Weather Service Crews to Survey Damage Saturday in Southwest Birmingham, Tuscaloosa

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2015/12/weathermap.jpg
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:5:{s:5:"width";i:354;s:6:"height";i:274;s:4:"file";s:22:"2015/12/weathermap.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:5:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:22:"weathermap-336x260.jpg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:260;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:22:"weathermap-140x140.jpg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:20:"weathermap-80x80.jpg";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:22:"weathermap-342x265.jpg";s:5:"width";i:342;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:22:"weathermap-125x125.jpg";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:12:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";s:11:"orientation";s:1:"0";s:8:"keywords";a:0:{}}}
        )

    [_media_credit] => Array
        (
            [0] => National Weather
        )

    [_navis_media_credit_org] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

    [_navis_media_can_distribute] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

    [_imagify_optimization_level] => Array
        (
            [0] => 1
        )

    [_imagify_data] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:2:{s:5:"stats";a:3:{s:13:"original_size";i:57157;s:14:"optimized_size";i:42815;s:7:"percent";d:25.09;}s:5:"sizes";a:6:{s:4:"full";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:50:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2015/12/weathermap.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:57157;s:14:"optimized_size";i:42815;s:7:"percent";d:25.09;}s:9:"thumbnail";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:6:"medium";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}}}
        )

    [_imagify_status] => Array
        (
            [0] => success
        )

)
1663940325 
1451091849

National Weather Service crews will assess damage Saturday morning in southwest Birmingham and east Tuscaloosa, locations where tornadoes possibly touched down Christmas Day as storms roared through the state.

“We know there were two possible tornadoes, but we will not for sure until we look at the damage,” said Jason Holmes, a meteorologist in the National Weather Service office in Chilton County.

The storms struck Birmingham around 5:30 p.m., bringing strong wind and torrential rain. In southwest Birmingham around Jefferson Avenue, at least two homes were destroyed and several others were damaged, according to Mayor William A. Bell Sr., who visited the hard-hit area.

“At least one person was taken to the hospital with injuries. Crews will be checking the damage throughout the night and going door-to-door,” he said. In addition to the storm damage, the mayor said he is also concerned about flooding throughout the city.

A shelter was set up at New Hope Baptist Church on Cleburn Avenue for people impacted by the storm.

At 9 p.m. 10,000 Alabama Power Company customers were without power, according to the company’s Twitter feed.

 

ICC charges former Philippine President Duterte crimes against humanity

Duterte was arrested in March by Philippine authorities on a warrant issued by the ICC. He is now being held at an ICC facility in the Netherlands.

Did Amazon trick people into paying for Prime? Federal case goes to trial

The U.S. government says Amazon manipulated people into signing up for Prime memberships that were purposefully hard to cancel. The company says its designs and disclosures follow industry standards.

Georgia senators demand answers on more than a dozen deaths in immigration detention

Sens. Jon Ossoff and Raphael Warnock are asking Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for answers after more than a dozen people died in immigration detention, as the department rushes to expand.

5 takeaways from Kamala Harris’ new book about her sprint for the presidency

Former Vice President Kamala Harris writes about her brief run for the presidency last year and her relationship with former President Joe Biden in her new book, out on Tuesday.

How to reintegrate over a million veterans? Groups in Ukraine are working on it

Many Ukrainian war veterans have physical and mental trauma, and struggle to return to civilian life. Here is a look at some groups trying to help ease them back into the community.

Judge orders Trump administration to restore $500 million in grant funding to UCLA

A federal judge has ordered the Trump administration to restore $500 million in federal grant funding that it froze at the University of California, Los Angeles.

More Front Page Coverage