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re: 15 years ago today on April 27, 2011 a tornado went through Tuscaloosa
Posted on 4/27/26 at 3:59 pm to Funky Tide 8
Posted on 4/27/26 at 3:59 pm to Funky Tide 8
quote:
I'm not saying that you are wrong, as I have never done any research on it, but after seeing what I saw on 4/28/11 in Tuscaloosa, I do not find it all that unbelievable for that to have happened. Maybe not exactly how that poster explained it, but something in the same ballpark.
Certainly possible, I'd love to know the actual story just out of professional curiosity.
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Posted on 4/27/26 at 4:05 pm to Funky Tide 8
quote:
I was there (it was 2011) but I had no idea that Neko Case and Phosphorescent were there too. Don't remember that at all. I wasn't all that familiar with either at the time, but a few years later I would become a big Phosphorescent fan, and become much more familiar with Neko Case. Crazy.
Corrected
Neko Case came out and sang ‘Stop Dragging My Heart Around’ with MMJ as the encore. It was a damn good concert. I had never heard of Phosphorescent before that but his song Los Angeles still comes across my Spotify feed often. He’s really talented.
Posted on 4/27/26 at 4:18 pm to Ramblin Wreck
It’s hard to believe it’s been 15 years.
I remember everything about the day. The early morning storms followed by the sun coming out mid morning. You knew then it was going to be bad.
I watched the tornado going into Tuscaloosa about three miles southwest of the storm at my parents house - 5:06 pm. They were hit by the EF-3 that came through on 4/15/11. My sister called in tears because Spann mentioned it was following the same path as that tornado.
I made it to 15th and McFarland within 30 minutes of it hitting. People were frantic and in shock. The before and after shots - it bulldozed all the trees between campus and 15th and leveled everything in its path once it reached McFarland. I was in Alberta the next day - family after family walking with trash bags of everything that had left.
The main thing I took from it in the days that followed was the good in people. The state showed up. Auburn football players and many others showed up to help. Saban was already considered a king of Tuscaloosa before but April 27th is what made him become part of the community and to this day him stepping up is why the community views him as more than a football coach.
I remember everything about the day. The early morning storms followed by the sun coming out mid morning. You knew then it was going to be bad.
I watched the tornado going into Tuscaloosa about three miles southwest of the storm at my parents house - 5:06 pm. They were hit by the EF-3 that came through on 4/15/11. My sister called in tears because Spann mentioned it was following the same path as that tornado.
I made it to 15th and McFarland within 30 minutes of it hitting. People were frantic and in shock. The before and after shots - it bulldozed all the trees between campus and 15th and leveled everything in its path once it reached McFarland. I was in Alberta the next day - family after family walking with trash bags of everything that had left.
The main thing I took from it in the days that followed was the good in people. The state showed up. Auburn football players and many others showed up to help. Saban was already considered a king of Tuscaloosa before but April 27th is what made him become part of the community and to this day him stepping up is why the community views him as more than a football coach.
Posted on 4/27/26 at 4:35 pm to reggierayreb
quote:
Neko Case came out and sang ‘Stop Dragging My Heart Around’ with MMJ as the encore.
you know what, I do remember that specific part now. I was aware of who Neko Case was, I guess I just have a hazy memory of it because I wasn't into her at the time. It was indeed a great concert.
This post was edited on 4/27/26 at 4:37 pm
Posted on 4/27/26 at 4:41 pm to AHM21
Bo Jackson really stepped up. Nick Saban did a ton. Gene Stallings showed up. A lot of people did. Some celebrities, mainly just neighbors from the surrounding area. With as widespread as the damage was, official responders were stretched so thin. Samaritan’s Purse moved in with zero fanfare and went right to work. Heavy lifting, on roofs nailing down tarps, OSHA had no meaning. The red cross as usual set up in the most visible spots, so they would be visible on the news, and did their usual fundraising. There was some looting early on, but when the national guard moved into Alberta City that seemed to stop. It was heartbreaking. But it was also heartwarming seeing so many people being selfless and volunteering their time, their money, their labor and their equipment. I have no qualms admitting that week changed me - I can’t imagine the impact it had on those directly in the
paths of the storms.
paths of the storms.
Posted on 4/27/26 at 6:20 pm to captdalton
quote:
Bo Jackson really stepped up. Nick Saban did a ton. Gene Stallings showed up. A lot of people did. Some celebrities
Didn’t Charlie Sheen randomly pop up?
Posted on 4/27/26 at 6:23 pm to captdalton
Posted on 4/27/26 at 6:34 pm to bamaboy87
quote:
Didn’t Charlie Sheen randomly pop up?
Yes.
Posted on 4/27/26 at 6:40 pm to bamaboy87
quote:
Didn’t Charlie Sheen randomly pop up?
Yeah. He was trying to rebuild his reputation in the wake of his meltdown and firing from Two and a Half Men.
Posted on 4/27/26 at 6:43 pm to Ramblin Wreck
20 minute video that James Spann and ABC 33/40 did for the 15th anniversary.
Posted on 4/27/26 at 6:45 pm to TheTideMustRoll
quote:
I was living in McCalla off of Exit 1 on I-459 at the time, but Tuscaloosa is my hometown. Watching the live feed of the tornado going through the middle of the city while James Spann stood and looked on speechlessly was horrifying. As it left Tuscaloosa its projected track put it directly over my house. They showed a live video feed of it about that time, and that's probably the single scariest thing I've ever seen. I remember thinking, "Ok, I'll put my daughter and wife in the tub in the downstairs bathroom and lay over the top of them, but I'm probably about to lose everything I own and possibly die." Fortunately for us, but very unfortunately for a lot of people in Hueytown and Pleasant Grove, it veered north and missed us.
