That supercell that hit you Samwise spanned across 4 states. And much of it was producing a tornado...

That'smind boggling.

4/28/2011 6:14:36 PM

the tornado that hit us didnt stop at all... went from MS thru Bama into GA I think


and I just walked to the library from my car... debri all over campus. insulation and shingles everywhere... random bits of plastic.. scary stuff. the sirens are still constant

[Edited on April 28, 2011 at 6:19 PM. Reason : .]

4/28/2011 6:17:00 PM

Between yesterday and today, I haven't been able to get myself out of this funk after watching what transpired last night. Just the amount of destruction despite the early warnings and the news covering the storm from every angle. James Spann is an absolute legend in our field, and I've studied the likes of him and Gary England in OKC while I was growing up.

But you just feel so helpless in situations like this. You can warn folks a few days in advance just to set the stage. You can warn the day before to get the right EMs, police and fire on standby. But there's not much more you can tell folks the day of other than where it's headed and to get to a basement, if possible. From there, it's in God's hands. A few people came up to me today, not even connected to the trajedy, just to thank me for what I do. But then there are those folks that call because I'm covering their "Dancing with the Stars" tracking a tornado in a Texas town. I will never understand that. I have a very different look on things after the storms last night and the tornadoes in Atoka/Tushka, OK.

4/28/2011 6:21:07 PM

Quote :

"debri"

Debris.....

4/28/2011 6:22:31 PM

Weather guy just said it looks like its winding down for NC, except for the areas of Manteo to Southern Shores.

crap.

4/28/2011 6:24:58 PM

I know how you feel Stormbone. It has been incredibly hard to concentrate today. I'm about to buckle down to finish this stupid presentation, but it's going to be hard.

And James Spann... I seriously can't even put into words how many lives that guy saved. This was a post on his FB page:

Quote :

"Tammy ************* You saved my life, I love you James spann Bobbi Jo ********* Tammy, Im so sorry about the house! So glad you are ok though! I can come help this weekend when the boys go to their dad's. Bo has to work, but I'll do what I can! Love ya'll"

^2 excuse me


^ Yeah watch out... tornadoes spotted in Currituck - isn't that Manteo's county?


ps... I know people were trying to be all inspirational with this picture (it said "we're in God's hands now") but... does anybody else see what I see?!?!?!?!




[Edited on April 28, 2011 at 6:29 PM. Reason : .]

4/28/2011 6:28:44 PM

4/28/2011 6:31:58 PM

I mean..... not funny but OMGLOLFUCKINGLOL haaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahaha wow, gg storm, gg

4/28/2011 6:32:54 PM

^ errr I'm pretty sure it's photoshopped

[Edited on April 28, 2011 at 6:34 PM. Reason : at least I hope it is]

4/28/2011 6:33:39 PM

lol I know.



I guess my sarcasm didn't transfer over.

4/28/2011 6:36:08 PM

Oh whoops.. long day


I just remembered something... doesn't Wraith live in Bama?? Is he ok??

4/28/2011 6:56:20 PM

^ he hasn't posted since yesterday morning - maybe someone can text him to see if he's okay

4/28/2011 6:58:54 PM

i can tell by the pixels

4/28/2011 7:37:42 PM

Weather channel said the death toll is so high because the only safe place during an EF4 or 5 tornado is underground....

Scary to think.

They've showed a couple stories about off campus students running to bathrooms or closets after seeing the tornado come and losing the roof, rooms around them and EVERYTHING except for their little room. Scary, shit pants scary.

[Edited on April 28, 2011 at 7:42 PM. Reason : wow ringold, ga labeled an ef4 ]

4/28/2011 7:40:58 PM

Thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis is like a couple miles from our house and it sounded just like this. I can't tell what is going on with the wind buuuuuuuuuuuut it was fuckin scary

4/28/2011 9:54:46 PM

This ^ is why we tell you to stay away from windows during a storm! Yikes!

4/28/2011 10:06:06 PM

Yeah I thought that girl was crazy for being that close to the window. I'm really surprised it didn't smash windows around here.

4/28/2011 10:07:36 PM

ugh, Brandi posted the sky goatse pic on her brother's facebook, and now her mom has reposted it

4/28/2011 10:25:10 PM

^^^^ It was hail. And those people are fucking morons. You don't stand near windows when it is hailing for fucks sake.

