waltky
Wise ol' monkey
Alabama got hit hard...
Alabama cities hit by twisters as death toll rises
28 Apr.`11 - Tuscaloosa, Birmingham suburbs see damage from huge tornado
Alabama cities hit by twisters as death toll rises
28 Apr.`11 - Tuscaloosa, Birmingham suburbs see damage from huge tornado
Then the latest round of storms hit Alabama on Wednesday afternoon and evening, pushing the death toll much higher. The Associated Press said the toll in Alabama was at least 58. A count by msnbc.com that included county-by-county numbers from The Weather Channel and NBC station WAFF of Huntsville showed at least 62 dead. The storm system was predicted to move on through the Carolinas.
A giant tornado touched down near the Mississippi state line, then spent more than two hours on the ground tracking northeast. Local TV channels showed the black wedge cloud, estimated at a mile wide, moving through Tuscaloosa, then along Interstate 59 through Birmingham's northern suburbs and just missing the airport. The system then tracked into northwest Georgia. At least seven people were killed there. Two of those were in Ringgold, where up to 200 people were reported injured. Dade County. Sheriff Patrick Canon told NBC station WXIA that three people died in his county. He said his family's home was flattened.
Tuscaloosa's mayor said at least 16 people were killed there and "well over 100" injured. At least 11 people were confirmed dead in the towns of Concord and Pleasant Grove near Birmingham, according to Jefferson County Emergency Management officials. Injuries and structural damage were widespread there and in other suburbs of Birmingham, which has a metro population of 1 million. In Tuscaloosa, home to the University of Alabama, cars were tossed along a commercial street and dozens of stores were destroyed or damaged. Ambulances were seen rushing to the area after the storm passed. Video taken at the university showed a massive funnel cloud flinging huge pieces of debris through the air.
News footage showed paramedics lifting a child out of a flattened home there, with many neighboring buildings in the city of more than 77,000 also reduced to rubble. "It looks like somebody came through with a huge ax and cut the top off of everything. Just a big blade through that whole area," resident David Ikard was quoted as saying by Alabama Live. "That area is just total devastation."
More Deadly tornadoes devastate Alabama cities - Weather - msnbc.com