(Transcript) All You Can Do is Pray: The Tuscaloosa EF4

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[00:00:00] James Spann: If that continues on that track, this tornado could wind up approaching downtown Tuscaloosa. This is a large multiple vortex tornado. Uh, but if by chance you’re hearing me at the last minute on the radio, get into a safe place right now. Look at the debris. Look at the debris in that. This will be a day that will go down in state history.

[00:00:21] And all you can do is pray for those people.

[00:00:23] Kay: They say that when you hear a tornado coming, it sounds like a freight train. The whirling howling of the wind can sound like a jet engine revving to take off, only getting louder and louder the closer the impending twister draws to you, your home, and your family. April 27th, 2011 was already a day for the record books. Multiple EF 5 tornadoes have touched down by midday, with more EF 4 tornadoes having already occurred or about to occur, as their parent supercell fed on the ample energy found in the atmosphere. The time is now nearly 3 PM and the supercell that would go on to produce one of the most violent and well known tornadoes of the entire 2011 Super Outbreak begins taking shape in Newton County, Mississippi, getting ready to unleash something horrific on the people of Alabama in the coming hours. My name is Kay. I’m a certified interpretive guide by trade who specializes in teaching the public about the natural world. Today, we are going to take a look at the Tuscaloosa, Alabama, EF4 tornado, the stories of the people impacted, the recovery, and the context of their tornado in the wider outbreak, welcome to Rough Skies Ahead.

[00:01:24] Kay: This podcast contains graphic descriptions of injuries and destruction from natural disasters. Listener discretion is advised. I have already taken a deep dive into the meteorology of the outbreak as a whole in my first episode of the 2011 Super Outbreak series, which we are currently in the middle of. So, for those that want a more in depth look at the meteorology and science of the event, I encourage you to go back to that episode and check it out before you listen to this one. For those that want a brief synopsis, I like to give that during these tornado events so that we have at least a light understanding of what’s going on in the event proper. So to summarize, the 2011 Super Outbreak had all of the ingredients aligned perfectly to create a severe weather event that was going to be one for the history books. A cold front has dipped south from Kentucky into the deep south with a negatively tilted trough moving in from the west. To the south, a warm front is moving in to the north across the Gulf of Mexico, bringing with it warm, humid air. All these ingredients have collided to create a violent atmosphere with enough energy and instability to fuel thunderstorms from dawn to midnight, and this is exactly what happened on this day.

[00:02:44] Kay: I need to put the Tuscaloosa event into perspective before we start getting into the more gritty details. At the time of the outbreak, April 27th, 2011, Tuscaloosa was not a small town. It was a small city with a population of 185, 000 people, and it still remains a very large population today. Any tornado going through a town like this is going to be major, but in regards to the Tuscaloosa EF 4 particularly, we’re not talking about any tornado. We are talking about a borderline EF 5 tornado, the Finger of God, going through a very populated city. This is literally a worst case scenario for the residents of Tuscaloosa, a tornado with 190 mile per hour winds ripping through the heart of several cities. In the hours leading up to the tornado meteorologists are already intensely worried about the outbreak and how it will play out. The National Weather Service has been monitoring the atmosphere all day and in the days leading up to the event and have estimated that the city of Tuscaloosa has a 40 plus percent chance of seeing a tornado. This prompts the National Weather Service to reach out to Walter Maddox, mayor of Tuscaloosa at this time, to inform him and his teams of the tornado threat.

[00:03:50] Walter Maddox: National Weather Service notified me that Tuscaloosa had a 40 percent plus chance of being hit by a tornado. It’s important that we take heed of this and hopefully Tuscaloosa will come out unscathed, but it doesn’t hurt for us to be prepared and ready for what lies ahead in the next few hours. At that point, I decided to go ahead and activate the city’s incident command system, which is basically our emergency protocols.

