Affairs said Wednesday night. ‘We’ve been unable to remove them (the passengers and crew) because it’s too hot.’

“The aircraft, designed to ferry weapons and soldiers to combat zones, crashed in a cluster of trees about 12:40 p.m. Wednesday while flying with two other Blackhawks in a 100-mph training formation at the Fort Bragg Army base, officials said….

“Four of the victims were crew members assigned to A Company, 92nd Aviation Battalion. The eight passengers were from B Company, 2nd Battalion, 504th Infantry. The identities of eight of the victims were released late Wednesday. Names of the other four were being withheld pending notification of out-of-state relatives, officials said.

“The identified were:

crew members

Chief Warrant Officer 2, Arlington Ingalls, [35, of New London, Conn.]
Chief Warrant Officer 2 Robert Q. Buchanan Jr. and [32, of Seattle]
Sgt. Luis L. Bacallao; [23, of Rio Piedras, Puerto Rico.]

passengers

Sgt. 1st Class Robert L. Brown, [31, of Vale, NC]
Staff Sgt. Timothy S. Williams, [33, of Miami]
Spec. 5 Michael T. Paserba, [22, of Johnstown, Pa.]
Spec. 4 Sebastian Correira III, all assigned to Company B, 2nd Battalion, 504th Infantry;
[23, of Marlboro, Md.]
and Spec. 4 Mackie G. Chism, assigned to Headquarters and Headquarters Company, 2nd
Battalion, 504th Infantry [21, Ridgely, Tenn.]

“Ft. Bragg firefighters and a group of about 40 military policemen training in the area converged on the scene, he said, adding that one firefighter was hosing down the rubble near the wreckage. But Eschbach said the helicopter itself couldn’t be sprayed because of was made of a large amount of magnesium and magnesium alloy, which has a melting point of 6,000 degrees, and wouldn’t be affected by water….

“Frey said the crash occurred about 20 miles west of the main post, near the Nijmegen Drop Zone – a training area near the town of Southern Pines. Fort Bragg is about 200 square miles in size….

“The crash brought to 23 the number of serious accidents involving Blackhawks since early 1981 when the Army began using the aircraft, said Lt. Col. Tom Jones, a Defense Department spokesman. Jones said 34 people have been killed in previous Blackhawk crashes.

“The Blackhawk is a twin-engine, single-rotor helicopter built as a highly maneuverable, heavy-lift aircraft for ferrying troops or weapons to a combat zone. The helicopter’s prime contractor is Sikorsky Aircraft of Connecticut. The helicopter is described as ‘larger, more agile and clearly superior’ to the UH-1 Huey, which it is replacing. The Blackhawk ‘is capable of transporting an entire 11-man, fully equipped squad faster and in most weather conditions,’ the Army said.” (Associated Press. “’Copter crash kills 12 servicemen.” The Daily Independent, Kannapolis, NC. 3-14-1985, p. 1.)

March 15, AP: “Fort Bragg (AP) – The remains of 12 soldiers who died in the fiery crash of a Blackhawk at Fort Bragg have been retrieved from the twisted wreckage, but officials say it could take months to determine the cause of the crash….

“The Army gave the following identities of the victims: [We note the four not noted above]

Pvt. 2 Troy G. Pease, 19, of Sioux Falls, S.D.
Pfc. Paul S. Resnick, 19, Moorestown, N.J.
Pfc. Richard D. Zimmerman, 20, Shavertown, Pa.
Pfc. Ioannis Bougas, 19, New York City. ….”
(AP. “Remains removed from helicopter crash wreckage.” Burlington Times-News, NC, 3-15-1985, 7A.)

Sources

Associated Press. “’Copter crash kills 12 servicemen.” The Daily Independent, Kannapolis, NC. 3-14-1985, p. 1. Accessed 7-23-2023 at:
https://newspaperarchive.com/kannapolis-daily-independent-mar-14-1985-p-1/

Associated Press. “Remains removed from helicopter crash wreckage.” Burlington Times-News, NC, 3-15-1985, 7A. Accessed 7-23-2023 at:
https://newspaperarchive.com/burlington-daily-times-news-mar-15-1985-p-7/

Aviation Safety Network, Flight Safety Foundation, Database. US Army Black Hawk crash, Fort Bragg, NC, 13 Mar 1985. Accessed 7-23-2023 at: https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/77627