A wave of tornado-spawning storms strafed the South on Wednesday, splintering buildings across hard-hit Alabama.
Posted on 04/28/2011 12:00:03 AM PDT by dragnet2
Deadly tornadoes, thunderstorms tore through the south Wednesday killing more than 70 people in four states.
This is latest round of storms to hit the region over past several days.
At least 77 deaths are being blamed on the severe weather, according to the Associated Press.
The majority of those deaths were reported in Alabama with 61 people killed – including 15 in the city of Tuscaloosa alone.
Mayor Walter Maddox confirmed that 15 people died Wednesday in Tuscaloosa, Ala., a city of approximately 180,000 leveled by an estimated mile-wide tornado.
A tornado moves through Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Wednesday, April 27, 2011. A wave of severe storms laced with tornadoes strafed the South on Wednesday, killing dozens of people around the region and splintering buildings across swaths of an Alabama university town.
"I'm in my car at corner on McFarland. Milo's Hamburgers isn't there anymore," Tuscaloosa resident Phil Owen told ABC News affiliate WBMA.
"We have way over 100 injuries throughout the city of Tuscaloosa," Mayor Maddox said Wednesday. "We have hundreds of homes and businesses destroyed and hundreds more damaged."
Maddox said the National Guard were being dispatched to devastated areas across the state the Associated Press reported.
President Obama declared a state of emergency for the search and rescue response in Alabama, and Gov. Robert Bentley told WBMA he expected him to declare another one to help pay for the cleanup.
In confirming the state of emergency, President Obama said federal officials had their eye on the storms and would offer help as needed.
"Michelle and I extend our deepest condolences to the families of those who lost their lives because of the tornadoes that have swept through Alabama and the southeastern United States," he said in a written statement.
August said the damage and destruction from on Wednesday's severe weather has left some Alabama residents with no place to go.
"We are opening shelters throughout the state to make sure folks who have nowhere to go, tonight, will have somewhere to go, out of the weather," said August.
Fatalities in Georgia, Mississippi
Crystal Paulk-Buchanan, a spokeswoman for Georgia emergency management in Atlanta, said four people have been killed so far.
In addition, at least 11 were dead in Mississippi, ABC News confirmed.
at least one person killed in Tennessee Wednesday.
The weather system was expected to move into Georgia, Tennessee and Kentucky overnight and into the Carolinas by Thursday morning.
At 220 miles, that passes the old record longest track 219 miles in Mar 18-19, 1925.
1932 tornado killed over 300 in Alabama.
1974 Super Outbreak had 148 tornadoes in 13 states.
Yesterday had 215 reports in 10 states. Latest death toll 194 (36 in Tuscaloosa).
Red Cross had 2700 in shelter last night - largest since Katrina.
Meanwhile, Texas is fighting the largest wildfire in Texas history (292739 acres = 457 square miles, 66% contained) in the Davis Mountains.
I've been in my share of violent storms but I have never seen anything comparable to what hit the Knoxville area last night. The only word I can find to describe the constant display of electricity in this storm(s) is, "surreal".
Will THE 1 make any kind of statement about these tragedies? The Bushes did when it happened on their watches. Clinton did when it happened on his watch.
I'm surprised he said anything at all. Still waiting on word from him, or an offer of assistance, for the Texas wildfires. Perhpaps like you said, the body count has to reach a certain number for 0bama to respond.
“I shouldn’t be so bitter about this president, should I?”
////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////
He’s bitter about you and they always told me that turnabout is fair play.
He ignored the Nashville flood. It's a southern tragedy and there aren't any black folks standing on roofs so I'll be surprised if he says anything.
He heard about all of the golf courses that got wiped out.
There were three dead along Miller Rd. next to Lake Martin. One touched down on Mt. Hebron Rd. next door to one of our relatives (they're OK). The church that the family built (which we visited) is gone.
I would be interesting to see what THE 1 would do in an exact duplication of Hurricane Katrina. NOLA still has a large population of “his people”. How fast would Ø react to a repeat of Katrina? I hope it doesn’t happen but it’s a “what if” question.
I would = It would. Ooops. Haven’t had any coffee yet.
Prayers and more prayers for everyone going through this Markos. Thank the Lord you and your family are alright. Stay safe. Can not believe the pictures throughout the South they’re showing on the news. Devastating.
Is there any corelation between the strenght of the tornado ( F1, F2, etc) the size ( diameter) and the time on the ground?
I wonder if Obama will do anything about this devastation....or even mention it?
Not a professional meteorologist, but have studied my entire life.
The answer is: Generally, but not even close to always. There have been plenty of cases of wildly violent ropes and lumbering lazy day wedges to not allow it to be a rule of thumb.
Most of the time it is your good judgement. Concentrate more on debris, how much, and how violently the system ‘appears’ to be spinning. Better rule of thumb.
Strength is determined by results. Not during the event, like hurricanes or earthquakes.
“a city of approximately 180,000 leveled by an estimated mile-wide tornado”
What? Where are the pictures? What the hell?
Jeez, my eyes are going. I first thought the title in the sidebar read:
Deadly Tomatoes: 77 Killed Across South
Sadly, we are now both wrong. The death toll from Eclectic is now at 5. I just heard it on the local radio news driving into work. Damnit.
A wave of tornado-spawning storms strafed the South on Wednesday, splintering buildings across hard-hit Alabama.
Wasteland: Overnight tornadoes leave part of Pratt City, a suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, in ruins. Houses were reduced to rubble while cars were tossed about like toys before being slammed into the ground by the deadly twisters Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1381398/US-storms-Death-toll-leaps-85-Obama-declares-state-emergency.html#ixzz1Kpg2u6xS
Where is the President!!!
Obama’s Katrina and he is off fund raising in NYC. Can you imagine if Bush was in office or any other Republican...
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