Today is the 68th anniversary of the devastating tornado that tore through Woodward, Oklahoma, on April 9, 1947.

And today’s TBT is a newspaper photo of Meda and her parents in the aftermath of that tornado, which destroyed their small home in Woodward.

Meda, then less than three months old, and her mother were home when the storm hit. Here’s how an NOAA website describes the storm, which killed over 100 people in the area.

The violent tornado (F5 on the Fujita Scale) unleashed its worst destruction on Woodward, striking the city without warning at 8:42 pm. Over 100 city blocks on the west and north sides of the city were destroyed with lesser damage in the southeast portion of the town. Confusion and fires reigned in the aftermath with over 1000 homes and businesses destroyed, at least 107 people killed in and around Woodward, and nearly 1000 additional injuries. Normal communications between Woodward and the outside world were not restored for some time and there was great uncertainty as to victim status. In fact, the bodies of three children were never identified, and one child who survived the tornado was lost and never reunited with her family. Help for Woodward came from many places, including units from as far away as Oklahoma City and Wichita. Beyond Woodward, the tornado lost some intensity, but still destroyed 36 homes and injured 30 people in Woods County before ending.

Click on the clipping to see more photos of the damage in Woodward.

And here’s a link to a harrowing letter that Meda’s mother wrote to her parents describing the experience.