Alabama Tornado Outbreak Rips Off Roofs, Snaps Trees As State Braces For More

 1607075561 
1616007589
Damage to Chilton County resident Roger Bean's property following a wave of tornadoes across Alabama.

Damage to Chilton County resident Roger Bean's property following a wave of tornadoes across Alabama.

Roger Bean

This story was updated at 10:37 p.m.

For more than six hours, the tornado warnings came one after another across much of Alabama. At one point Wednesday afternoon, weather officials reported multiple tornadoes on the ground in the central portion of the state. Homes and hunting camps were damaged and trees fell and blocked the roads.

In Dallas County, a boat was wrapped around the upper part of a tree. There was significant damage to homes, barns, and farm equipment in Chilton County, but as of Wednesday night, no injuries or deaths were reported statewide. About 8,500 were without power. The National Weather Service in Birmingham was compiling damage reports Wednesday night. It estimated it will investigate more than a dozen areas of damage over the coming days.

In Hale County in western Alabama, the storm ripped off the roofs of several homes late in the afternoon. In Moundville, 20 to 30 homes were damaged; five of them no longer have roofs, according to Russell Weeden, director of the Hale County Emergency Management Agency.

Weeden said a tornado was likely the cause, though it hasn’t been confirmed. 

“Right now we’re just trying to clean up the street,” Weeden said, “and helping people clean up their homes and trying to get some of these roofs tarped before the next storm.”

There were no reported injuries.

In Autauga County near Billingsley, the storm destroyed a hunting camp, damaged one home and left several downed trees. County EMA Director Ernie Baggett said officials responded quickly and no one was injured.

“Our engineering department has gotten out, gotten all the trees off the roadways, so our roads are back passable right now,” he said. “And the individuals that were in the home that was occupied, we have them connected with the Red Cross and they’ve got a place to stay tonight.”

In Tuscaloosa, which was ravaged by a tornado almost 10 years ago, two apparent tornadoes touched down. Mayor Walt Maddox tweeted cautious relief.

Most of central Alabama remains under a tornado watch until 3 a.m., Thursday, March 18. Tornadoes, hail and winds up to 80 mph remain possible overnight, according to the National Weather Service in Birmingham.

Stephan Bisaha and Mary Scott Hodgin contributed reporting.

 

Alabama makes the College Football Playoff

Michigan, Washington, Texas and Alabama were selected Sunday and Florida State became the first unbeaten Power Five conference champion to be excluded from the field.

LGBTQ community finds a home in Birmingham’s punk scene

Plenty of people are familiar with the sound and look of punk. But not as many are familiar with the importance of compassion when it comes to being a punk. That's meant the punk scene has become a refuge for some LGTBQ individuals.

She owed $7K due to a water leak. Her utility saw the signs but didn’t tell her

Birmingham Water Works flagged Claire Ahalt’s account for unusually high water use, but she did not find out until asking a utility worker weeks later.

City OK’s $5 million to help keep Birmingham-Southern College open

BSC President Daniel Coleman said in a statement that next he’ll ask Jefferson County to meet the city’s commitment, focus on private donors and reengage with state leaders to work on getting more funding.

A year after the Moody landfill fire: “We need just as much help now”

Around Thanksgiving a year ago a landfill near Moody caught fire blanketing the surrounding area with smoke. The fire burned for months before the Environmental Protection Agency covered the landfill with dirt to extinguish the flames, but there have been flare ups since. To understand what things are like now, we heard from one nearby resident.

Why trees are an environmental and health Swiss army knife

Cool Green Trees plants trees in under-resourced communities in the Birmingham area to help mitigate climate change and advance environmental justice initiatives.

More Front Page Coverage