Ala. tornado leaves 1 dead, at least 30 hurt
Birmingham area twister ‘like a bomb went off’
Residents of the northern suburbs of Birmingham, Alabama, were picking up the pieces Tuesday after a devastating tornado ripped through the area the night before, killing a teen huddled in his basement and leaving at least 30 people injured.
Several of the teen’s family members were critically injured when a tree fell on their Fultondale home and caused the house to collapse. “They were doing what they were supposed to be doing,” Fultondale Police Chief D.P. Smith said.
The teenager killed was a 14-year-old student in ninth grade, according to Jefferson County Superintendent Walter Gonsoulin, adding that other students may have lost their homes and the high school also sustained severe damage.
The tornado left a 10-mile swath of destruction from Fultondale, a Jefferson County city 8 miles north of Birmingham, to Center Point. Much of the area sustained severe damage from a bigger tornado a decade before.
A preliminary report from the National Weather Service estimated wind speeds from Monday’s tornado were at least 135 mph.
Tim Herring said he and his wife, Patti, had little notice the tornado was coming, so they ran to the bathroom and covered up inside the tub with towels. A couple of minutes later, their life had changed dramatically.
“We got out and my wife said we don’t have a roof,” he said. “I walked in the hallway and said we ain’t got no walls either. I said we’re lucky to be alive, Patti.”
Across the street from the Herrings, Jason Williams, his wife and two teenage daughters rode out the tornado in a basement shelter that sustained some damage.
The rest of the house was destroyed and Williams said it came down on them, trapping the family for about 20 minutes until neighbors came to the rescue. The Williamses survived with only bumps and bruises.
“Other than that, God had his mighty hands on us,” he said.
The twister was reported in Fultondale about 10:30 p.m. and unleashed extensive damage throughout the county, AccuWeather said. It toppled trees, smashed buildings and flipped cars and trucks, according to weather.com.
“It looks like a bomb went off,” Fultondale resident Sam Moerbe told AL.com. Fultondale Fire Chief Justin McKenzie said 18 of the 30 people injured have been hospitalized, and six people who were trapped were rescued.
“There are still people trapped in their homes that we are trying to access at this time,” Fultondale Mayor Larry Holcomb told WIAT Tuesday morning.
Injuries are minor to severe, said James Coker, the director of the Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency.
Other homes and buildings were damaged in the storm, including a Hampton Inn hotel, which sustained significant structural damage.
In images from the scene it looked as if the second floor of the motel was destroyed, weather.com said. Guests were taken by bus to another hotel.
A tweet from EMA said several schools would be closed Tuesday for both traditional and remote students, including Fultondale High, Center Point High and Clay-Chalkville High.
Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey tweeted Tuesday morning that “the people of Fultondale took a hard hit last night – I’m grieved over the loss of life, injuries, homes & damaged businesses. I offer my prayers & deepest sympathies & pledge the full support & resources our state has to offer.”
The National Weather Service said it will survey the damage to determine the tornado’s strength.