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A28 u.s. news
Diaranson 27 Januari 2021

Tornado leaves path of destruction in Alabama, killing 1

family was trapped for about
20 minutes until neighbors Police blocked intersections
helped free them, surviving leading to the hardest hit ar-
with only bumps and bruises. eas of Fultondale, a suburb
“Other than that, God had that’s home to about 9,000
his mighty hands on us." people. Downed power lines
and debris closed part of In-
A broken pipe spewed water terstate 65 while workers
into the air Tuesday morning removed the obstacles, said
as Williams and some volun- James Coker, the director of
teers helped free their dog the Jefferson County Emer-
Smokey from the remains gency Management Agency.
of the basement where the A Hampton Inn hotel also
animal had been trapped. He sustained significant struc-
climbed down a ladder and tural damage.
was able to hoist the dog to
safety. “The people of Fultondale
took a hard hit last night —
“I’m just so proud that I’m grieved over the loss of
Smokey is OK. One of my life, injuries, homes & dam-
daughters had some guinea aged businesses," Alabama
pigs and the other one had a Gov. Kay Ivey said on Twitter.
turtle. and I can't find them. I “I offer my prayers & deepest
just found part of the guinea sympathies & pledge the full
pig cage,” he said. support & resources our state
has to offer. I am with you,
Fultondale Fire Chief Jus- Fultondale!”
tin McKenzie said 18 of the
30 people injured had to go Weather service crews made
to hospital. Six others were a preliminary finding that
pulled uninjured from dam- Monday night’s tornado was
aged structures Tuesday at least a high EF-2 with
morning. 135 mph (217 k/ph) winds
(AP) — A teenager shel- of Matchbox cars. One car cherished belongings. but emphasized that surveys
tering in his basement was landed upside down against The county's emergency were ongoing.
killed and several family tree branches on a large pile Across the street from the management agency tweeted
members were critically of debris. Herrings, the tornado de- that several schools would be Fultondale also caught the
injured when a tornado stroyed the home of the Wil- closed Tuesday for both tra- tail end of an EF- 4 tornado
blew a tree onto their Ala- The teen was pronounced liams family, and even dam- ditional and remote students. that ripped across Alabama
bama home, police said dead at the scene Tuesday aged part of the basement from Tuscaloosa to northern
Tuesday. morning, and several of his tornado shelter where Jason The school superintendent Jefferson County on April
family members were criti- Williams rode out the storm said the system is trying to 27, 2011, killing 65 people
Many others narrowly es- cally injured when their with his wife and two teen determine how many stu- and injuring 1,500 along a
caped with their lives. At home collapsed, trapping daughters. He said he woke dents may be homeless now. damage path more than 80
least 30 people were injured them in the basement, Ful- them up after hearing the Fultondale High School was miles (130 kilometers) long,
as the twister carved a 10- tondale police Chief D.P. tornado siren and they felt so heavily damaged that he according to the National
mile (16 kilometer) path of Smith said. their ears pop from the pres- doubts students can return to Weather Service.
destruction Monday night in sure change as they rushed classrooms this year.
the northern suburbs of Bir- “They were doing what they inside. “Sadly, here in Fultondale
mingham, an area severely were supposed to be doing,’′ “Every building on this cam- we are very experienced with
damaged by a much larger the chief said. The 14-year- “As soon as we got in there it pus had been touched,” Gon- this kind of thing,” fire chief
tornado a decade ago. old killed was in the ninth hit, and it all came down on soulin said. McKenzie said.
grade, according to Jefferson top of us,” Williams said. The
“We ran in the bathroom, got County Schools Superinten-
down in the tub and covered dent Walter Gonsoulin.
over with some towels and
then in about two minutes it Search and rescue efforts
was all over,” said Tim Her- continued in neighborhoods
ring, who said he and his where it was difficult to tell
wife Patti had just moments where houses had stood.
to prepare. Across the wrecked land-
scape, every visible structure
“I had to push a bunch of was damaged or destroyed.
boards off of me and some Pieces of buildings and chil-
sheetrock. We got out and dren's toys and clothing were
my wife said, ‘We don’t have scattered across the hilly ter-
a roof.’ I walked in the hall- rain littered with broken
way and said, ‘We ain’t got trees. Utility lines had fallen
no walls either.’ I said, ‘We’re on roads. Some houses had
lucky to be alive, Patti,’” Tim entire roofs missing. The
Herring said. sound of chainsaws sliced
through the air and a helicop-
Pieces of buildings, furni- ter circled overhead.
ture, appliances and trees
were strewn about and ve- Patti Herring was shaken and
hicles came to rest in awk- teary as she picked through
ward positions, as if a child the debris looking for a miss-
had scattered a collection ing cat and her late mother's