About the Film
Unseen Hooks
The La Plata Tornadoes of 1926 & 2002
The Story
Two Storms. One Community. Seventy-Six Years Apart.
They say lightning doesn't strike the same place twice. La Plata, Maryland is the exception.
Unseen Hooks: The La Plata Tornadoes of 1926 and 2002 tells the story of a small town that endured two of the most powerful tornadoes ever recorded on the East Coast — storms so rare, meteorologists say the odds of both striking the same community are nearly inconceivable. The 1926 tornado remains the deadliest natural disaster in Maryland's history. The 2002 tornado became its costliest. Two lifetimes, two generations, one town.
But this isn't just a story about weather. It's a story about the people who lived through it — families who lost everything and rebuilt, neighbors who showed up for each other when the sky turned against them, and a community bound together by an incredible shared history. Through the voices of survivors, rare archival photographs, expert analysis, and cinematic reenactments, Unseen Hooks asks what it means to face the unimaginable — and then, decades later, to face it again.
It is a story about the force of Mother Nature, resilience, compassion and the power of the human spirit.
Director's Statement
Why This Story
"Most documentary filmmakers know that the subject you start with is rarely the film you end up making. You go in curious about the storms, and you come out having met the people who lived through them — and that's where the real film is. In La Plata, what stayed with me wasn't the destruction. It was how the town came back from it.. What I discovered in La Plata was an extraordinary community whose defining characteristic wasn’t tragedy—it was resilience.
Stanley Preston
Writer & Director
The Filmmakers
Producers & DIRECTOR
Unseen Hooks is brought to life by Executive Producer, Anthony Puzzilla, Writer/Director, Stanley Preston and a team of filmmakers, authors, local historians and passionate La Plata, Maryland residents.
Anthony Puzzilla
EXECUTIVE Producer & Author
Anthony Puzzilla has dedicated years to researching and writing about the 1926 and 2002 La Plata tornadoes, unearthing archival records, photographs, and survivor accounts that had long been forgotten. Along with Steuart Bowling, his written work on the storm laid the historical foundation for this documentary.
Stanley Preston
Writer PRODUCER & Director
Stanley Preston is an award winning filmmaker, the founder of Maryland Motion Pictures. He was the writer and director of Unseen Hooks, guiding the documentary through all phases of the production. This is his second feature length documentary film with the subject matter based in Southern Maryland.
Steuart Bowling
Producer & Author
Steuart Bowling witnessed the devastation of the 2002 La Plata tornado firsthand and has written extensively about its impact on the community. His deep personal connection to the event and his meticulous documentation of its aftermath give Unseen Hooks its contemporary heart and emotional urgency.
Craig Hower
Producer
Craig Hower brought his deep roots in the La Plata community to Unseen Hooks through his work with the Port Tobacco Players Theater. His connections to local residents and performers were instrumental in casting the film, helping to find the authentic voices that bring the stories of 1926 and 2002 to life on screen.
Production
Film Details
Format
Documentary Feature
Runtime
57 minutes
Subject
La Plata, Maryland
Events
November 9, 1926 & April 28, 2002
Status
COMING FALL 2026
Language
English
Stay Connected
Follow the journey of Unseen Hooks — from production through festival circuit and beyond.