Tornado Watch 2011

AP is reporting the death toll has risen to over 200 now. So many lives lost and so much property destroyed. My heart goes out to all who have been affected by this. I lost everything I had to Katrina and wasn't insured, and I know how difficult these next days, weeks, months and years will be for all. Not to mention carrying on with the loss of a loved one, it's a double tragedy.


news.yahoo.com...

7 minute video of the Tuscaloosa tornado

reply to post by Finalized


That is the most amazing tornado video I've seen. Thank you for posting it.


Wow.... that guy was brave and steady with his hand!

EDIT TO ADD:
thin but strong storms are just now coming on me here in north Florida.

Death toll is 230 now according to CNN, 201 according to Fox(?), still probably rising. CNN was reporting 137+ tornadoes.

This is one of the videos from youtube, some of the closest range video ever shot of large tornadoes went up yesterday. You can see the thing coming down the perpendicular road to the left then crossing the intersection right in front of the chaser destroying transformers and power lines. There is a higher resolution version of this same video around I think where you can see it hitting the ground better.

[Updated at 12:33 p.m. ET] The death toll from severe weather in Georgia is at 14, Gov. Nathan Deal said Thursday. There are now as many as 234 people dead in six states.

[Updated at 11:53 a.m. ET] In the DeKalb County, Alabama town of Rainsville, 25 bodies were recovered near one parking lot in the center of town, said Israel Partridge, a local business owner who teaches search and rescue and volunteered to help the Rainsville Fire Department Wednesday night. Rainsville Police Chief Charles Centers confirmed the 25 dead, adding eight were in one trailer park. Many people are unaccounted for, Centers said.

Partridge said one tree that had been uprooted and tossed still had a dog alive, tied to it. Partridge said he freed the dog and gave it to a family to take care of.

news.blogs.cnn.com...



Man oh man this was bad. BAD BAD BAD. I feel terrible for those injured and for the families of those lost. If this many have been counted so far already, there are probably many more, unfortunately.

Since I didn't really have a place to go, I rode it out hoping for the best. When the worst came through I put on a full face motorcycle helmet and padded jacket, just in case. I never imagined I'd be using them for THAT, but tips from a news agency were recommending that kids put on bicycle helmets, so I thought hmmm.... Don't laugh.

This was a terrible outbreak - I feel for the families that lost loved ones and their homes. I have not been able to find anything regarding injuries. Also is help on the way for the people in these areas?

Death toll now 249. Tuscaloosa police and emergency buildings were hit, 100 people died when it hit a hospital. Small towns and communities are GONE, this is devastating!

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- The death toll from severe storms that punished five Southern U.S. states has jumped to 249.

Alabama officials confirmed 162 deaths. Mississippi officials reported 32 dead in that state and Tennessee raised its report to 33.

Another 14 have been killed in Georgia and 8 in Virginia.
Weather.com

A lot of information and eyewitness accounts on that Weather.com link.

A massive, deadly, perhaps even historic tornado outbreak unfolded over the South from Monday, April 25 to Wednesday, April 27. The preliminary tornado count over the three days, as of this writing, has totaled more than 250. Over 150 of these occurred on Wednesday.

Weather.com

250 tornadoes over the last 3 days!

Well here is a preliminary map of the tornadoes:



www.weather.com...



I totally lucked out. Those mountains, I tell ya I watched the radar very closely as these cells approached and those mountains did something to the cells to weaken them. What was dark red turned into yellow (not as bad).

reply to post by TrueAmerican


Wow that is a massive outbreak. It seems like the whole tornado alley area shifted over to the east. Usually I would be right in the middle of something like this due to being in Missouri. I knew we were going to have an active tornado season but I was just wrong about what area would be hit. I felt I was going to be Kansas,Missouri and Oklahoma like usual. Dixie Alley is a secondary tornado alley that can have tornados but usually nothing like this.

reply to post by TrueAmerican


Thank you for that TrueAmerican. It is good to see it laid out like that.

I'm over the mountains west of the Knoxville area. My husband and I kept watching those storms roll into the area and every time one headed toward us that was showing purple, we would pack up the dogs and head to my parents' basement. From reading local reports today and talking with friends/family it seems most of the damage in our area was from hail.

