re: Alabama tornado discussion and links

Alabama tornadoes: Crimson Tide baseball player Andrew Miller, roommates rode out storm in tub

TUSCALOOSA, Alabama -- Sitting in the direct path of Wednesday's deadly tornado, Citronelle native Andrew Miller and his roommates did the first thing they could think to do.

"We looked out the window and saw it coming ... We saw it coming right at us," said Miller, a sophomore outfielder on the University of Alabama's baseball team, in a phone interview today. "We ran, grabbed a mattress, got in the tub and put the mattress over us. The next second it was on top of us."

Miller, a former St. Paul's star, lives with three baseball teammates -- Trey Pilkington, Charley Sullivan and Adam Windsor -- in a house about 400 yards off 15th street, one of the hardest hit areas of Tuscaloosa.

The four teammates had just finished baseball practice about half an hour before the storm hit. Andrew called his father, Terry, after leaving the baseball field and Terry warned him about the storm.

When he got home, Andrew called his father back to tell him that he and his friends were watching the storm on the news.

"I told him to get a plan together. He said they had a mattress and they would get in the tub," Terry Miller said. "He calls me back five minutes later and says, 'Dad, I think it's going to hit us.' He said he could hear it coming. I said, 'Get off the phone, get in the tub and call me as soon as it's over.'"

Sure enough, the storm took a direct path down 15th street, leaving devastation in its wake.

Andrew Miller said the storm lasted only a few seconds.

Father felt helpless


It didn't seem like that to his father from 200 miles away.

"It seemed like two hours, though it was only about 10 minutes before he called me back. I was just helpless," Terry said. "I knew this unbelievable storm was about to hit my son basically dead on and there was nothing I could do but pray and hope.

"He finally called me back and said, 'Dad, we're OK, but it's bad."

Terry said he didn't tell Andrew's mother, who was at work in Mobile, about the situation until the danger had passed.

"She was upset obviously," he said.

When Andrew and his teammates got out of the tub, several trees were on the house, two more on Miller's truck. That damage turned out to be minimal compared to what the teammates saw around them.

"This town is messed up really, really bad," said Miller, still seemingly grasping for the right words to describe the wreckage a day after the storm. "When I was walking around yesterday, I just kept thinking it was a movie or something. It was literally just like something out of that movie 'Twister.' It's awful."

Miller said immediately after the storm, the players walked to the house of a nearby teammate, Josh Rosecrans.

"He lives just around the corner from us," Miller said. "They got in a tub to ride it out as well. But when they got out, everything but the bathroom was just gone."

Miller said the players later walked back to Sewell-Thomas Stadium on campus to meet up with their teammates, all of whom, he said, have been accounted for. He and his roommates then walked to the house of Pilkington's brother in another part of town and stayed there for the night.


Trying to help neighbors


Thursday morning, they were back on 15th Street, trying to clean trees off their house and help their neighbors.

"We're just trying to do what we can right now," Miller said. "We have to evacuate after today because there might be a gas leak. We really don't know where we'll be tonight or what will happen next. We're just trying to help while we can.

"We're trying to help some of the other players. We have two or three teammates whose trucks are gone, whose houses are destroyed."

The Tide was scheduled to play a three-game SEC series with the Bulldogs beginning with a doubleheader on Saturday. Classes and normal university operations have been suspended in wake of the storm and the school will not conduct scheduled final exams next week.

Right now, that seems to be the furthest thing from anybody's mind.

"I'm just amazed to be alive right now," Miller said.

the admins or avondale can move all the links to the first post in this thread.

if you go through collect all the links then send them to the admins or post them they should be able to put them in that first post

quote:

---

More unbelievable aerial video

---

I'm just lost for words. Thanks for the link

quote:

---

McGregor

---

Wow.

quote:

---

avondale88

---

quote:

---

My brother-in-law was found this morning. Unfortunately, he was killed.

---

My prayers are with your family and your wife.......I was hoping they would find him alive. Sounds like he was trying to protect others.....Again, I am so sorry about your wife's brother;-(

thanks, heartbreak!! sent them a list....just thought it would be much easier to have a sticky that is headed as tornado aid links/info totally devoted to links/info with no discussion.

Another aerial of Smithville, MS.




btw...Smithville is about 20 miles East of Tupelo, MS. It's reported that mail from Smithville and a Smithville HS year book has been recovered 115 miles away in Florence, AL.

I live on the east side of Birmingham about 100 miles from Tuscaloosa and have a bunch of stuff from Tuscaloosa in my yard.

Something from the Probate Office from 1929. Some type of land deed I think. And a misdemeanor arrest record for somebody.

Lots of shingles and wallboard, but I guess that could be from anywhere west of here.

The worst thing is a page from a Beauty and the Beast kids book. That one makes me want to

quote:

---

btw...Smithville is about 20 miles East of Tupelo, MS. It's reported that mail from Smithville and a Smithville HS year book has been recovered 115 miles away in Florence, AL.

---

The damage from these storms is almost beyond words...

Lots of stories like this coming out. Simply amazing.