[00:04:13] Kay: By activating the incident response plan, this meant that should the worst happen, EMS would already be prepared to render aid as needed. However, I don’t think anyone really thought that the reality of the situation would play out as badly as it would later on in the day. Making matters worse, in the hours before the Tuscaloosa tornado, the sun had come out and was shining bright and hot. For those unaware, prior to tornadic events, the sun being out early in the day is literally the worst case scenario. Meteorologically speaking, the sun coming out warms the ground and that rises and makes the atmosphere all the more unstable. It literally will help feed a thunderstorm. But also from a human perspective, it will lull those in the region into a false sense of security. Who would be thinking about tornadoes when the sun is out? Adding on to an already bad scenario, the two squall line thunderstorms from earlier in the day dropped multiple strong tornadoes, which did enough damage to impact the power grid in Alabama leaving a large swath of Alabama completely unable to receive warnings later on in the day when the main tornado event came to fruition. There is still some debate among experts today as to whether or not the loss of power was a direct causation of so many people losing their lives throughout this outbreak. This would include Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, but suffice it to say, without a way to receive warnings, even those residents who were weather aware wouldn’t always know when a storm was approaching and whether or not it was headed towards them specifically. Personally, I feel like it makes logical sense that a loss of power would potentially cause people to not get warnings, thereby not knowing that they were in danger. But I digress.

[00:05:45] Kay: So with all of that being said, we begin our look at the Tuscaloosa tornado, not in Alabama, but in Mississippi. A supercell has begun developing on radar in Newton County, Mississippi at approximately 3 PM. The cell is rapidly moving East, Northeast towards the Alabama border, feeding on the nearly 4, 000 joules per kilogram of CAPE in the atmosphere. Now that the storm has shown rotation on radar, the National Weather Service in Jackson, Mississippi issues the first tornado warning for the supercell. But it wouldn’t be until the cell crosses into Alabama that it gains enough strength to drop a monster. In rural Greene County in west central Alabama, an EF 0 tornado touches down merely miles from the Tuscaloosa County line, just west of Highway 208. It’s 4. 50 p. m. and storm chasers from ABC channels 33 and 40 are watching the wall cloud tighten, and now they can see the tornado trying to touch down.

[00:06:37] Kay: Now, while researching these kind of tornado events, I do like to go through and look at the damage surveys done, so I did take a look at the National Weather Service’s storm survey of the Tuscaloosa Tornado and found that the damage indicators in the first moments of the tornado’s life are honestly pretty scarce and not even listed on the official survey so I can’t really attest to the full strength of the tornado right as it touches down but we do know that the tornado does gain strength pretty quickly once it does finally touch down. As the tornado enters Tuscaloosa County, just north of County Road 60, the tornado strengthens to EF2 intensity, damaging trees, downing power lines, and causing structural damage to buildings and houses along the way. For the most part, the tornado stays in the rural parts of Greene and Tuscaloosa counties at this point in time. However, this is all about to change. The tornado is unimpeded, and with the ample energy available within the atmosphere, the tornado strengthens incredibly quickly, hitting low end EF4 strength as it crosses the Black Warrior River, thereby heading into the outskirts of the city of Tuscaloosa.

[00:07:39] Kay: The SkyCam streams capture something absolutely horrific. A large wedge tornado, which is a tornado that is wider than it is tall, is menacingly drawing closer to the city, getting progressively stronger and stronger as it moves. On air, meteorologists are desperately trying to get the public’s attention so people have time to take shelter before it is too late.

[00:07:58] James Spann: Uh, but if by chance you’re hearing me at the last minute on the radio, get into a safe place right now. Small underground if you can. No underground, first floor, small room, lowest floor, near the center, away from windows.

[00:08:10] Kay: The tornado now hits wind speeds of 170 miles per hour, and the tornado absolutely destroys multiple buildings before it crosses into Tuscaloosa proper. The buildings impacted here would include the Tuscaloosa Counter Emergency Operations Center. Moving farther into Tuscaloosa towards the northeast, the tornado would begin doing absolutely unfathomable damage. Several restaurants would be destroyed along 15th Street East and McFarland Boulevard East along with multiple apartment complexes and warehouses. It is here that we see our second section of EF4 damage on the official damage survey done by the National Weather Service in Birmingham. Progressing northeast into Cedar Crest, the cinder block homes here would be absolutely completely demolished. The tornado is now a low end EF4 tornado, but it’s still capable of tossing cars like they are toys, absolutely mangling them and destroying structures with every passing moment. I also need to draw attention to the fact that it is not just the fact that the tornado is drawing closer through the heart of downtown Tuscaloosa, but we are also getting closer and closer to the University of Alabama, which houses many thousands of students on campus, not all of which have adequate shelters. And this has become kind of a big deal on campus as well as people and students are now sheltering in their safe spots wherever they’re able to do so. And texting loved ones and letting them know that they love them and hopefully they will see them soon.

