Click Here to Join MDP's eMail ListLa Plata Tornado 10 Years After
A Testament to Planning
“The leadership of the town looked at recovery as an opportunity more than as a problem”
– Jesse Ash, a strategic development planner with the Maryland Department of Planning and one of the early responders
In the late afternoon of April 28, 2002, the strongest tornado in recorded history in Maryland struck the town of La Plata. It claimed four lives, including a heart attack victim. The tornado – measured at F4 on the Fujita Scale, the second-highest intensity — carved a path about three football fields wide through the middle of town.
Ten years later to the day, the town celebrates Tornado of 2002: A Stronger and Closer Community as part of its annual spring festival, “Celebrate La Plata.”
Read about La Plata 10 years after at the Smart Growth Maryland blog:
Early satellite image of the tornado’s swath of destruction through Charles County. The town of La Plata noted (NASA Satellite Picture) |
Special Edition of the Maryland Independent, May 1, 2002
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The tornado as it destroys the La Plata business district |
La Plata Before and After Images
Drag the slider control over the tornado damage photo to reveal the same area after recovery.
The Town of La Plata in Charles County, MD
The town of La Plata, established in 1888 covering 1268 square miles with a population of 8,753 , was struck by a category F4 tornado on April 28, 2002. The tornado, which traveled 26 miles through Charles County leaving a swath of destruction 3 football fields in width, left the town with massive property damage exceeding $100 million.
Martins Gas Station and Convenience Store
Martins, located in the 300 block of Charles Street near Washington Avenue, was completely destroyed and was one of the first businesses to be rebuilt in town.
La Plata Police Department and Community Center
The U.S. Post Office, located in the 100 block of La Grange Avenue, was one of many office buildings destroyed along La Grange Avenue. The building was rebuilt to serve as the town's Police Department and Community Center.
La Grange Avenue
Property owners worked with the town to rebuild these office buildings along La Grange to comply with the design guidelines in the Vision plan. Structures were relocated to the front property line with parking in the back.
The story of La Plata’s recovery from the tornado is an inspiring one. The town received assistance – the initial response and recovery - from the federal government, numerous local governments and private businesses.
The state of Maryland provided assistance and financial resources in a variety of forms from the Maryland Departments of Planning, Business and Economic Development and Natural Resources and the State Highway Administration.
The Maryland Department of Planning (MDP) helped the town and its residents complete their vision for the future, “The Plan for the Future of Downtown La Plata.” It was released March 15, 2001 — 409 days before the tornado. MDP’s property mapping unit completely updated the detailed tax maps to more accurately estimate the total loss and to reestablish parcel locations. Regional and strategic development planners from the department were involved with the process.
MDP joins with the people of La Plata in celebrating a “Closer and Stronger Community.”
“If we wouldn’t have known what we wanted to do, we wouldn’t have ended up better off.”
– William F. Eckman, La Plata mayor
This page was last updated: 2012-04-19