Storms

[Shalon Casbin]

So I am in Alabama, Birmingham to be exact. An F-4 or F-5 at least mile wide tornado struck here yesterday in the late afternoon. Early morning a few tornadoes came through, and we spent 5am-8am in the basement. Schools started late and were forced to send students home at 10:30 due to the large tornado coming later.

 

Family in Mississippi had the barn collapse on the tractor, lots of trees are down. Friends and family in Mississippi and Alabama have lost their homes, we have people staying with us now. The death count this morning after the early morning and night of storms is currently 208 just in this state. President Obama is flying in tomorrow and the Nation Guard has been called in.

 

It looks like a bomb went off in the northern part of town...houses that used to be there are just gone now. Tuscaloosa got hit where Alabama University is located...the businesses along the main road aren't there anymore. A friend texted me a picture earlier of her house, its sitting on its side crushed, the foundation the only thing left of where it used to be.

 

It's estimated near 1,000,000 people are without power state wide, and we were not the only state hit, although our death tolls are the highest. Power to parts of the state are expected to be out for anywhere between 7 and 14 days. Gas stations are all closed due to the destruction, and no one can get gas to leave or go search. The gas stations around my house sold out of gas late today. Some people in the smaller towns are stuck without gas stations or open food stores, due to them having no power.

 

I have never seen anything like this, and I hope I never do again. I'm checking in to say I am okay, and here; but I'll be traveling back and forth to Mississippi soon and will be slightly inactive. Please keep us in your thoughts, they are still searching for the dead and haven't begun the clean up yet, it's looking like this is going to be a very long recovery process.

[Zosime]

I live in Birmingham as well (Helena/Bessemer to be exact). We're all fine. We have friends and family in Tuscaloosa and Pleasant Grove, they are all fine and no major damage (though one of our friend's husband's place of work in Tuscaloosa was completely destroyed).

 

These are photo's taken of the tornadoes that hit Tuscaloosa and Birmingham- actually it's the same tornado.

 

Tuscaloosa:

 

Birmingham:

 

 

Please keep our state and the surrounding states in your thoughts and prayers.

[Talya]

I heard about this. I'm so glad to hear that you guys are okay. Sorry to hear all the damage, I'd also heard there were loss of lives.

 

My thoughts go out to both of you and anyone else in that area. Keep us informed.

 

Take care guys!

[Shalon Casbin]

As of 5am Friday,4/29/11 Alabama reported that more than 400,000 people are still without power, more than when Hurricane Katrina hit. Between Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi and Arkansas(i think) there are still over 1 million people without power. I haven't looked at the death tolls today, though there were still people calling and reporting missing people to radio stations at 6 AM today.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBnisypTrzM&feature=player_embedded

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6giQ3csbUg&feature=related

 

Zosime I am near Hoover/ Pelham/ Vestavia area. Bluff Park was hit pretty bad a lot of homes are damaged. Near the Galleria my friends parents had there house deemed unlivable due to structural damage. We had a lot of fallen trees near the house, and downed power lines. No one in my neighborhood lost there homes, thankfully.

 

Hope everything is alright for you as well; I drove to the airport and dropped my mom off this morning, I drove north a bit on 78, there are a lot of trees down and beat up cars and homes.

 

You can read more here.

[Talmanes]

I'm glad you guys are okay! I hope things go a bit better from here, and that they start getting things back in order.