Central Alabama looks like a war zone.

[Ogre]

http://video.tuscaloosanews.com/video/921666515001/

For those who haven't heard, an EF4 tornado devastated Tuscaloosa (home of the University of Alabama) and suburbs of Birmingham yesterday afternoon. There are lots and lots of dead people (currently 150 or so in Alabama and more in other states), and many more missing. My niece was in a grocery store that took a direct hit in Tuscaloosa. They took shelter in a meat locker and she's fine. The tornado passed a mile or so north of my house on the northeast side of Birmingham. I heard it pass.

Seeing a powerful tornado's destruction in a rural area is impressive. Seeing it plow directly through the heart of an urban center is terrifying. U of A students are among the dead. They'll be picking body parts out of the rubble for a long time.

Shit, I used to live in the middle of the tornado's path. My old neighborhood is gone. Just completely, utterly absent.

[ShelliBean]

I was just popping on to see if anyone had started a thread about this. I live in a small town in MS that close to Smithville (we're all in Monroe Co.) and Smithville is pretty much just not there anymore. We were very lucky. My home has no damage but it was terrifying going over the TomBigBee yesterday morning. As I was getting ready to pass I looked up and a wall cloud just appeared and I saw something starting to swirl and all I could think was "if it gets me, I'm going in the river and I won't make it out" so I did what you are NOT supposed to do, and floored it. I flew over the bridge and across town going 70 and I ran into my house to see my mom and grandmother sitting at the kitchen table. Apparently I was white as a sheet and as soon as I realized I was safe I had to try really hard not to vomit and cry. They were there because tree took out my grandparent's kitchen. It's pretty devastating, but nothing compared to Smithville and especially Tuscaloosa.

Next month I'm moving to an area in NE Birmingham (I'm sure it's close to yours) and I was on the phone trying like hell to get my boyfriend (with whom I moving in) and no calls were going through and I really freaked out. Luckily everything was fine. I feel so incredibly lucky right now for both my home now, and the house I'll be moving to. I didn't lose anyone. There are so many right now that have. I saw on CNN that the unofficial count for tornadoes across the south yesterday is at 151. I don't know what all counts as a tornado, though. That could include every twisted cloud there was.
I think my brother is still in shock. He graduated U of A, and spent a good ten years in T town. When we heard it hit I joked "Oh god - is Bryant-Denny standing?" but when the images started coming in, well, it's been hard not to get somewhat emotional about it.
Glad you are safe. Can the Southern Dopers all be accounted for?

[Gagundathar]

My offspring all live in Alabama, and they along with the grandlings are all safe and accounted for.
My eldest's spousal-unit is an MD and he worked all night treating the wounded.
In fact, he is still at work.
According to his report, some of the bodies were delivered to the temporary morgue (a nearby church) on truck hoods.

The count of casualties will probably be at least 300.

And here in Athens, we got maybe 1/4 inch of rain and no winds above 20 mph.

I feel so very lucky right now.

[lieu]

What amazed me prior to the storm was that the Weather Channel was predicting a 9 (90%) for tornados in that specific area a full day beforehand. The death toll might have been even higher without that terribly ominous but useful forecast.

The pictures have been terrible. Hearts go out to all affected by this tragedy.

[Chanteuse]

I and my family are fine--most of the really bad stuff went well north of us (we live right above the Florida Panhandle). We got a lot of high wind and some rain, no damages other than a yard full of tree limbs. I know I have much to be grateful for today.

[Brynda]

I live in Middle TN and it is weird how beautiful it is today after all the weather craziness yesterday.

[Duke]

The storm system that caused the damage in Alabama has, unbelievably, been felt all the way up here in western New York. The bridge to Canada here is shut down due to high winds, we've had several accidents (at least one fatal) due to the storm, and from my building here I can see another building which partially lost its roof about an hour ago.

[Zeldar]

Ever since I heard/saw it on The Weather Channel this morning I have been looking for verification of Stephanie Abrams's statement that the supercell that hit Tuscaloosa, Birmingham, Gadsden and other locations all the way to the Carolinas stayed together (whether or not it was on the ground the whole way) for something like 300 miles, which would surpass the record from 1925 in the tri-state disaster.

I know there are more important aspects of these events than their record-breaking status, but I thought that was a surprising fact -- if true. Has anybody heard a similar evaluation of the strength of that cell?

There was a similar long-track cell that went all the way from the MS-TN border across Middle TN not long ago, and the forecasts we got in the Nashville area this week were that the conditions were right for the "Particularly Dangerous Situation" that was announced earlier and which came to pass in Alabama and other places to our south. The videos and photos of the destruction in Alabama and elsewhere make it clear that this April has been a mean month to survive and that too many people have failed to do so.

[Ogre]

I can't confirm it with a cite, Zeldar, but I have seen the same statistic. Also, meteorologists yesterday were saying that the supercell was a monstrous 50,000 - 60,000 feet tall. A true beast.

[Sunspace]

I was looking at the pictures and they reminded me of Japan...The storm system that caused the damage in Alabama has, unbelievably, been felt all the way up here in western New York....You mean these winds that have caused damage in Ottawa (http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/ottawa/story/2011/04/28/ottawa-winds458.html) were part of it? :eek:

[Ogre]

There are little shreds of pink fiberglass insulation all over the city. I found several pieces stuck to my car this morning, and have since noticed it littering the ground everywhere. I've also seen accounts of bank deposit slips from Tuscaloosa being found 115 miles away in Gadsden.

[Tom Tildrum]

Sampiro's in Alabama, isn't he? Have we heard from him?

