The West Memphis, Arkansas Tornado of December 14, 1987

A tornado ripped a 25-mile path through West Memphis, Arkansas on December 14, 1987. Six persons were killed, 125 injured, and damage was estimated at $35 million. A damage survey team appointed by the Committee on Natural Disasters, National Research Council of the National Academy of Science documented the damage and evaluated the emergency response systems. This paper describes the damage in light of what is known about the response of several structures including an elevated water tank, industrial buildings, a shopping center, and a school. Engineers understand the wind problem and essentially know how to minimize damage. The problem is that most of their knowledge is not used in construction.