Previous
The remaining walls of a destroyed home that contains a note of thanks to all those who helped this family is shown in this May 1999 file photo. (Andrea Booher/Federal Emergency Management Agency/File )
3. Oklahoma City, Okla., 1999 – $1.5 billion
A tornado that traveled 38 miles between Chickasha, Okla., and Oklahoma City on May 3, 1999, devastated rural and urban areas of the state. The very powerful twister, rated an F5 on the Fujita scale, was on the ground for nearly an hour and a half, causing 46 fatalities and injuring 800 people. More than 8,000 homes were damaged or destroyed. The tornado was the most severe of the 74 tornadoes that touched down across Oklahoma and Kansas in less than a 21-hour window.
These comments are not screened before publication. Constructive debate about the above story is welcome, but personal attacks are not. Please do not post comments that are commercial in nature or that violate any copyright[s]. Comments that we regard as obscene, defamatory, or intended to incite violence will be removed. If you find a comment offensive, you may flag it.