There's two dangers of hail to a human. That's getting hit in your damn head by it, and standing by a window and having it break and shatter glass into your face and stuff.

4/28/2011 10:29:49 PM

My mom is so innocent

4/28/2011 10:30:55 PM

I mean, I knew it was hail I just didn't know if the wind was "tornadic" or straight line or just fucked up.... lol and yeah, they're dumb being that close, dumb and lucky.

4/28/2011 10:59:47 PM

Well nothing too big happened down here. But I just spent the night hanging out on the Sheraton Pier watching the lighting storms out at sea light up the sky. It was beautiful. I feel guilty for enjoying after all the trouble everyone went through yesterday and today.

4/28/2011 11:44:39 PM

Just wanted to post something really quickly before going into super turbo shitneedstogetdonesoIcangotosleepat2am mode... I was walking back from the library and found this in the parking lot. I don't think it's from a random student because it's all water damaged... and the rope was ripped apart :\ It's so eerie to think the tornado tore apart a car enough for an air freshener to fly out (if that makes sense)



Then when I got home there was a juice carton completely smashed up, covered in mud and laying randomly in the yard. I started looking around and noticed just how much stuff had really fallen from the sky. Crazy.

4/29/2011 12:48:37 AM

Or it's just litter.

4/29/2011 1:58:20 AM

High-Res pics
http://www.boston.com/bigpicture/2011/04/tornadoes_kill_over_200.html

4/29/2011 10:15:25 AM

Here's an overhead shot from space that shows the actual gashes the tornadoes left in the earth. The yellow lines are there to help you see the brown lines left by the twisters.

4/29/2011 11:12:48 AM

This season of Storm Chasers should be fucking awesome!

4/29/2011 12:06:45 PM

or not

4/29/2011 12:10:47 PM

the yellow lines actually distract me from any sort of brown lines that may be there

nvm i see them now




not too surprising though, didnt the Grand Canyon get formed when Pecos Bill rode a tornado?

4/29/2011 1:30:12 PM

http://youtu.be/fnDJmU8XiJI


This story is insane... not for the part about the dog, but also about this guy and his neighbors. Someone please embed

4/29/2011 3:47:00 PM

cute puppy. Glad he made it

4/29/2011 4:39:55 PM

This is incredibly, incredibly sad.

Quote :

"(CNN) -- Huddled in the hallway of his Alabama home with three of his friends, Tillman Merritt had a gut feeling to jump into a closet as the massive twister barreled into the Tuscaloosa neighborhood. Moments later, he was the only one to survive. "I just heard a voice in my head saying 'go to the closet, go to the closet," Merritt said. The closet walls pushed down on him as a roar surrounded him, followed by the sounds of pieces of the house snapping off. Then the crack of glass was heard, and insulation was flying everywhere. When it was over, there was just a small hole for Merritt to crawl out of. Except for the closet he was in, the entire house -- and his three friends -- had been flung across the street. He found the other three in the wreckage of the house, in a pile. His roommate and life-long friend was dead, the two others would succumb to their wounds."

4/30/2011 2:13:58 PM

thats awful

4/30/2011 2:29:08 PM

^^^^^^^^look at all that cotton. I bet it's been growing since the civil war.

4/30/2011 2:34:33 PM

you mean the clouds?

4/30/2011 2:37:36 PM

cotton bolls shouldn't be open yet. not sure what that white stuff is.

[Edited on April 30, 2011 at 2:39 PM. Reason : oh shit i guess it's clouds lol ]

4/30/2011 2:39:05 PM

hey guys i've got some mysterious cotton balls in the sky above my house, what is it

4/30/2011 2:40:21 PM

My classmate and I drove to Pratt City today to drop off supplies (cases of water, snacks, and pet food). I picked a place that I thought would be far enough to be out of the way... The elementary school was across the street from all the damage. It really hit home how lucky we are. The exit we took for Pratt City is 1 mile up from the downtown exit and down the street from the farmer's market I used to go to. :\ After dropping off supplies (and snacks for the police), we took pictures... All are of Pratt City except for the last one, which is Fultondale (probably about 5? miles north of P. City)








































If anyone would like to donate supplies, they really need things like sunscreen, chapstick, medicine, and essentials like that down here. I don't mind going to the drop off points if anyone wants to send it to my apartment (you can PM me for the address). Keep in mind it would be for the Bham area. Or, you can donate to the Red Cross online.

