Reliving the Shinnston Tornado Disaster 80 years later

DILLONVALE, Ohio (WTRF) — 80 years ago, a deadly tornado hit the town of Shinnston in Harrison County, West Virginia.

This tornado was a part of a larger event known as the 1944 Appalachian tornado outbreak, one of the deadliest weather phenomena to hit the mid-Atlantic regions. The effects of these tornados can still be felt throughout the Ohio Valley.

Shirley Horvath, tornado survivor, said she was just four and a half years old when an F4 tornado came barreling towards her home.

She says she remembers it like it was yesterday, the clouds changed color and the winds picked up. Shirley, her sister, and her father hid while her mom went to close the window.

“The man that lived with us had started to go out the screen door, when he started out the wind caught him and my mom saw him whirling like a top, going past the window. She started back, it blew the window out on her face, and I could see blood all over her face, running down her face.”

Shirley Horvath, Tornado survivor

Once her mom got back to safety the next thing Shirley remembered was the sound of an oncoming train as she was pulled from her father’s arms.

“My dad heard me screaming when he came-to, he heard me screaming daddy, daddy. And his arms were pinned down with two spiked nails, or a lot of spiked nails let’s put it that way, and he had to break out. He wore those scars to his grave.”

Shirley Horvath, Tornado survivor

Her father carried each person out of the rubble on his back, into an open field while Shirley’s mother was brought to a neighbor’s house. She later spent 3 days in the hospital unconscious.

Since there was nothing left of the house, the family was forced to move. Years later they were still haunted by what happened that day.

“I give my God, my Lord Jesus, the glory and the honor for me being alive today. At 84 years old I can sit here and say at four and a half years old I can remember something that should have killed us, but that was a miracle. And anybody that don’t believe in miracles, if they’ve ever been through what I’ve been through, you’ll believe.”

Shirley Horvath, Tornado survivor

Shirley says that back in the day there were no weather alerts, there was no way of knowing what was happening.

She urges everyone to take tornado warning seriously and plan accordingly to stay safe.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WTRF.