Alabama Storms

 

The tornado of March 1, 2007 bearing down on Enterprise.  The Enterprise photos on this page came from the Dothan Eagle website.  Linda Methvin Smith has sent us a link to ALDOT photos of the damage done by this funnel.  CLICK HERE

 Yesterday's storms in South Alabama and here in West Central Alabama were terrible, particularly in Enterprise.  About mid-morning, my computer's e-mail annunciator "pinged," and I read Sherri Baker's announcement from the Office of Superintendent of Sheffield City Schools that the schools were being closed due to the oncoming storms.  Luckily, about the worst damage in the Shoals area was the loss of a carport off a house in Lauderdale county and some flooding.  We, in West Central Alabama listened to James Spann describe "circulation" after "circulation" coming across downtown Tuscaloosa and the University of Alabama, Northport, Holt, Samantha and just about every community in this area.  I was appalled to hear one of the weathercasters say that low level straight-line winds were shearing off the tornadoes that tried, but failed, to touch ground.  His tone of voice had disappointment in it!

 

Med-Evac helicopters from Fr. Rucker at Enterprise High School.

The Enterprise High School parking lot

 This thousand miles long megastorm did damage to more than just Alabama, but our state got more than enough destruction--and death.  It is especially poignant that the high school in Enterprise was in the cross-hairs . . . . reminding those of us in the Class of 1956 of that tornado that interrupted the Scottsboro basketball game on that night exactly 51 years, 2 weeks ago.  If you read Zecora Wilcutt Sanders' story of that night, you realize how fortunate the crowd in the Sheffield High gym was to have Coach Wright frantically opening windows to allow air pressure to equalize so the roof wouldn't be lifted and dropped on the crowd (or was the steel better, the twister smaller, or what?).

 

Debris, piled-up cars, and downed trees at Enterprise High

This is 4 of about 60 trees that were felled by the April 28, 2005 Fujita Zero tornado in Lake Crest, Tuscaloosa.  Note how lucky we were--they missed the house.  We were sleeping in the bedroom in the upper level.

 

 On April 28, 2 years ago, Georgia and I got our taste of a tornado passing right over our home in the middle of the night--a measly F0 twister, for heaven's sake!  We awakened to a tree top crashing into the bathroom window, constant flashing of lightening, and the ratta-tat-tat explosions of breaking trees that sounded like automatic rifle fire (or the fusillades of Tuscaloosa police target practice that we hear all the time, as their firing range is less than a mile away.  Take a look at the downed trees!  The tree guy hauled out 50 or 60 of the larger ones and changed my back and side yard landscape from forest to meadow.  Even today, the ravines next to our lot are filled with the rotting carcasses of large trees that they couldn't reach.  Don't you dare read of a minor tornado and think that it is insignificant!

What is it about this time of year?  Is it the warm, humid Gulf air and the arctic express cold fronts?  They say this is the start of the tornado season.  Here in Alabama, it seems to be exceptionally likely that we will bring March in "like a lion."  Come to think of it, maybe living in the northland with the snowdrifts isn't so bad after all.

This was the 30" dia. pine that was on top of 5 similar trees that took out the grandchildren's play fort.

You can see the path of the so-called "little twister" best in the wintertime.  This view is out of our bedroom window, and those are 18" to 30" diameter oaks and pines lying on the 45 ° slopes of the ravine that separates the homes of Lake Vista Drive from those of Lake Cove Circle.  I count over 20 on my neighbors' slope, and I can't even see most of those on my side.