Prayers for Alabama

[LuvN~Travel]

The pictures are devasting to see on TV, I feel so bad for everyone there and especially for the families waiting to hear about their children.

We haven't heard from my nephew yet, but I am going on the no news is good news theory. He is probably very busy with helping.

It probably is. We've been hearing all afternoon and evening that due to the downed phone lines and cell towers, that info coming out was minimal.
Hopefully he'll get the chance to call later.
Kim

 

[Amlee]

I haven't heard anything about the base getting hit. It's being reported the school, homes around it, and the downtown area. News footage is also showing helicotpers(sp) and personal from the base, helping with the rescue, recovery and now with security.

 

[Amlee]

That's the thing. They actually let out early for the storms at 1:00 pm, and the tornado didn't hit until 1:30. But, apparently the kids wouldn't go home! And, I can imagine teens finding reasons to stay around, too.
But, of course our schools in town didn't do anything, about closing early. However, they did hold about four back from leaving when one warning hit about five minutes before school was due to end. My son't was one of course! I noticed that these were the schools that were in line with the last twister that hit here back in the fall too. They were remembering one twister at least.
Kim

See this is more mixed information I'm hearing. Because the birmingham station is saying that they didn't turn school out early. Also that the storm hit at 12:45.

 

[plgrn]

No damage in Huntsville thank God, though we usually get our share during this time of year. My prayers are with Georgia and Tennessee since that's where it seems to be headed right now!

 

[Wonderlandmom]

See this is more mixed information I'm hearing. Because the birmingham station is saying that they didn't turn school out early. Also that the storm hit at 12:45.

NBC news said the school followed tornado procedures starting 1 hour before it hit. The students and teachers were in the halls.

 

[LouDisney]

Yes it's been a real mess here today. A number of my customers that came in today, had family or friends who live down there and said it is awful. Especially the fatalites, and it's been climbing no less!

And, right now it doesn't sound so hot outside either. When we were picking up our daughter at my parent's house this evening, it literally sounded like those
eerie sounds in the movie Twister. Just like a big monster growling! Ewww.
And, of course the south part of our county has been hit today, not far from one of the areas hit back in the fall, when the tornadoes hit here (getting the daycare) My son's school was one of about four that were held back from going home because one tornado warning hit about four minutes before they let out. He got home finally about 4:45 today! I am glad that they weren't on the bus at least. Especially since their school was in line with that last twister that hit here.

My heart and prayers definitely go out to these families in Enterprise.

Gee, I don't know what it is with March around here. My sister's house was severely damaged in , March 6, '96when the tornadoes came through here then. (Had to rebuild it was so damaged of course) I know she wasn't happy today. Her house is near my son's school.
Kim

Unfortunately March is the start of tornado season or severe weather season in the south. I love March because it's starting to warm up, spring is coming (and it's my b'day month ) but I hate the treat of tornaodes that come along with it. Glad you guys are ok. I know that must have been scary. We had the warnings and storms this afternoon, right when I was leaving work.

 

[Amlee]

NBC news said the school followed tornado procedures starting 1 hour before it hit. The students and teachers were in the halls.

So did they turn the kids out or not? Also I've heard that most of the injured were in the gym. It's going to be a mess to figure out one way or the other.

 

[Wonderlandmom]

So did they turn the kids out or not? Also I've heard that most of the injured were in the gym. It's going to be a mess to figure out one way or the other.

The bit I heard on NBC said they were in the halls(I guess that was the safest place, away from glass windows, etc) for 1 hour before it hit. So I assume they were on the ground waiting for 1 hour. I hope a school would not release student while under a warning. That would be irresponsible!
My kids have tornado drills every year here.

 

[Wonderlandmom]

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=nation_world&id=5082596

The storm struck about 1:15 p.m., and Richardson said some students were still trapped three hours later. Erin Garcia, a 17-year-old senior, said students had gathered in hallways around 11 a.m. as a precaution. School officials wanted to send them home around 1 p.m., she said, but the weather turned bad and sirens wailed.

Then, she said, the lights went out. "I was just sitting there praying the whole time," she said.

