BRANDENBURG, Ky. — As communities clean up from Tuesday's tornadoes, they're also remembering the devastating outbreak that happened 50 years ago on April 3, 1974.
On that day, several tornadoes touched down in Kentucky and southern Indiana, including Louisville and Brandenburg, Kentucky.
That small town gathered to remember the 31 lives lost, with 31 bell tolls and a service.
"I lost my parents to the tornado," one survivor said. "I went to mother and daddy's house. I took daddy to the bank, and had lunch with mother and daddy. Then left. I had no idea that would be the last time I would see them."
The ceremony came just one day after more tornadoes tore through southern Indiana and north central Kentucky.
The ironic timing isn't lost on those who survived that day 50 years ago.
For those survivors, Wednesday brought back vivid memories of that dark afternoon.
"Someone was talking about the smell and the color of the sky and I think a lot of people have reactions and memories that are very specific to what they sensed and what they heard," survivor Shelly Trent said.
Stories were shared even five decades later; some were newly heard for the first time.
Emotions were still raw.
"I can't go without mentioned that my Uncle Les who lived behind us," survivor Gus Allen said. "He was carried through the air and he lived to tell about it, but we lost a family member in that process."
Although a somber remembrance, community spirit and optimism for the future shone through, as well as gratitude for advancements in technology that saves lives.
"All of the radar and Doppler and that stuff; we had no warning," survivor Eddie Bruner said. "There might have been a siren that went off at the firehouse but by the time it went off it was too late. The warnings we get now are just amazing. How much time we have; 15 minutes can save several lives, and I think that's great."
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