ShowsThe Beecher Tornado with Ahmad Bajjey
Chief Meteorologist for NBC25 & FOX66 WEYI June 8, 2022 On June 8th, 1953 one of the worst natural disasters in Michigan of the 20th century struck the Beecher District near Flint. It was a massive F5 monster freak tornado, 2.5 city blocks wide with winds estimated as high as 318 mph. It descended on the Kurtz and Coldwater Road areas with as much ferocity as an full scale military aerial bombing--perhaps much more.
While no photographs were taken of the violent funnel cloud, the work it left behind left zero doubt as to the diabolical power it packed. The storm changed Flint culture in ways large and small and has left a terrible legacy for those who survived it. Recently, Tracy Fisher delved in to this story with an incredible article appearing in the latest edition of The Historian, the publication of the Genesee County Historical Society. Her interview with a survivor is a powerful testimony to what transpired that terrible evening. To help us make sense of the science behind this dark history we invited Chief Meteorologist from WEYI, and Adjunct Professor at Central Michigan University, Ahmad Bajjey, to join us in the Aquarium for a deep dive in to the Beecher Tornado. Before you listen to the show, read Tracy's article (in the section below). Her interview with Ron Sekelsky, who not only survived the killer tornado, but was literally in the very epicenter of the worst hit area is one you won’t soon forget. And neither is this very special episode of “Fish and The Flint Chronicles.” 
Ahmad with Fish in The Aquarium!
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Image of the devastation greeting the community the next morning; Photo courtesy Sloan Archives
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Without Warning
Featured in Genesee County Historical Society's The Historian, Spring 2022
by Tracy Leigh Fisher
by Tracy Leigh Fisher
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