This brings back bad memories, TheTideMustRoll. My family and I lived in Pleasant Grove at that time and the tornado missed our home by two streets.
My sister and brother-in-law and family lived on the same street, about a half-mile away and their home was also spared. We all gathered at my house, in the basement, and heard the carnage and chaos all around.
In may naivety, I had always thought that when people said tornadoes sounded like trains, I assumed it was the train whistle. It's not. The sound and the vibration is the sound of a train rumbling on the tracks. I guess it's the trees snapping and wind churning.
My B-I-L and I stood outside the entrance to the basement as long as we could watching and listening as everything got still and quiet and eerie. Then we heard the rumble and ran back inside and everyone huddled up.
As soon as it was over, we went outside to see what had happened and to try to help if it was bad and just two streets over it was indescribable.
There was no way to determine where you were at or how far you had been or what direction to head back to once you got into the heart of the damage.
Dogs and cats were running loose looking for what was no longer there. You could hear people screaming and crying from many different directions. We came upon several rubbish heaps where homes used to be with people trying to dig others out with their bare hands and joined in here and there and helped the best we could, mostly to no avail.
There were no miraculous stories of saving a life or anything for me, just a few too lates. A lot of terrible memories I won't get into from that night.
One thing that has always kind of bothered me, in a kind of weird way though, it was about a week after it was over and everyone was still without power and just getting by.
A lineman crew from Texas was rolling through offering water to people on my street and one of them said it sure was beautiful and green in Pleasant Grove.
He wasn't being sadistic or anything, it was just weird. I said okay, it used to look a lot better and he smiled. I guess he was from a part of Texas that didn't have trees or grass or something.
Posted on 4/27/26 at 7:21 pm to SouthernInsanity
quote:
One thing that's guaranteed.... mother nature DGAF how good your college team is or how many nattys they've won. She will frick your world up... like cajunbama on a crack pipe!
That's funny. It's kind of like how Mother Nature doesn't give a shite about gumbo, good parties, levees, or beads, she'll send a big wave named after a woman to frick it all to hell, even the cockroaches.
Posted on 4/27/26 at 7:28 pm to BB Que
quote:
BB Que
Thanks for sharing
Posted on 4/27/26 at 7:32 pm to BB Que
You think Katrina was funny? Surely you don't... but if you do, just admit it so I can stab the ole voodoo doll for yah bruh.
Posted on 4/27/26 at 7:36 pm to SouthernInsanity
quote:
You think Katrina was funny? Surely you don't... but if you do, just admit it so I can stab the ole voodoo doll for yah bruh.
No more than you think it's funny that no matter how many NC's a team wins, mother nature will still frick up the people in the city that are Alabama fans.
Do you think that's funny?
Posted on 4/27/26 at 7:39 pm to BB Que
quote:
still frick up the people in the city that are Alabama fans.
Did I say anything directly about bama or bama fans? I don't even believe i used the word funny in my post.
Yep... just checked and nope, never used the word funny. You may think devastation is funny... but I don't. Been there and lived thru those things.... RICHARD.
This post was edited on 4/27/26 at 7:41 pm
Posted on 4/27/26 at 7:41 pm to SouthernInsanity
quote:
Did I say anything directly about bama or bama fans? I don't even believe i used the word funny in my post.
I said it was funny how you were trying to ridicule death and Bama fans and the team when you said this:
quote:
mother nature DGAF how good your college team is or how many nattys they've won. She will frick your world up..like cajunbama on a crack pipe!
You are a very funny person and I'm giving you the attention you need to remain funny and feel relevant. Katrina was like Sidewalk Tiger riding a crack pipe on a wave right through town.
This post was edited on 4/27/26 at 7:45 pm
Posted on 4/27/26 at 7:59 pm to Roll Tide Ravens
That James Spann documentary is well worth the 20 minute view. I now understand why he is so loved in Birmingham. He is not your typical pretty girl weather person reading a Weather Channel report during the local news. He is a very knowledgeable meteorologist. He says in the video he knows the names of all 252 people that died in Alabama and wanted to know why each of them died. Two key things he notes, most people injured believed they would hear a tornado siren, which you probably won’t. He also stated that medical professionals told him probably 50 of the 252 deaths could have been avoidable if they had been wearing something as simple as a bicycle helmet while sheltering. I now plan to buy some bicycle helmets to keep in my basement.
Posted on 4/27/26 at 8:03 pm to Ramblin Wreck
James Spann is great but he catches a lot of hell for being his own biggest fan, especially since 4/27. During the Tuscaloosa tornado, his sidekick meteorologist - Jason Simpson - had a better read and where the tornado was and where it was heading.
Simpson is now the chief meteorologist at NBC13 in Birmingham.
Simpson is now the chief meteorologist at NBC13 in Birmingham.
This post was edited on 4/27/26 at 8:04 pm
Posted on 4/27/26 at 8:05 pm to Ramblin Wreck
Yeah the bike helmets come out on severe weather days here now.
Also Spann’s greatest attribute is his knowledge of landmarks all across Alabama. He famously even once used a trashy walker county strip club to warn people because it was the only landmark in the area.
RIP Wesley’s Boobie Trap
Also Spann’s greatest attribute is his knowledge of landmarks all across Alabama. He famously even once used a trashy walker county strip club to warn people because it was the only landmark in the area.
RIP Wesley’s Boobie Trap
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