Beatty Swamps Tornado of May 10, 1933
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The Beatty Swamps Tornado was an F4 tornado that struck shortly after midnight on May 10, 1933 the community of Beatty Swamps, Tennessee (also known as Bethsaida), located in Overton County, and one of Tennessee's most-disastrous events -- killing more Middle Tennessee residents than any other tornado before or since, even though the storm struck a rural and sparsely populated area.
The funnel, anywhere from one-half to three-quarters of a mile wide, is said to have destroyed every home and killed or injured nearly every resident.
The tornado event took place one day after an F4 tornado from the same storm system struck the Tompkinsville, Kentucky area and surroundings killing 36 and injuring 80 others.[1]
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[edit] The storm
In nearby Allardt, in Fentress County, the temperature on Tuesday afternoon had climaxed at 82o, a warmer-than-normal reading for early May. Haze was said to be thick, and, according to The Livingston Enterprise, the storm was preceded by "a flashing electrical storm and a high wind".
Shortly after midnight, on Wednesday morning, May 10, the tornado touched down at Eagle Creek. Accompanied by torrential rainfall, the tornado then moved in a zig-zag line as far as West Fork. The destruction it left behind was unprecedented in this part of Tennessee.
The Beatty Swamps tornado tracked northeastward for twenty miles from near Livingston to near Byrdstown, in Pickett County.
The tornado ultimately caused thirty-five fatalities, thirty-three of which were in Beatty Swamps. The half-mile wide funnel destroyed every home in the community, and killed or injured virtually every resident. Much of the area was swept clean of debris. There were $100,000 in damages from the tornado. Adjusting for inflation to the year 2005 brings this figure to nearly $1.5 million.
[edit] Today
The community of Beatty Swamps ceased to exist, and does not appear on any current maps. The only landmark that alludes to the former community is Beatty Swamp Road, whichs intersects Highway 111 in the northeast corner of Overton County.