After the storm passed, she found the hallway she was in was spared, but a roof and wall collapsed on students in another hallway. "It was scary. It sounded like a bunch of people trying to beat the wall down. It was complete chaos out in the hallway," she said.

 

[Amlee]

The schools here let the kids out of school at 11:00 am for the county and 1:00pm the city kids today. If there is a warning at the time they will hold the buses. But they try to release the kids a few hours before the storms get here. After Carbon Hill's school got hit in 02, schools around here don't want the kids in the schools during storms.

 

[Amlee]

http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=nation_world&id=5082596

I just checked the weather blog of the weather man, who said it hit at 12:45, he has now changed his statement to "a little after 1pm today".

Like I said, it will be interesting to see what the reports say when its all said and done. As the issue of releasing children early or holding them is a BIG debate here.

 

[Amlee]

This was taken by someone as the storm passed through the city of Enterprise.

Source: jamesspan.com

 

[LouDisney]

Oh wow, that is a huge tornado. People on the news were describing it as huge. I know they are now debating the whole issue of why the kids were not released earlier, since most school around the state were either closed or let the kids leave at noon. I have also been hearing the death doll at the school was not as high as they had stated before.

I left work at 3:30 and they had just issued my county a tornado warning and the roads were just dead and they are never during that time period.
It's so sad.

 

[TigerKat]

This is so sad and tragic, my prayers go out to all involved.

 

[LuvN~Travel]

I heard one guy on the news this afternoon on my way home say that he thought the tornado was about 800 yards wide. Believe me, in Alabama that is humongeous! Normally we have the terrorist twisters, ones that drop down, then back up and keep doing that. We don't normally have those that stay on the ground. As a matter of fact the only one I can think of right off the bat is the one that hit Tuscaloosa back in 2000. It was a big long one too. (We were in the Children's hospital in B'ham with our DD that day)

Also, as to leaving school, now we are hearing on the national news, that they did decide to keep the kids there, due to the storm coming in. Apparently they didn't have enough time to send them home early today. So much is being revised tonight due to overcounting, lack of phones, etc...

I like that they've been able to downgrade the numbers of fatalities though.
Kim

 

[Amlee]

Oh wow, that is a huge tornado. People on the news were describing it as huge. I know they are now debating the whole issue of why the kids were not released earlier, since most school around the state were either closed or let the kids leave at noon. I have also been hearing the death doll at the school was not as high as they had stated before.

I left work at 3:30 and they had just issued my county a tornado warning and the roads were just dead and they are never during that time period.
It's so sad.

It is huge!

My mother kept all my nieces and nephews out of school today. It was the way my grandfather did all of us, we never went to school on days like this.

It's going to be like the ones that it the McDonald Chapel, Carbon Hill areas. It will most likely be tomorrow if not days before we know any true details.

 

[crusoe2]

We're in Troy (about 25 miles north of Enterprise). What we've been hearing is that the school system had decided to send the kids home at 1:00 but apparently the weather turned too nasty to dismiss and everyone got caught at the school. I teach and this sounds about right based on my experience. We've had a couple of days this year that we could not dismiss at our regular time because severe weather rolled in about that time. As to why they hadn't already sent the kids home at noon like other schools, Amlee's right - dismissing early has gotten to be a really big issue no matter what the reason for it. Our administrators have so many rules and regulations they have to take into consideration when they make these decisions and at the same time they want to do what is best for the students. I don't envy them - that is a huge responsibility and I'm sure the folks who were making the calls in Enterprise today were doing the best they could. My heart goes out to all the folks down there. I sure hope those lower death tolls are right.

 

[mandy200587]

You guys are in my thoughts and prayers. Middle TN went was hit last year by a tornado and this time around they wasted no time shutting down almost every middle TN school.

 

[LouDisney]

I am sure they were doing their best. I feel so bad for all them.

I think the biggest one that hit Alabama in the most recent years was the F5 that hit in April of 1998. I was living in New Orleans at the time. I know it hit Oak Grove and the western part of Jefferson county and I think some of St. Clair county if I am not mistaken. That was so horrible.

 

[crusoe2]

More bad news - they've just reported finding 3 more bodies in the high school. This is just heartbreaking.