[Ogre]

He's in Montgomery, about 100 miles south of here, and is fine.

[Tom Tildrum]

Thanks. I'm glad your family and home are OK, too.

[Ogre]

Thanks!

[lisacurl]

Best wishes to Alabama Dopers and those in other states who are affected as well. I imagine a lot of folks are offline still with power outages.

We were below the system here in Baton Rouge... we had some light storm activity on Monday night/early Tuesday, but today has been blissfully cool and bright.

[Bosda Di'Chi of Tricor]

It was impossible to telephone Huntsville from Nashville this AM.

[Zeldar]

I can't confirm it with a cite, Zeldar, but I have seen the same statistic. Also, meteorologists yesterday were saying that the supercell was a monstrous 50,000 - 60,000 feet tall. A true beast.

It may take the results of the various scouting teams from NWS to establish all the connections but at least http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_25%E2%80%9328,_2011_tornado_outbreak is saying The supercell that produced the Tuscaloosa/Birmingham tornado may have had potentially record-breaking longevity as that particular storm traveled more than 280 miles across five states from Mississippi to North Carolina, with damage reported from multiple tornadoes spawned by the storm.[citation needed] Unofficial surveys have categorized the damage from the tornado that hit Tuscaloosa and the northwestern suburbs of Birmingham as EF4 and possibly EF5. The overall death toll is uncertain but initial reports from Tuscaloosa and Birmingham indicate at least 36 people were dead and over 600 injured in the Tuscaloosa area and at least 10 people confirmed dead from Concord and Pleasant Grove.[35] The number of fatalities is highly uncertain due to ongoing search and rescue efforts and is subject to revision following surveys on the track of the tornado from the National Weather Service.

[ShelliBean]

Here is part one of an aerial (no sound except for that of the helicopter) done by the local ABC station. It is almost 9 minutes of following the path of the tornado.
Here it is. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6giQ3csbUg&feature=player_embedded#at=434)

[Lasciel]

My best friends live in Pleasant Grove...

:( :(

We talked to them about a minute late last night before their phone cut out, and she's managed to get one text out today. Reported that their house is mostly ok, but their neighborhood is totally trashed and locked down - police lines across all the roads to keep looters out, or to keep people from driving over powerlines.

They've got no power, no phone service, and they can't leave any way but on foot, (they were out driving around trying to get phone service in the storm last night before the really bad part hit, and after the twister struck the police wouldn't let them drive back into their neighborhood - so their car is abandoned somewhere a few miles from their house.)

I have to stop myself from piling into the car and racing over there - nothing I could do would help, but I wish I could do something!

She's just finished grad school in Tuscaloosa, and (as of the text today) hadn't heard anything about any of her schoolmates.

I keep telling myself that the storm is over and I know she's fine, but I really feel unhappy being out of touch like this.

:(

[gardentraveler]

Glad to see people checking in. I've been thinking about all of you! The damage looks horrible.

I believe Ann Onimous is in Alabama, too (she changed her name in the past year, so some of you might not recognize her name). Also, Sauron and Aries28, right?

Any news from them?

[Angua]

We got hit in Huntsville too. Not as bad as other places, but still not pretty. The entire northern half of the state is without power, as rumor has it a power plant near Cullman got hit by the tornado too. SO and I have headed east to Atlanta and are holed up in a hotel, waiting things out. Cellphone towers are on the fritz and have been knocked out too -- getting info in and out is really difficult. Many landlines are dead too.

[Renee]

Video of the tornado. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ohIVzIZLuQ&feature=player_embedded) Insane.

[billfish678]

Hey,

If anybody runs across a fatality list, let me know. I have a few old coworkers that were last I heard in the Birmingham area.

[NinetyWt]

I believe Ann Onimous is in Alabama, too (she changed her name in the past year, so some of you might not recognize her name).

Ann lives in Clinton, MS and last accounts I had she is okay. They had a tornado there a week or two ago.

We are also fine here in the Jackson area. There were 3 tornadoes in Lafayette County, where I and my kids have relatives (including their Daddy). All are safe and accounted for. One of the tornadoes came down the road my ex lives on, but missed his house. He spent the rest of the day in Pine Flat cutting up downed trees.

Our governor issued a state of emergency for 39 counties here. That is just insane. We had tornadoes from one end of the state to the other.

Added to that is the flooding occuring along the Mississippi River and we're not liking April too much.

Glad to see Dopers posting in that they are allright. So very scary, and tragic. :(

[notfrommensa]

Mother Nature appears to be in a really bad mood this year. Massive earthquakes, Tsunamis, and widespread tornado outbreaks in the last couple weeks.

My prayers are with everyone.

Here in SE Missouri, we were in a near constant severe weather pattern for almost a week. Massive flooding in Poplar Bluff. My house is on high ground, but winds did rip a few shingles off the roof, and yes leaks, sigh.

I am not a meteorologist, but it is incredible how this storm system just hung around for days and days. We first got severe weather a week ago Tuesday of last week, and we still had some of the same yesterday. I think the rain total was close to 15-16 inches in my town.

[legalsnugs]

Most of my family of origin lives between Birmingham and Huntsville. It took until this morning to learn that they're all okay. My brother's house in Huntsville caught a few trees, but he's okay. No one has electricity or phone service, but they're okay. My niece and nephew took their families to the in-laws' houses, north of Huntsville, who have electricity. My mom is on an electric-run oxygen tank so my brothers are looking for something she can use until the power comes back on, which, I hear, could be a long time. I have to wonder why they couldn't take HER to someone's house with power! It's friggin' oxygen! Good grief.

