re: Who was in Tuscaloosa April 27, 2011?

I was on the top floor of the Midtown Village condos on 5th street down from McDonalds and Taco Casa. I was cooking and the power went out. One of my roommates was out walking his dog and he ran in telling me to "Come look at this!" not specifying what "this" was. We had open-air stairwells, so as soon as I was led to them, the tornado was literally across the courtyard and clubroom from our stairs. I don't remember much about the decision making that occurred after I snapped this photo, but my roommate lock himself and his dog in the storage closets down the hall and my other room mate was frozen in fear. I was able to guide him to our shower tub and get him covered by a towel. I don't remember a tornado sound, but I do remember the sound of debris falling on the roof. Very little damage occurred to the complex, but everything across and down the street was destroyed. There was a very small apartment complex right next to us and that is where gymnast Kayla Hoffman had to brace herself outside in a door frame, exposed to the passing tornado.

We walked out to 15th street soon after and my brain could not comprehend what it was seeing. 15th was unrecognizable and my brain kept questioning where I was.