Storm stories

LOGAN - Andy Jackson was on the porch, calling his wife, Connie, to come look at the clouds.

That's about the time - 10 years ago - the tornado ripped the roof off of their trailer house.

March 23 made a decade since a tornado ripped through eastern New Mexico, damaging much of Clovis and destroying a dairy near Portales.

The Clovis tornado formed in Portales, and headed north down U.S. 70 like an out-of-control Peterbilt.

The Clovis tornado was classified as an EF2 on a six-point scale - EF0 to EF6, with EF6 being the worst. Windspeeds were estimated at 110 mph to 137 mph. Officials said the tornado was stronger when it hit the Portales dairy and began weakening as it reached Clovis.

The Logan tornado hit hours earlier.

Connie Jackson said just as she looked outside, the tornado struck and she was knocked down by the door slamming shut.

"I was raised in Texas, so as the winds gusted and the house shook I could hear my mom's voice saying 'Get in the bathroom,' as I crawled in the hallway," she said.

Connie said it was a violent and sudden event and the next thing she remembered was her husband digging her out of the debris.

"It may have been 10 years ago, but it is still a very vivid memory for me," she said. "The noise bothered me more than anything. I still have a hard time going to the car wash and storms make me nervous."

Thank goodness most residents in the village of Logan were working when the tornado struck at 3:20 p.m., said village Manager Larry Wallin.

About two dozen homes were destroyed, but most of the residents were not around and no lives were lost.

The National Weather Service in Albuquerque reported the tornado featured winds estimated between 90 and 95 mph, with spikes up to 105 mph.

NWS said the tornado followed a northeast path along Highway 54, then over the Canadian River into town.

A 12-block stretch of Logan was hit, and most of the motor and mobile homes in the Sunshine Trailer Park on Fourth Street were damaged or missing.

Residences on Vigil Street had damaged walls, roofs and debris scattered on their property.

The tornado moved north, damaging homes and buildings along Fourth Street and Third Street. Homes and businesses several blocks away from the tornado's path were damaged by high winds, debris and hail.

On the day of the tornado, power outages, rapidly fading sunlight and heavy rains were among the problems that cleanup crews and first responders faced.

The cleanup effort continued for several months after the storm struck Logan with an estimated cost of $150,0000.

Officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency opened a temporary branch in Logan to assist residents with their claims from storm damage.

The village was authorized by the New Mexico Environmental Department to open an Emergency Tornado Debris Disposal on 14 acres adjacent to Logan Landfill for all the debris from the storm. The pit could hold 30,000 loose yards of debris, including the large debris from condemned homes.

NWS records show it was the first tornado to touch down in Logan since July 12, 1963.