[00:09:37] Hey everyone, Kay here from Rough Skies Ahead and Chaser Chat. I wanted to give a quick shout out to the new Chaser Chat YouTube page, where you can find all your favorite episodes uploaded in video form with a transcription to follow along with. The link is in the podcast description. All right, back to the episode.

[00:10:01] Kay: Unfortunately for some of these students, the shelter would not be enough. And six University of Alabama students would end up losing their lives within the Tuscaloosa tornado. As the tornado continues further and further through the heart of Tuscaloosa, the tornado is now hitting more residential houses. All of which were well built, rendering, quote, almost total destruction of the top two stories. The tornado has progressed to the northeast of Tuscaloosa, moving on to collapse the roofs of multiple residential buildings, and at this point in time is now at an estimated wind speed of 175 miles per hour. The tornado is also now growing wider and wider and strengthening as it wreaks havoc on the residents of Tuscaloosa. By now, it is northeast of Tuscaloosa, moving through the small suburb of Holt. The story is just repeating itself over with each passing moment. Complete destruction of well built homes, homes being slabbed, trees being debarked to such a degree their limbs are mangled and they look like skeletons. All creating multiple swaths of EF4 damage within a mile of each other. It’s complete devastation and the worst case scenario for everybody seeing a tornado this strong going through the heart of a major city. The tornado continues on a northeast path through mostly rural areas and due to the very rural landscape the damage indicators here show a cap at EF3 strength with more debarking of trees being the EF3 damage indicators.

[00:11:23] Kay: We do see trees being uprooted at EF2 strength. as well as shingle and roof damage to homes in the path of the tornado, but nothing higher than EF3 damage. However, the monster tornado is still not done. After passing into Jefferson County, the tornado enters the extreme outskirts of Birmingham, in the suburb of Pleasant Grove. Here, we see minor damage to homes being done, just before the tornado regathers its strength to put on its final horrific show of brutality. The time is approaching 6 p. m. and the tornado has already been on the ground for over an hour. Entering Pleasant Grove, the tornado strengthens for the final time to EF 4 strength, slabbing homes, tossing cars, and debarking trees as it progresses closer and closer into the Birmingham metro area. However, the tornado would actually end up veering northward through the northern areas of Birmingham at EF 2 strength, where we would see mostly roof damage, damage to trees, and other commercial structures. The tornado is now weakening and will continue to weaken as it passes through these northern suburbs before finally dissipating two miles north of the town of Tarrant, just northeast of Fultondale. The terror of the monster Tuscaloosa EF4 is finally over. The tornado would leave the communities of Tuscaloosa and Birmingham reeling. 65 people were found to have lost their lives in the tornado, with a further 1, 500 total injuries.

[00:12:40] Kay: And again, I always need to explain this as seriously as possible. When I speak about injuries, I’m not talking minor cuts and bruises. I’m talking about major life altering wounds: broken bones, deep lacerations, eviscerations, amputations, in some cases penetrating injuries where debris literally goes through the victim like a bullet. It’s gruesome, heavy stuff that leaves life altering consequences for those injured and results in loss of independence, loss of work, disfigurement, and more. And those deaths? Those are people’s friends. Siblings, parents, grandparents. People who are important to the survivors who died in a horrific way. This isn’t even mentioning the mental health implications of the event, which left many with post traumatic stress. And I have to say that when I lived in Alabama, people would tell me about the event and how traumatized it left them. I had friends close to me that would tell me about their family members at the University of Alabama campus in Tuscaloosa. And the last thing they heard from the family member was that they could hear the tornado, they loved them, and then absolutely silence. This person I’m referring to is lucky. Their family member survived with no injuries, but I can’t imagine the terror in their hearts that day as they waited by the phone, not only waiting for their own tornado warning to occur, but waiting to find out if their family member was alive. It’s terrifying stuff.