My thoughts and sympathies go out to all in the storm's path.

[NinetyWt]

I live in a small town in MS that close to Smithville (we're all in Monroe Co.) and Smithville is pretty much just not there anymore.


Hopefully this link works. These pictures of Smithville are incredible and moving.

http://www.facebook.com/media/set/fbx/?set=a.200729869964321.40958.138194566217852

[Oslo Ostragoth]

I guess I'd describe myself as an extreme weather enthusiast. Last year I started following storm chasers live on TornadoVideos (http://chase.tornadovideos.net/pages/full_screen). It's really cool - you can see where guys are on a weather map and bring up their dash cams to see what they are seeing. The Alabama storms were such a huge event that I also watched the ABC 33/40 stream live. They had an intermittent shot from a tower cam that showed the tornado as it was plowing through Tuscaloosa. Horrifying. :(

My heart goes out to all who were affected by this monstrosity of Mother Nature.

[Oslo Ostragoth]

p.s. SkyCam video here (http://www.abc3340.com/video) - scroll to it (can't figure out how to get direct link)

collected videos here (http://www.buzzfeed.com/mjs538/videos-of-the-tuscaloosa-tornado)

[starwarsfreek42]

We've had word that TVA has lost lines and that Brown's Ferry has been shut down, which means that all of Madison county is without power right now. I've had word from friends there that they are largely ok. There are a ton of downed trees and wrecked houses in my town but we have electricity and the internet came back on last night. The towns of Phil Campbell and Hackleburg were whacked mercilessly, people who've been there in the last day say that Phil Campbell is just gone. A friend and I are going to join the cleanup crews on Sunday morning.

[ShelliBean]

We are headed to Smithville today to help a friend pack up what she can find of her stuff and move it to a rental house. You have to go through a check point and have the resident come get you in, and I'm told to bring ID. I'm hearing lots of horror stories about finding people in trees, and people being found very far from where they were sucked up. I've heard buzzards are starting to move in. There are a lot of people unaccounted for - many more in Tuscaloosa, for sure. It's getting hard to tell what is real and what is a story from FOAF. Doesn't matter, I guess. All I can do is offer time. Ugh, it sucks. My brother is in Tuscaloosa now helping his friends.

It's weird - we've had storms before but you always heard about these terrifying stories that ended with "and they barely got out" or "and the only thing left standing was the front steps" but now so many of these stories that start with "hey you remember ----?" end with "they died in it". Very heartbreaking for the families.

[Rysdad]

All my relatives on my mother's side are from the Birmingham area. They're safe.

Y'know, I've personally seen two tornadoes, and where the funnels touched the ground, there were, oh, 20 yards wide.

They're talking about funnels in Alabama that were a half a mile wide. Absolutely inconceivable.

[Zeldar]

Nashville's Channel 2 weather blog includes this:
http://nashvillewx.com/2011/04/our-thoughts-prayers-to-all-affected-persons-in-the-deep-south/

[Ogre]

I'm swearing off user comment threads for anything having to do with these storms. Seeing some hipster douche from Oregon post things like "People who live in these states are basically asking for it!" makes me think some very dark thoughts.

[Zeldar]

I'm swearing off user comment threads for anything having to do with these storms. Seeing some hipster douche from Oregon post things like "People who live in these states are basically asking for it!" makes me think some very dark thoughts.

Roger that!

[NinetyWt]

It's no different than post-Katrina when people from up north said "our blizzards are worse!". Yeah right, you generally still have your home and possessions after a blizzard. Some people are jerks.

Most folks are very sympathetic though, so I just ignore the dumbass ones.

@Shelli: I saw a news clip about that young boy who was found the next day blown 300 yards away. Incredible.

[NinetyWt]

Hey,

If anybody runs across a fatality list, let me know. I have a few old coworkers that were last I heard in the Birmingham area.

I found this list (http://blog.al.com/wire/2011/04/alabama_tornado_casualties_a_l.html). Don't know if it's official or not. I hope your coworkers aren't on it. :(

[Ogre]

Is it me just feeling grief-stricken, or is anyone else irritated that this thread is mostly Southerners, with very few other Dopers offering so much as a kind word for what was, after all, an historic catastrophe and a monumental loss of life?

[NinetyWt]

It's a little of both, probably.

[NinetyWt]

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10150602172475457&set=o.162443980482277

[Rex Goliath]

This one kills me. I'm from Tuscaloosa, and only just moved away last October. My apartment is immediately behind this shopping center (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ohIVzIZLuQ) and was in the exact direct path of the tornado. I've been glued to my computer since Wednesday, searching for any and all photos/videos I can find. It kills me that I can't afford to fly home and see the damage or help.

[NinetyWt]

There are lots of people, from Alabama and surrounding states, who are helping, Rex. I wish I could go but I think I'd be in the way. I'm sending $ which is welcome too. :)

Please spread the word about the found documents/pictures site which is trying to get these mementoes back to Alabama and Mississippi families. Look through the pictures if you have time and see if you know any Tuscaloosans.

ETA: Oops, I see you have already posted in that thread. Sorry about that.

[jjimm]

My sister is in Tennessee. She hid out in the basement with my nephew and her boyfriend. A tree came through her roof. Her vegetable garden is gone, the basement flooded, but she got away so lightly.

Here's technology at work: they had no power so didn't know what was going on. My dad was in England with the internet. My sister was in the basement on her cellphone to my dad, who was watching streaming TV from Tennessee, warning her when it was going to hit.

