Community rebuilding after deadly tornado in Jefferson County
The people of Fultondale are focusing on rebuilding what has been destroyed after an EF-3 tornado killed a teenager and destroyed homes Monday night.
Posted: Jan 26, 2021 8:31 PM
Updated: Jan 26, 2021 8:57 PM
Posted By: Bridget Divers
Around 30 people are injured following the tornado in Jefferson County.
A home severely damaged after being hit by an EF3 tornado.
The recovery phase is just beginning following several search and rescues.
The Fultondale Fire Department did their primary search and rescue through the night after the tornado hit. Multiple people were found and treated for injuries. People we re trapped. Utilize agencies around us to do some search and rescue. Treat patients that came to the station and ones that were at the hotels that were hit, said Justin McKenzie, Fultondale Fire Chief.
CBS News
Deadly tornado leaves path of destruction in Alabama
Fultondale, Alabama A tornado that teared through the city overnight ripped roofs off homes, pulverized walls and scattered debris so high it showed up on radar.
Elliott Hernandez, 14, is the first confirmed fatality. He was hiding with his family in a basement when their home collapsed. Dozens more were injured. We have recovered six additional people who were trapped, said Fultondale Fire Department Chief Justin McKenzie.
Kim Turner was with her 2-year-old grandson Fisher when she heard the storm intensify. The house was just shaking, so I took him to the basement, she said. They got to safety just before a tree crushed their home. She s still emotional recounting their close call.
Jan 27, 2021
FULTONDALE, Ala. (AP) A terrifying nighttime tornado that blasted through suburban Birmingham, trapping entire families in the remnants of shattered homes and killing a teenager sheltering in his basement, left a trail of destruction Tuesday that stunned even longtime residents used to Alabama’s violent weather.
Tim Herring, who survived the twister by huddling in a bathtub with wife Patti Herring as roaring winds ripped off the roof of their house and splintered walls, had followed weather forecasts during the day and didn’t expect the worst until it happened late Monday.
“I’ve lived here 64 years. I wasn’t too worried,” he said. Herring added: “I’ve helped folks after tornadoes. This time, it’s us.” Across the road, Jason Williams struggled to explain how he, his wife Renee and their two daughters made it out alive after their home collapsed, trapping them in the basement shelter where they’d sought refuge.
Here s what we know:
Preliminary survey indicates EF-2 Tornado slammed Fultondale
According to a preliminary investigation, the National Weather Service in Birmingham has designated the tornado that devastated the Birmingham suburb as a High-End EF-2 Tornado.
The storm whipped up winds around 135 mph, according to the NWS. Like a bomb had been dropped
Melvin Weldon was just about asleep with his wife when the tornado sirens triggered near his Lykes Boulevard home northeast of Fultondale. We went to turn the TV on to find out where the tornado warnings were or what was going on. then we heard that noise, Weldon said. We went downstairs, got our son down the stairs and about time we got to the bottom of the stairs is when it hit.
JAY REEVES and DESIREE MATHURIN Associated Press
Patti Herring sobs as she sorts through the remains of her home in Fultondale, Ala., on Tuesday, Jan. 26, 2021, after it was destroyed by a tornado. (AP Photo/Jay Reeves)
FULTONDALE, Ala. A teenager sheltering in his basement was killed and several family members were critically injured when a tornado blew a tree onto their home in Alabama, police said Tuesday.
The twister injured at least 30 people overall as it carved a 10-mile (16 kilometer) path of destruction Monday night in the northern suburbs of Birmingham. It struck an area severely harmed by a much larger tornado a decade ago.