OT: Storms in Tuscaloosa

Submitted by Finance-PhD on

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.

RoxyMtnHiM

April 29th, 2014 at 9:37 AM ^

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... 

MGlobules

April 29th, 2014 at 9:40 AM ^

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.  

RoxyMtnHiM

April 29th, 2014 at 9:47 AM ^

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.

amphibious1

April 29th, 2014 at 9:42 AM ^

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.

sheepdog

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.

 

MaximusBlue

April 29th, 2014 at 10:49 AM ^

We had a tornado warning from 2am to 3am. It ended up passing over and I eventually went back to sleep around 5am(glad I don't have to work). So far a lot of trees down, some on houses. Not quite sure of any fatalities just yet.

Coming from Michigan dealing with snow and being down here 10 years now, this weather is just a different beast with the tornadoes and hurricanes. I remember hurricane Ivan doing damage years ago.

The weather in this southeast area is usually great all year round so I know it attracts people to migrate this way, but you have to really consider the tornado/hurricane seasons that can be very dangerous and potentially fatal.

GoWings2008

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. 

Zoltanrules

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.

ilah17

April 29th, 2014 at 4:15 PM ^

My condolences to his family, that's so sad. I have a friend who lives outside of Oklahoma City. The super bad tornadoes (2001 or 2002 maybe?) came within a few blocks of her house. Pretty scary stuff!