Really, it's a disaster of epic proportions. Just, I think, that thankfully people were prepared enough so the death toll was relatively small, which keeps it off the top slots in the news.

[shellofmyformerself]

We've had word that TVA has lost lines and that Brown's Ferry has been shut down, which means that all of Madison county is without power right now. I've had word from friends there that they are largely ok. There are a ton of downed trees and wrecked houses in my town but we have electricity and the internet came back on last night. The towns of Phil Campbell and Hackleburg were whacked mercilessly, people who've been there in the last day say that Phil Campbell is just gone. A friend and I are going to join the cleanup crews on Sunday morning.

I have family in Phil Campbell but due to recent surgery I can't assist in clean-up right now, so thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping out!

[Sampiro]

Is it me just feeling grief-stricken, or is anyone else irritated that this thread is mostly Southerners, with very few other Dopers offering so much as a kind word for what was, after all, an historic catastrophe and a monumental loss of life?

What MAJORLY pissed me off is that 300 people died in tornadoes in the tri-state area (mostly in Alabama) and it was relegated to a scroll for the fucking royal wedding. And if you really want to be furious read the comments on CNN and other news threads about it- the ones not making redneck/trailer jokes are bashing Obama. There are bodies buried under debris, perfect fucking time for politisnark.

[NinetyWt]

shellofmyformerself, would you please alert family and friends from Phil Campbell about the Facebook (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=606789) page of found items. Best wishes for a speedy recovery from surgery!

[Magiver]

I was watching this storm from from Ohio and I was seeing cloud tops of 65,000 feet in places along a 900 mile front. It wasn't a question of if there were going to be tornadoes, just how many. Sadly, people have to experience it to take the storm warnings seriously.

What a horrible thing to go through. Maybe we should teach this stuff in science class.

[shellofmyformerself]

shellofmyformerself, would you please alert family and friends from Phil Campbell about the Facebook (http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=606789) page of found items. Best wishes for a speedy recovery from surgery!

I will let them know...I've been looking through all the pages to see if anything looks familiar but so far nothing.

Thanks to everyone who is helping out!

[NinetyWt]

Magiver, it seems like I read that a warning *was* issued for the day of the storm; that conditions were considered ripe for a lot of tornadoes. I thought I read that a lot of things were closed that day because of it, but I can't find any cites.


Donation information is on the Montgomery TV station web page:
http://www.wsfa.com/

[NinetyWt]

Here also is a page for found pets (http://www.facebook.com/ALTornadoAnimals).

[Magiver]

Magiver, it seems like I read that a warning *was* issued for the day of the storm; that conditions were considered ripe for a lot of tornadoes. I thought I read that a lot of things were closed that day because of it, but I can't find any cites.


Donation information is on the Montgomery TV station web page:
http://www.wsfa.com/ They were absolutely talking about it. that's my point. That's how I was aware of the front and was tracking it. Unless you've been in one, or seen the immense power of a tornado it doesn't click just how bad it can get and how little warning once they drop. All we got from this storm was a couple of little tornadoes and they were in small towns. I just happen to start tracing the storm south when I saw the intensity.

Until you've seen an entire community of brick houses completely erased off their slab foundations it doesn't sink in how important a basement is. Maybe people get desensitized to weather interruptions for thunder storms. Don't know. I've seen the destruction and I've been caught out in 100 knot wind shear. I take the warnings serious enough to stop what I'm doing and look at the information available.

[Magiver]

What struck me most about some of the pictures were the trees that were stripped of all branches and all the bark. That is one powerful sand blasting.

[elelle]

Umm, Man, Ninety, talk about a Small World----- I lived in Pine Flat for ten years, now rent it to a wunnerful blues musician, maybe someday come on back..SO.. Your ex must be my neighbor, because the other end of the road was pretty trashed, according to my neighbor phone call to check in.

And, gotta say, I have all heartbreak for everyone in the path of the storm,but, my heart also was broken for all the newly nesting birds, squirrels, turtles, really every little life that was waking up for springtime. They were all ripped to shreds as well, all the more tragedy. That type of tornado is a BEAST, np way to get out of it. Superior Pain.

Yikes, elelle

[NinetyWt]

They were absolutely talking about it. that's my point.

Oops, sorry. :o

@ellelle, my ex lives on Fudgetown Road. He has friends in Pine Flat. I hope your musician friend is OK!

[Steophan]

What MAJORLY pissed me off is that 300 people died in tornadoes in the tri-state area (mostly in Alabama) and it was relegated to a scroll for the fucking royal wedding. And if you really want to be furious read the comments on CNN and other news threads about it- the ones not making redneck/trailer jokes are bashing Obama. There are bodies buried under debris, perfect fucking time for politisnark.

Speaking as a Briton, I think that's disgusting. I've been reading about this on the BBC website, and it sounds like they've had more coverage than some US networks.

Best wishes to all affected.

[JRDelirious]

Heartbreaking; I have old college friends in Huntsville, all's well apparently for them; Anniston is near one of the (now closed) posts where I did military service.

In fairness some of the US networks have been quite good on this. NBC's chief anchorman Brian Williams ditched his flight to London and took one to Alabama instead and has been broadcasting from the field on-scene since.