[00:14:00] Kay: The tornado cut a nearly 81 mile path through Greene, Tuscaloosa and Jefferson Counties and remained on the ground for more than an hour. The maximum width of the tornado damage reached a mile and a half wide. The parent supercell also continued to produce strong to violent tornadoes throughout its entire lifespan, starting in Mississippi and ending in North Carolina. In total, the parent supercell would stay active for more than seven hours and drop multiple strong tornadoes every day. throughout its life. It became apparent early on that this was an incredibly violent tornado, which meant that damage surveyors were on the ground quickly, beginning to survey the damage to allow for accurate ratings. Taking on the burden would be the National Weather Service Birmingham office, with help from the Hoover Police Department, the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, and Alabama National Guard. Aerial and ground surveys found massive, extensive damage.

[00:14:48] Kay: There was some minor controversy surrounding the rating of the Tuscaloosa tornado as well. The damage found was, frankly, borderline EF 4, EF 5. Multiple damage indicators were found that could rank the tornado as an EF 4, a very high end EF 4, or a low end EF 5. Now, for context’s sake, that is anywhere between 170 ish miles an hour to 200 miles an hour, and 200 miles an hour plus. So, When you’re doing the math there, it can get a little bit fuzzy depending on what damage indicator you’re using. It was borderline. Eventually, the surveyors decided to categorize the Tuscaloosa Tornado as a high end EF 4 tornado with estimated wind speeds of 190 miles an hour. And with this wind speeds, the EF 5 rating could not be applied as those EF 5 tornadoes are rated for 200 miles an hour plus.

[00:15:35] Kay: President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama would visit the communities in Tuscaloosa on April 29th. President Obama had already declared a federal state of emergency in Alabama, which allowed for federal aid to be given to the state, but he would be quoted as saying he had never seen devastation like this. The tornado was estimated to have caused 2. 4 billion dollars in damage, surpassing the Bridge Creek Moore F5 tornado of May 3rd, 1999 as the costliest tornado in American history. It would, however, be a short lived title as mere weeks later, the Joplin EF5 tornado would cause 2. 8 billion dollars in damage. I will be covering that tornado eventually. I am just working on the 2011 Super Outbreak series right now, so Joplin will happen just give me some time.

[00:16:19] Kay: Recovery after a tornado of this magnitude is incredibly difficult. There was tons of debris that needed to be cleared in order to even begin the rebuilding process, and in the early days after the tornado, search and rescue was honestly the biggest priority to save the injured, locate the dead, and find those who were still missing. The people of Tuscaloosa were ready to meet the challenge of recovery though. Mayor Maddox would go on to say the people of the city didn’t wait. They took care of what was needed in their respective neighborhoods. Recovery began with clearing the rubble, accounting for the injured, missing, or dead, and getting the power restored to the areas affected. Alabama Power partnered with churches to provide housing for those who needed it, and partnered with NBA Cares to provide food and clothing for the victims of the tornado.

[00:17:01] Meanwhile, support from volunteers and community organizations further helped the recovery efforts. It would be a while before the rubble was cleared completely, but once it was, the rebuilding efforts came. Not only did the people of Tuscaloosa want to rebuild better, but they also wanted to rebuild safer and stronger. The areas affected by the tornado were largely lower income communities whose building codes were not up to date for modern construction standards. The destruction from the Tuscaloosa tornado brought forth the opportunity to update building and zoning standards within the storm’s path. This would be known as the Tuscaloosa Forward Generational Master Plan, which mainly affected businesses within the city, but also created new businesses to be built where there had once been residential neighborhoods bringing new commerce to the area and boosting the city’s economy.