I really feel for those that were harder hit. And I really hope that this is not an indication of what we should expect over the coming months.

I thought this was interesting and pertinent to the thread, and note some things you might not normally think of in the "Beware of Hazards" section:

Tornado Damage: What to Do After the Storm

First, make sure the tornado or tornadoes are truly gone. Stay tuned to The Weather Channel, your local television or radio station, or NOAA weather radio to get the latest emergency information.

How to Help the Injured
* Help injured or trapped persons by administering first aid
* Call 911 as soon as possible if there are life-threatening injuries.

Beware of Hazards
* Stay away from downed power lines; report them to your utility company.
* Stay away from damaged buildings until inspectors have given you the green light.
* If there is flooding, watch for snakes and other animals forced into your home from rising waters.
* Evacuate if you smell fumes or gas and notify emergency personnel.
* To prevent fires, use flashlights, not candles, when you check for electricity after a tornado.
* If your home has been spared from damage, keep children and pets inside.
* If pets must be walked outside, keep them on a leash. Learn more tips for keeping your pet safe during emergencies.

Repairing the Damage
* Wear sturdy shoes and protective clothing as you begin cleaning.
* Clean up dangerous spills immediately -- medicines, bleaches, chemicals, gasoline, or other flammable liquids.

Assess Psychological Effects
* In addition to the obvious physical damage, tornadoes can sometimes cause emotional trauma and distress. Crisis counseling can help.
* Should you or your children need crisis counseling, contact your local chapter of the American Red Cross for information.

www.weather.com...

Obama is about to talk about the storm in a conference, watch Fox or CNN I think they are going to cover it.

Here is a newer video of the big wedge tornado near Cordova, Alabama, and warning for some foul language:





But that is seriously incredible in size. I guess I'd be using foul language too!

reply to post by TrueAmerican


Nothing gets you moving faster than hearing tornado sirens.

2nd line.

Originally posted by Finalized
reply to post by TrueAmerican

 

Nothing gets you moving faster than hearing tornado sirens.

2nd line.

Yeah, when they work, or if your town has them at all. That's worth checking on.

Cause imagine my surprise when I read a local article that all the tornado sirens in the next biggest town close to me were NOT working. They are old and outdated, among other problems. And here we had this massive storm bearing down upon us. So my only option was to stay glued to wunderground.com and watch the radar. It's one of the disadvantages I guess of giving up cable TV ten years ago. I couldn't find a live stream on the net for my area. And all the news said was pretty much "Yeah, there's severe weather coming in."

I can't stand how they warn basically the entire state, and only report on where tornadoes have been spotted on the ground. Of course by then you're dead or up in a tree somewhere.

Those guys down in Birmingham had it going on, and stayed for the duration- like 16 hours. Very specific reports about warning areas, down to the roads and towns- I pretty much watched the whole thing. Nothing like that here, not even close. I guess I will have to take a trip to the Appalachian mountains that saved us and offer up our local weathermen as sacrificial thanks. The mountains did a better job.

reply to post by TrueAmerican

Those guys down in Birmingham had it going on, and stayed for the duration- like 16 hours. Very specific reports about warning areas, down to the roads and towns- I pretty much watched the whole thing.

Agreed. James Spann is a hero, in my opinion.

Possibly the hardest hit area was the Alabama city of Tuscaloosa where 32 people died. Early estimates indicate that the tornado in Tuscaloosa could have been on the ground for 176 miles with winds between 167 and 200 mph. The city was stunned by the devastation that not only hit homes and commercials area, but destroyed much of the city's public works infrastructure including the city's emergency management administration headquarters.

176 miles at that velocity!! Unbelieveable. abcnews.go.com...

edit: aerial photographs showing path of destruction in Tuscaloosa: photoblog.msnbc.msn.com...

reply to post by TrueAmerican


I don't think I've ever seen a more massive tornado than that! Those people and animals in it's path didn't stand much of a chance for survival.

reply to post by KathyG427


Thank you for those aerial photos. I am glued to the tv and on here.

This scares the crap out of me. It makes me feel less safe about huddling in the bathroom.

Death toll 271 according to the Weather Channel live on air.

No web link yet.

reply to post by TrueAmerican


Foul language would be a certainty without realizing it.

But being that close, my next emergency would be running off to change my underwear!