Until you've seen an entire community of brick houses completely erased off their slab foundations it doesn't sink in how important a basement is. Maybe people get desensitized to weather interruptions for thunder storms. Don't know. I've seen the destruction and I've been caught out in 100 knot wind shear. I take the warnings serious enough to stop what I'm doing and look at the information available. I am not in tornado territory per se, but in the hurricane region, and scenes like that renew my deep appreciation for my reinforced concrete load walls and roof slab. Which won't help me much in case of 100-year flooding, there's always some storm effect that gets you. And I imagine you're right, maybe there's a certain desensitization upon entering "thunderstorm season" for those who keep living through it.

[Sampiro]

What struck me most about some of the pictures were the trees that were stripped of all branches and all the bark. That is one powerful sand blasting.

I've actually seen tornadoes in person before twice but just the video of the tornadoes that hit Tuscaloosa (a city I lived in off and on for several years so I know it pretty well) was more terrifying than the real ones I saw (which were small and at a distance). The one that hit the Tuscaloosa shopping mall, which is a medium sized mall, was damned near as wide as the mall itself- I've never seen one that size.

My sister is in Tuscaloosa now, sleeping on a church floor at night, which I'm very proud of her for- she delivered generators and lots of food collected where she lives on the coast- and says that water is the major need in the place at the moment. This is corroborated by a friend of mine who lives there got only mild damage at her house and even kept her electricity and cable through it all but her water is undrinkable and such is the case in many neighborhoods.


Even though I haven't lived there in almost 5 years it's weird seeing footage of many buildings I knew well and drove by everyday that are now just rubble. It's also always weird with tornadoes and hurricanes when you see a house that's been torn into 50,000 pieces but a vase filled with silk flowers is still on a dresser unmoved.

Tuscaloosa is not the only place hit of course. One of my co-workers lost a 5 year old cousin in a small town 40 miles north of Montgomery (my grandmother's hometown of Eclectic- which is incidentally the least likely city to be named Eclectic you'll ever see) and the small cities of Cullman and Arab were hit hard as were several rural areas. We get tornadoes every year but not like this.

[MEBuckner]

Just a few hours ago I happened to be on the way home from a road trip and was coming in from U.S. 78 East headed towards Interstate 20, right at the Birmingham city limits. Before that, there had been the occasional highway sign bent in two or the odd patch of trees broken off halfway up, but right at that spot I really understood the meaning of that journalistic cliche, the "swath of destruction". Pretty much a straight line, back as far as you could see on both sides of the road: Trees broken in half like toothpicks with their branches torn off, power and telephone lines lying on the ground, houses with their roofs torn off, other houses just demolished, a billboard crumpled up like a piece of paper; and cars parked all along the side of the road with people standing there looking at the destruction--probably many of them the people who had lived in those houses.

And I understand Tuscaloosa was hit even harder. Very sobering.

[starwarsfreek42]

I have family in Phil Campbell but due to recent surgery I can't assist in clean-up right now, so thank you from the bottom of my heart for helping out!

You are so welcome, and I hope that your family is safe.

[Harmonious Discord]

This is the first day I had time to look in here. I'm glad nobody here has so far been reported seriously injured. I wish you guys the best. I haven't even had time to look at any footage on this storm, so this thread is my news report.

[Ann Onimous]

We're in prayer for all affected by the tornados. NinetyWt is right: I'm in MS. We did have a large piece of plywood bounce off our house and into our backyard during our tornado: the path was just a quarter mile from my house. The devastation is still unbelievable.

Sorry we haven't checked in before now: I got a promotion at work and started my new job this week, so things have been hectic and a little tiring!

[Oslo Ostragoth]

This is the first day I had time to look in here. I'm glad nobody here has so far been reported seriously injured. I wish you guys the best. I haven't even had time to look at any footage on this storm, so this thread is my news report.

I posted some links to video upthread.

[Larry Borgia]

Best wishes to Southern dopers. The pictures and stories are appalling. It doesn't seem real.

[Spoke]

My mother's hometown of Ringgold, Georgia got wiped out. Painful to see all the places you know so well, businesses you've entered a thousand times...erased.

Luckily, no family members were injured. Just property damage.

(And scraps of paper from Alabama have been falling from the sky up that way.)

[NinetyWt]

(And scraps of paper from Alabama have been falling from the sky up that way.)

There's a FB page devoted to trying to reunite people with their lost photos/documents here (http://www.facebook.com/PicturesandDocumentsfoundafterAprilTornadoes?sk=wall). Please pass that along.

Harmonious: Thank you. :)

[Shayna]

Is it me just feeling grief-stricken, or is anyone else irritated that this thread is mostly Southerners, with very few other Dopers offering so much as a kind word for what was, after all, an historic catastrophe and a monumental loss of life? I only just now saw this thread. My heartfelt sympathies go out to everyone in the area. There's not a lot I can do while unemployed and living in California except let everyone know they're in our hearts and prayers.

. . .a friend of mine who lives there got only mild damage at her house and even kept her electricity and cable through it all but her water is undrinkable and such is the case in many neighborhoods. If they still have a standing water heater, the water that's stored in there might still be potable. That would be 40-50 gallons worth. There's a spigot near the bottom they can open to find out. If it's still drinkable, they should shut off the valve that feeds new water into it, so as not to contaminate it.

[Sampiro]

My mother's hometown of Ringgold, Georgia got wiped out. Painful to see all the places you know so well, businesses you've entered a thousand times...erased

A freaky thing about that is that Ringgold is not a tornado area at all- it's in the (not sure if it's tall hills or small mountains there) and until a few years ago NEVER got tornadoes. Is your mom's family okay?