[00:17:45] Kay: The residents of Tuscaloosa remarked that had the storm not happened, they would have continued to have to drive to Birmingham for some of the larger retailers that moved into the former Cedar Crest area, which is now known as the Legacy Park Shopping Center. It was not without controversy though. Allocating new zones for businesses and residential districts would bring vocal critics to the front lines. The criticisms were mainly due to the zoning changes and allocation of resources by business owners and residents who wanted to rebuild faster and have things go back to the way that they were.

[00:18:16] This was just not possible and the plan to update the codes moved forward. Tuscaloosa’s Commercial Corridor on 15th Street and McFarland Boulevard today houses restaurants, apartments, and large retail stores. Some residents were unfortunately unable to rebuild on their original land due to being home to a floodplain or the improper zoning with the new laws. This on its own caused conflicts with rebuilding the town. For a place like Tuscaloosa, some of these homes that had been destroyed were in a family for generations, and not being able to rebuild the home that these people grew up in and had been in for hundreds of years was hard on former residents.

[00:18:52] Kay: Recovery was also not without disparity, unfortunately. 12 percent of Tuscaloosa was destroyed, including areas with the most affordable housing, further contributing to a housing crisis that Tuscaloosa had already been in the middle of before the outbreak was even a blip on meteorologists radars. 10 percent of Tuscaloosa’s affordable housing was destroyed within the tornado. 70 percent of these residents were living on an income of less than 25, 000. And these victims were now left with nowhere to go. And they were unable to afford to move on. Some older residents were unable to bounce back, dying shortly after the tornado, having been considered essentially inadvertent deaths from the stress of having to rebuild from this disaster.

[00:19:30] Moreover, with the new zoning laws and businesses being able to build in Tuscaloosa, real estate companies, developers, and commercial lots would cause prices to skyrocket. Inadvertently pricing out the original residents of the area from being able to live where they once did. Where low income residences once stood, now are home to high end apartments for University of Alabama students, or simply residents with higher incomes than those of the former residents. Mayor Maddox would remark that the city really should have done better to make sure that lower to moderate income families weren’t priced out of the market.

[00:20:01] Kay: And finally, mental health care after the event to help victims cope with the trauma was also not adequately given to these communities in the aftermath as well. Further adding to the disparity in recovery efforts. 10 years later, scars still remain on the landscape where towering trees once stood now house grassy fields. Empty lots still remain some never to be built on and others being reserved for future projects. More than 1 billion has been invested into Tuscaloosa’s recovery.

[00:20:27] But for some residents, the remnants of the storm sit heavier than having to move on to a different plot of land. Some residents recount trauma from the event, like it was yesterday, fear going down their spine at the sound of thunder, or even just thinking about a storm. PTSD is evident with some victims still coming to terms with that aspect of recovery more than a decade later. And it’s not just the mind that remembers, it’s the body as well. Those injured now have to live with lifelong scars or disabilities thanks to the tornado. These victims have had to adjust to their new lives. Some without family members, thanks to their tragic loss within the tornado.

[00:20:59] At the end of the day, I think one of my takeaways from the story is one of hope in the rebuilding process. Volunteers from all over came to aid the people of Tuscaloosa and Birmingham in the days and months after the event. The residents had hope in the face of tremendous adversity, and I find that admirable. People came together to help regardless of race, creed, religion, anything that we have seen divide people. None of that mattered, because people were just helping people. But my second takeaway, a bit more melancholy, but always cherish the time that you have with your loved ones. Take the time you can to tell your family that you love them and appreciate them, and formulate your tornado safety plan ahead of the season, so that you know exactly what to do if the unfathomable comes your way.

[00:21:38] Kay: Thanks for listening, my name is Kay, this has been Rough Skies Ahead. I would love to hear what your thoughts and experiences are with this event, as it is so well known within the outbreak. Remember to leave a review, I am personally a fan of five star reviews. Just saying. And subscribe so you don’t miss an episode. Rough Skies Ahead is available on all major podcasting platforms. Next time, we will be continuing our coverage on the significant tornadoes of the 2011 Super Outbreak with the Smithville, Mississippi EF5 tornado. In the meantime, take care of yourselves and keep your eyes to the skies.

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