OT: Storms in Tuscaloosa
Tornados hit Tuscaloosa again last night. They were not in the middle of the city like they were three years and a day before but did hit the surrounding area. There is one confirmed student death.
http://cbs42.com/2014/04/29/21-year-old-ua-student-athlete-killed-monda…
John Servati, 21, was killed when a retaining wall collapsed inside his home on 22nd Avenue Monday evening.
Servati, a junior, was a student-athlete at the University of Alabama and is listed on the athletic department’s website as a member of the swimming and diving team.
Naturally this is just so that everyone knows.
Another thunderstorm front should hit the area at 4 this after noon with a third in a couple of days.
Final exams are continuing today although they did cancel the ones last night at 7 pm and later.
Graduation is this Friday and Saturday. I live here so I can update if anyone cares to know about changes.
I hope everyone's family is safe.
I remember springtime in the south of my youth, in Tuscaloosa in particular. The dogwoods and azaleas blooming, the crawdad boils, the black storms of death...
A tornado flattened part of a block just to the north of us when I was a kid in Flint. And out on the Illinois prairie my wife and I once watched a huge green wall roll toward us across many miles of fields, scrambled into the basement as it came through town and knocked over an 18 wheeler that had pulled up off of the highway. Green skies terrify me.
Yeah, me too, though I was fortunate to never be in a place that took a direct hit from a tornado (and I've sure as hell tried, these days running around eastern Colorado, Nebraska and Kansas at this time of year). I recall a final exam in '89 getting interrupted to take shelter.
otoh, my family and I have been out of our home for almost eight months at this point due to a natural disaster. We hope to be able to return home before the one year mark.
I worked for the Red Cross, and I saw firsthand the devastation in Tuscaloosa and Birmingham 3 years ago. I met very resilient people and it was a pleasure to help shelter them and get them back on their feet. I hope everyone stays safe.
Here in Florida the storm and thunder have my kids freaked out.
I work at home mostly, on a project-oriented basis, could drop things for a week or so at a time, and know that there are people on-call for stuff like that. . . Do you know how when gets into that?
April 29th, 2014 at 11:54 AM ^
All you have to do is contact your local Red Cross office to volunteer, and they will give you all the training you need before a deployment. Good luck!
and as a former intercollegiate swimmer, this particularly hits home. My prayers to anyone associated with the Bama athletic department or school.
April 29th, 2014 at 10:03 AM ^
bands of thunderstorms coming thru the region. Hopefully,its all we'll get too.
April 29th, 2014 at 10:36 AM ^
Birmingham, AL resident here...
I heard on the radio there were 58 confirmed tornados touched the ground last night.. more to come today. Yeesh..
Although, thankfully yesterday was nothing like 3 years ago.
April 29th, 2014 at 10:41 AM ^
as the incoming freshman class Saban typically brings in!
April 29th, 2014 at 10:48 AM ^
April 29th, 2014 at 10:49 AM ^
April 29th, 2014 at 11:08 AM ^
I spent a good amount of time in Arkansas, Little Rock specifically, and I really feel for the folks in that area. The storms down through there, extending to the Southeast, are brutal. I hope that no more lives are lost despite the destruction that is experienced.
April 29th, 2014 at 11:16 AM ^
Sounded like a great kid going into the prime of his life. All life is precious, but it really hits hard in these cases... put the rest of the day in perspective.
oops!!
Just release everyone before second wave of nasty weather hits us...be safe!!
Here is a bit more on that young man.
Maybe UM should use this as a recruiting tool. "We have cold winters but they have tornados"