[starwarsfreek42]

Oh, you guys. I just got back from the Phil Campbell/Hackleburg/Hodges/Hamilton area. It is wrecked like nothing I've ever seen before. The houses are just gone, and the ground is littered with the debris of broken glass and splintered wood and mangled sheets of siding. We dropped off our supplies but were turned away from Phil Campbell because they needed people with chainsaws and stuff. We went to Hodges, which is a town that has one gas station, one grocery store and one school. Or had, I should say. There is nothing but piles of broken rubble along the sides of the road, including tons and tons of mangled trees. We stopped by a field full of smashed cars that had been picked up and carried there by the tornadoes and my friend found a corpse. At this point we were instructed to evacuate because there are more storms headed this way and they don't want extra people milling around, so we headed back home. We stopped in a couple of places to hand out cold drinks and check the weather for people who were working. We didn't actually get to help out that much due to being evacuated at 3 o'clock, but we are talking about going back later in the week.

X-posted to another board.

[Spoke]

There's a FB page devoted to trying to reunite people with their lost photos/documents here (http://www.facebook.com/PicturesandDocumentsfoundafterAprilTornadoes?sk=wall). Please pass that along.

Yes, I've noticed that Facebook page. Thanks.

A freaky thing about that is that Ringgold is not a tornado area at all- it's in the (not sure if it's tall hills or small mountains there) and until a few years ago NEVER got tornadoes. Is your mom's family okay?

The family's OK, thanks. Just a lot of blown out windows and downed trees. Only one of my distant relatives was in the direct path, and she lost all her windows. I suspect her business may have been destroyed but I don't know about that yet. Anyway, she's safe and sound.

Those hills won't stop tornadoes, Sampiro. They just make it harder to see them coming. Years ago when we lived in Chattooga County, south of Ringgold, a tornado came right across Taylor's Ridge and destroyed a bunch of homes on the other side. I've also known tornadoes to plow into the northwest side of Lookout Mountain and then go right along the top, destroying homes on the ridge.

I notice that one of the Alabama towns wiped out was Rainsville, right up on top of Sand Mountain. Then Trenton, Georgia, got hit-- on the other side of Sand Mountain (and down in the valley).

[Morgyn]

Video of the tornado. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ohIVzIZLuQ&feature=player_embedded) Insane.That is .. horrifying. Awful. I am beyond words.

[Shayna]

Oh, you guys. I just got back from the Phil Campbell/Hackleburg/Hodges/Hamilton area. It is wrecked like nothing I've ever seen before. The houses are just gone, and the ground is littered with the debris of broken glass and splintered wood and mangled sheets of siding. We dropped off our supplies but were turned away from Phil Campbell because they needed people with chainsaws and stuff. We went to Hodges, which is a town that has one gas station, one grocery store and one school. Or had, I should say. There is nothing but piles of broken rubble along the sides of the road, including tons and tons of mangled trees. We stopped by a field full of smashed cars that had been picked up and carried there by the tornadoes and my friend found a corpse. At this point we were instructed to evacuate because there are more storms headed this way and they don't want extra people milling around, so we headed back home. We stopped in a couple of places to hand out cold drinks and check the weather for people who were working. We didn't actually get to help out that much due to being evacuated at 3 o'clock, but we are talking about going back later in the week.

X-posted to another board. You and your friend are angels for going out to help. I'm so sorry your friend had to stumble upon one of the deceased. Did you notify the authorities so they could collect the remains and notify family?

Governor Bentley is asking anyone who isn't with an organization to register if they want to provide assistance. MONTGOMERY - The volunteer and donations response in the wake of the April 27 deadly tornado outbreak in the state of Alabama has been tremendous. Governor Robert Bentley encourages volunteers to use Alabama’s Statewide 2-1-1 Volunteer Call Center.

Alabama’s Statewide 2-1-1 Volunteer Call Center is a 24/7 volunteer and donations hotline that provides an opportunity for people to connect to available volunteer and donation options. By calling 2-1-1 (in the state of Alabama or toll free 1-888-421-1266) or visiting www.servealabama.gov, individuals can register to volunteer or provide a financial donation to the Governor’s Emergency Relief Fund.

All volunteers not affiliated with an organization should register with 2-1-1. Once registered, volunteers will receive notifications of volunteer opportunities across the state.

http://www.governor.alabama.gov/news/news_detail.aspx?ID=5004 Good luck and G-d bless.

[Gleena]

Ogre, sorry. Didn't see the thread till now or I might have commented.

Anyway, my old Grandaddy shook his fist at the storm and called it names and it didn't hit him. He's in Raymond, MS. Quick peek at friends FB in Starkville and they are fine, my Grandmother's library in Terry is still standing, but there was flooding nearby (same storm or different one did that, I dunno - I admit to not paying full attention.) All my Jackson/Clinton/Ridgeland/Brandon MS friends are ok, too, of course.

It was all over the news on the Sydney Morning Herald, though. It's quite sad, I do feel for people who lost their homes and lives. We lost our trailer in the 70s in Clinton MS in a tornado, the roof came off but Daddy had thrown me in the bathtub and pulled my new puppy in, too, and got in with me and threw a matress over us. Storm hit about half a minute later. I was really little so I don't remember a lot except that I was glad to have my puppy.

Don't have to be a big fan of the South to feel sorrow at what happened.

[MsWhatsit]

Count me in with those who are just now seeing the thread. I've been following the coverage on this ever since it happened. It's just unbelievable. My heart really goes out to the people in the affected areas. Tornadoes are one of my worst nightmares.

[artemis]

I do wish this event was getting more news coverage. The sheer level of destruction is hard to wrap my mind around.

