1974 Xenia tornado

The 1974 Xenia tornado was the deadliest individual tornado of the 1974 Super Outbreak, the 24-hour period between April 3 and April 4, 1974, during which 148 tornadoes touched down in 13 different U.S. states. The outbreak was considered "the most intense and widespread tornado outbreak in recorded history," until the 2011 Super Outbreak. However, the 1974 Xenia tornado is still considered to be the worst tornado in Ohio's history, and is the reason for improved warning systems, alarms, and safety protocols throughout the state. The tornado destroyed a large portion of Xenia and Wilberforce, Ohio. Across the state, 2,000 individuals were injured, 7,000 homes were destroyed, and 39 people were killed during the 1974 Super Outbreak, 32 of them being in Xenia. Despite Ohio being better equipped for a tornadic disaster than many other states, a survey team from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) found that the lack of tornado sirens to be one of the leading causes of unpreparedness. It was one of two tornadoes to be assigned a preliminary F6 rating by Dr. Ted Fujita, the other being the 1970 Lubbock tornado; however, the rating was later downgraded to an F5 after Fujita deemed F6 ratings "inconceivable".