Destruction. Devastation. State of emergency.
These are words I’ve heard more times than I can even begin to count today.
The past 24 hours have been nothing short of a nightmare here in Alabama.
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This is a picture of the tornado taken from my apartment as it came through Birmingham
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Somewhere around 6pm last night a tornado more than a mile-wide ripped through Birmingham. We all knew the damage was going to be significant, but it wasn’t until daybreak that everyone began to realize just how horrifying it really was.
With a death toll of 194 and rising and hundreds missing, I have heard numerous meteorologists refer to this as the most significant weather event in the history of Alabama.
One person asked, “Where is Hackleburg?” to which the reply was “Not where it used to be.” This small town has been completely wiped off the map, along with the town of Cordova
A toddler was ripped from her daddy’s arms and found walking, uninjured, miles away.
There are bodies lying in the streets of some neighborhoods where emergency vehicles are not yet able to reach them.
Kids have watched their parents die in front of them.
Mothers are walking the streets searching for their babies.
Here’s where I go on a mini-rant, but it’s my blog, so I’m allowed, right?
Tuscaloosa is all over the news. Even here in Birmingham, it’s 90% of the coverage on the news. I get it. That’s where The University of Alabama is located. That’s where the tornado hit first. That’s where the weather cam had an excellent view of the tornado. That’s where damage was inflicted first.
However, I have to ask WHY are we forgetting about the rest of the state? While downtown Birmingham was relatively untouched, the areas surrounding Birmingham were hit…and they were hit hard. The damage, deaths, and injuries in Birmingham are far greater than in Tuscaloosa.
Please know that I am not in any way diminishing what has happened in Tuscaloosa, but there is much more to this than Tuscaloosa and The University of Alabama. So many in Birmingham need help, and it seems as though they are being forgotten, when they were the hardest hit.
::End Rant::
The recovery and healing process has yet to begin for this state. Please keep everyone here in your thoughts and prayers as we all begin to pick up the pieces and rebuild our lives.