Time for a large Red Cross donation, I think. Sadly, there's not much else those of us who don't live in the affected areas can do to help. God, I hate tornadoes!

[starwarsfreek42]

It's been shoved more out of the way by Osama bin Laden's death. Not surprising. Although it occurs to me that the neighboring counties that are still in the dark probably have not heard the news.

[Rilchiam]

What MAJORLY pissed me off is that 300 people died in tornadoes in the tri-state area (mostly in Alabama) and it was relegated to a scroll for the fucking royal wedding.

I understand your frustration, but that's not the same as no one caring at all. The tornado was no longer breaking news when the wedding day dawned; it was still new news, developing news, but it's not as if the tornado happened during the wedding and was ignored. Whether you think it's fair/right/moral or not, the fact is that the US news channels had already paid for the broadcast rights, had sent their crews, had paid to send their crews, and had accepted being unable to sell ad time even though the viewing numbers were going to be huge. As such, they had to give precedence to the scheduled event until the scheduled event was over. I saw plenty of tornado-aftermath coverage in the evening, even before the wedding hoopla had fully died down.

[Ogre]

In a very strange confluence of recent news and pop culture, Charlie Sheen visited Tuscaloosa. While there, he bought and donated $7,000 worth of batteries. He also gave a bit of an interview, in which he seems uncharacteristically sober, humble, and human. He is planning to come back to host a celebrity benefit.

Good on him. The help will be much appreciated.

The local news spot on the visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYL-ACMG_Eo

[Shayna]

In a very strange confluence of recent news and pop culture, Charlie Sheen visited Tuscaloosa. While there, he bought and donated $7,000 worth of batteries. He also gave a bit of an interview, in which he seems uncharacteristically sober, humble, and human. He is planning to come back to host a celebrity benefit.

Good on him. The help will be much appreciated.

The local news spot on the visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYL-ACMG_Eo Wow. He did seem very normal. I hope he stays that way! And good on him for helping out. I wish I had the resources.

[Ogre]

Because I'm not willing to let this thread go, have a look at this (http://media.al.com/spotnews/photo/503tornadojpg-74378895fa925c93.jpg). That's the northern half of the state of Alabama. Look at all the tornado paths lacing across the state. As of this morning, the total has been upgraded to 28 separate tornadoes.

Now take a look at the path widths for them. 0.8 miles. 0.75 miles. 1.25 miles. 1.5 miles. The list goes on and on.

Absolutely horrifying.

[MsWhatsit]

The local call-in radio show today had on a survivor of the 1974 Xenia, Ohio tornado, and someone from the Weather Service. It was interesting (if horrifying). I had already heard that the recent Alabama outbreak was the largest tornado outbreak in the history of the US - previously, that Xenia outbreak had held the record - but I didn't realize that there were nearly twice as many tornadoes this time. That's...jaw-dropping.

[Ogre]

The local call-in radio show today had on a survivor of the 1974 Xenia, Ohio tornado, and someone from the Weather Service. It was interesting (if horrifying). I had already heard that the recent Alabama outbreak was the largest tornado outbreak in the history of the US - previously, that Xenia outbreak had held the record - but I didn't realize that there were nearly twice as many tornadoes this time. That's...jaw-dropping.Good lord. :eek:

[aruvqan]

Seriously, it is a huge disaster. Think of pretty much an entire state reduced like San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake ... [though not as much fire, thankfully.]

Have they got a more current cost estimate? Last one I heard was a couple days ago.

And have they any idea if this intensity is going to keep up throughout the entire tornado season :confused:

[Ogre]

Seriously, it is a huge disaster. Think of pretty much an entire state reduced like San Francisco after the 1906 earthquake ... [though not as much fire, thankfully.]

Have they got a more current cost estimate? Last one I heard was a couple days ago.

And have they any idea if this intensity is going to keep up throughout the entire tornado season :confused:I doubt it. Tornadoes are always a risk in the Spring, but a "perfect" system like this is normally a once-every-few-decades event. However, I should point out that it's like flood estimates - "unlikely" is a statistical term. The same atmospheric conditions could set up the exact same way next week, for all we know.

[MsWhatsit]

OK, from Wiki:
The Super Outbreak of April 3–4, 1974 spawned 148 confirmed tornadoes across eastern North America and resulted in the second highest death toll (319) for a tornado outbreak in the United States.[citation needed] Not only did it produce an exceptional number of tornadoes, but it was also an inordinately intense outbreak producing dozens of large, long-track tornadoes, including 7 F5 and 23 F4 tornadoes. More significant tornadoes occurred within 24 hours than any other week in the tornado record.[5]

The April 25–28, 2011 tornado outbreak may have broken the Super Outbreak's record. NOAA reports that the outbreak produced approximately 305 tornadoes, with 190 of those in a single 24-hour period. 340 deaths have occurred in that same 24-hour time period. The outbreak has also helped smash the record for most tornadoes in the month of April with around 600 tornadoes, more than double the prior record (267 in April of 1974). The overall record for a single month was 542 in May of 2003, which may also be broken.

The Xenia survivor on the radio, by the way, said that he can't even watch coverage from Alabama because it hits too close to home for him. He said it was really similar to what he remembered, "like a nuclear bomb had gone off."

[Eleanor of Aquitaine]

Because I'm not willing to let this thread go, have a look at this (http://media.al.com/spotnews/photo/503tornadojpg-74378895fa925c93.jpg). That's the northern half of the state of Alabama. Look at all the tornado paths lacing across the state. As of this morning, the total has been upgraded to 28 separate tornadoes.

