May 31st, 2010 
joel It just might be the singular defining event in modern Erie media history.
May 31, 1985: the Albion tornado.
Today local media people are remembering the devastating scene, and the soaring spirit of a community.
First, my story: I was working the evening air shift at WDOE/Dunkirk, NY when the weather radio and AP wire went berserk with tornado warnings for the region. We were giving regular updates, although our listening area in Northern Chautauqua County was not affected as much as the rest of the region. I called into WJET radio where I had worked part-time to get a report on the destruction in Albion as well as the Union City/Corry area.
This morning the Erie Times-News did an anniversary report, and Val Myers weighed in on the memories of that day. 106.3 WCTL had a special Memorial Day edition of its morning show remembering the tornadoes. WJET/WFXP shows archive video of the worst weather event in Erie history and talked to survivors and NOAA weather forecasters, and WSEE’s Scott Bremner remembers the day.
Earlier this year, Tony Victor who was a reporter at WJET-TV remembered on P&T becoming a journalist/first-responder:
Bob Neely and I drove up on Cranesville only to see it raining down attic insulation from when the tornado actually hit. Many of the news crews were pressed into EMS duties, holding IVs for rescue crews while photogs rolled.
When I say that the Albion tornado was a defining event, I mean that the media response to our public service mandate definitely changed after that day. Soon after WSEE purchased an expensive radar tower, the first in Erie. The master Emergency Broadcast Plan was totally revised in the subsequent years. And no one would take another tornado warning for granted.
If you wish to read an excellent synopsis of all of the events of that day 25 years ago, go to pahighways.com for Jeff Kitsko’s account.
I’d like to hear your remembrances of the Albion tornado.
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K104 promoted a Kenny Loggins concert at the Tullio that was set for a few weeks after the tornado. When Kenny heard about Albion, he and his band said they would donate their fee from the concert to the tornado victims
JJ, that’s very cool! While, argueably, a very cheesy songwriter/performer, Kenny Loggins is a cool dude!
I still remember that day as being the first time I was scared being a member of the local media – we really had to deliver reliable information to our viewers – it was actually a matter of life and death! And, due to our lack of technology, we really did not. Joel, as you mentioned, it was AFTER this event that real-time Doppler Radar was brought into the Erie market. If only we had that tool back then… But, it was also one of those events where I was really proud to be a member of the local media. We did make the situation better by providing information to our viewers – they knew the situation at hand, and were told where to get help, what actually DID happen, and were given the actual facts about the situation.
One of my ancillary memories of the Albion Tornado was how we treated “Tornado Warnings” throughout the summer of 1985. We took them as gospel! I remember grabbing some gear and Producer Connie Moser into my 1974 Ford Econoline van later that summer because there was supposed to be a tornado coming in from the lake on Mooreheadville Road. We weren’t going to miss it this time! (Even though it never did happen!) We were going to be right at the epicenter to show our viewers, because we felt so bad about not being able to in Albion.
And, now, the sad thing is, 25 years later, with all the upgrades in technology, unless it happens while a live person is at the one of the two stations, the same situation could happen again, simply based upon budgetary requirements.
Bob Bohen makes a good point: Could the local media handle an event like the Albion Tornado “if” it were to happen in this era of budget restraints and less-is-more?
no.
For TV, only if it happened on a non-holiday weekday up until 11:30pm. Overnight and weekends…forget it. As far as radio is concerned, don’t even bother!!