April 27, 2011

One week ago today our state and the rest of the Southeast was hit with deadly tornados. I've wanted to do a post on this but just didn't know where to start. The stories I hear and the pictures I see make my heart break. Thankfully my family is safe as well as my house and my friends. However, some are not so lucky. The destruction the tornados did is just unreal. Here are the stats for the storms as of today (information from the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration website):

There were 305 tornados that crossed the South from 8:00 a.m. on April 25, 2011 to April 28, 2011.
There were 340 fatalities during the 24 hour period from 8:00 April 27th to 8:00 a.m. April 28th. 236 of those deaths were here in Alabama. This just breaks my heart.
The tornado that came through Tuscaloosa and then hit parts of Birmingham had a maximum width of 1 1/2 miles and it's track was 80 miles long.

This was the deadliest tornado outbreak since 1955. Again my heart just breaks!

I have to say the support and response I have seen across our state and the United States for that matter is AMAZING. Within hours after it was over the outreach of people to help their families, friends or even people they didn't know is AMAZING. It will take a long time before the areas that were hit recover, although they will never fully recover. Buildings, houses, and businesses can be replaced but the lives lost will never be replaced. I know I will never forget that day! Please continue to keep all of these people who lost loved ones in your prayers.

The first 2 pictures are a friend of a friends parent's house in Pleasant Grove. They were unharmed thankfully! The rest of the pictures are various images you can find online about the path of destruction.











Morgan