Now take a look at the path widths for them. 0.8 miles. 0.75 miles. 1.25 miles. 1.5 miles. The list goes on and on.

Absolutely horrifying.Number 6 came very close to me, and hit a subdivision a few miles to the north. My neighborhood had a lot of damage from trees, and a house in a nearby subdivision burned to the ground after the roof was hit by lightening. On a moonless night after the storms we stood in the street with neighbors and watched the glow of the fire a few blocks away.

Our power was out from Wednesday morning to Monday morning, and my workplace in Research Park only got power last night. One of my co-workers lost his house to #10 - his wife and baby survived huddled in their bathroom, the only room that was left standing.

[gardentraveler]

I'm still horrified every time I see pictures of this; can't imagine what it's like to be there.

On public radio this afternoon (can't remember if it was ATC or Marketplace) they said that they were estimating that the costs of the damage in Alabama would exceed the costs of Katrina damage.

Really just wanted you to know that I've been following this thread and thinking about all of you.

[Oslo Ostragoth]

The thing that kicks my gut is the volume of debris. Disposing of it will be a nightmare on top of a hell of a lot of hard work.

[ShelliBean]

Today I picked my friend up since her car was destroyed (the one I had mentioned in Smithville, one of the many towns that were completely wiped out). She's in that stage where it's pretty much all she talks about and she gets teary eyed every once in a while, and I can tell things are strained between her and her husband. But she's excited because we are graduating this weekend and, being a religious sort, has decided that between the total destruction of her house and learning the previous week that upon graduation her company would not be keeping her, that this is a sign for her to start over. She's doing ok, but of course, today was the first Wednesday of the month - the day they test the weather sirens. I know they have to test them, but damn. I sure do wish for the victims that it hadn't been on the first week back after the storm. I am consistently amazed at the levels in one's life that destruction can reach.

On a lighter note - when we were doing clean-up it was nice to see so many helping in the community. As I hauled the remains of what had to be a 500000 lb. kitchen table some random girls came up and gave me cold gatorade. We passed multiple stands with signs out for "free hot food" and "free drinks" and such. We didn't even have to go far to find a bathroom! I hate this happened to people, but seeing the goodness of people warms my heart a bit.

Of course, you always end up with people like this. (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110504/ap_on_re_us/us_southern_tornadoes)

[Oslo Ostragoth]

Of course, you always end up with people like this. (http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110504/ap_on_re_us/us_southern_tornadoes)

Depressing, and, at the same time, infuriating.

[Harmonious Discord]

This thread needs to stay afloat. Any updates.

[Cadence]

I am in middle Georgia. About 1am I was asleep on the couch when my sister woke my up dragging me into the bathroom. Just as we got in I heard a train go by the house except we don't have train tracks. It was just a roar. Unbelievable to be in the midst of something I had only heard about. It jumped over our house but neighbors were killed, and others somehow survived houses turned into rubble. You drive through a neighborhood and can't see where the Brown's house was or the place I took piano lessons or the car repair shop. I am upset and still frightened and sickened to know how they died, what they experienced. I want to go home and I will tomorrow.

[Sampiro]

I spent most of yesterday in Tuscaloosa and all I can say is "Damn". 15th Street (very busy business area on one side and lower middle class neighborhood on t he other) looks like a 2 mile long anvil dropped on it- lots of fast food places, an apartment complex, a large shopping center, and streets and streets of frame houses are just a gigantic junkyard. It really does look like a bombing raid. In one of the neighborhoods there's also the unmistakable smell of decomposition that I hope is from animals.

I want to post the pictures of the donated clothing at the relief shelter to my facebook with a plea for people to STOP COLLECTING CLOTHES. They not only don't need them, they can't handle them- there's a mountain of the damned things with people dropping off more every few minutes, some of them even though they were specifically asked not to when they called for directions. (One bitch was all cornfield attitude about it: "I got five- hundred pounds of clothes in my SUV and I need 'em out and I cain't git 'em out by myself!!!", this to volunteers who were busy unloading a truckload of Anheuser Bush water with a forklift but not fast enough for Witchiepoo's charitable patience.)

The clothing that's been moved inside- some of it nice, some of it disgraceful, most in between- reminds you a lot of the scenes from Schindler's List. There is literally TONS AND TONS AND TONS of it in the warehouse (a large empty building that's been donated) and many times that outside in garbage bags and laundry bins and boxes and sometimes just stacked loose.

[NinetyWt]

Sampiro, the same thing happened on the Mississippi coast after Katrina. The best thing people can donate is money. It's portable and won't spoil. Give your clothes to the Salvation Army.

[Sauron]

Sorry not to have responded before now -- Aries28 and I, along with our families, came through fine. Aries28 has been volunteering for the past several weekends in Pratt City while I watch the kids at home and try to keep up with the housework.

It's still amazing to see the amount of damage, almost four weeks later.

[Oslo Ostragoth]

Joplin, Missouri, looks as bad, if not worse, tonight.

Panorama shot (http://occip.it/pt51c7s3).

I shudder to think what the final death toll will be.

[Harmonious Discord]

Sampiro, the same thing happened on the Mississippi coast after Katrina. The best thing people can donate is money. It's portable and won't spoil. Give your clothes to the Salvation Army.

Yes! I could have used some hip waders for clothes a few years ago, but those weren't there. Keep the used clothes and give money for purchasing what people need in new not ready to break down condition. You need dependable equipment that is right for you and what you are doing. Money people it's what to donate. Clothes are for when you find your neighbor without them the day of a disaster.