I'm about to donate blood before going to study... sad day in Bham. It's really starting to sink in what all happened and just witnessing the storm. I mapped out where exactly it hit in Pratt City compared to my apartment... 5 miles. :\ Had this thing not turned last minute... I don't even want to think about it



PS: If anyone (anyone meaning people I have actually met or already knew before this) wants to take a visit down here and help out with cleaning up the area, I am willing to offer you a place to stay for free! And if I don't know you, well, there are plenty of hotels around and I'll help you in your clean up efforts They will need help cleaning up for months.. I'll be here the entire month of June just fyi.

[Edited on April 30, 2011 at 3:02 PM. Reason : .]

4/30/2011 2:48:32 PM

That's crazy Samwise.

Our local news said the national weather service confirmed SEVEN tornadoes in our immediate area ranging from an EF-0 to EF-3. Keep in mind this is a place that isn't SUPPOSED to get tornadoes, being that we are closely surrounded by mountains. It's crazy to think how close this stuff was. Amazingly, so far, less than 10 people are dead from these storms here.

4/30/2011 3:05:12 PM

Yeah, one of the meteorologists here said there is strong evidence of an EF5 because deciduous trees in Pratt City were found debarked Until they completely assess the damage though, it's at EF4 status... if this isn't considered an EF5 in the end, I would hate to see one of those in person. :\



For the record, this is what the area looks like behind the gas station overhang picture I showed:




[Edited on April 30, 2011 at 3:09 PM. Reason : .]

4/30/2011 3:08:04 PM

Judging by the damage done by the EF-3 here I will be AMAZED if yours isn't labeled an EF5....

If this link doesn't automatically load it, check out pic 8 of the storm's path

http://www.cnn.com/2011/US/04/30/severe.weather/index.html?hpt=T2

[Edited on April 30, 2011 at 3:11 PM. Reason : yikes]

4/30/2011 3:09:57 PM

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/capital-weather-gang/post/alabama-tornado-outbreak-visuals-jaw-dropping-radar-and-satellite-imagery/2011/04/29/AFg1C5YF_blog.html

5/2/2011 4:06:41 PM

I almost posted that but I figured people might be sick of me bumping this thread. :\


Charlie Sheen is in Tuscaloosa (or will be soon). At first I wanted to be like but then I thought... He really is one of the few celebrities who has even made a big deal out of this.


I feel like people cared more about the Royal Wedding than this stuff. And now with the Osama Bin Laden news (which I'm not complaining about), Bama will definitely be on the back burner.



I found out today that one of my classmates' neighborhoods was destroyed. I think her house is fine but they are on the same street as many destroyed houses. Seems like every day it hits closer to home.

5/2/2011 4:11:52 PM

my poor dog is shaking

5/3/2011 11:20:50 PM

that thunder last night was

5/4/2011 9:46:49 AM

Samwise, they rated your tornado a high EF-4.

5/4/2011 9:51:14 AM

Yeah, I saw. If that was only an EF4, I never, ever, EVER want to experience an EF5 or see what it can do.

People are looting really bad... now the towns are requiring permits to volunteer (including Tuscaloosa, who I think will be starting next week). They have arrested numerous people who were posing as red cross or relief workers... then others who just showed up late at night and stuff. Some people are such douchebags.

5/4/2011 9:56:21 AM

^once you get certified for someone like UMCOR or Red Cross you're issued an ID badge and a bright green colored t-shirt. We're required to wear both when we're on the ground.

Which reminds me I need to have an updated ID issued... they're only good for like 3 years.

5/4/2011 10:28:28 AM

I honestly haven't seen many people down here with the green shirts - do you think it could have been an issue where they needed a ton of help really quickly and didn't require the shirts?

PS... How hard is it to get certified through UMCOR? I heard about them the other day in church and I'd like to volunteer for something like that

5/5/2011 12:32:44 AM

Kind of ironic how people get arrested for looting organized looters like wal-mart.

5/5/2011 1:08:27 AM