That morning started out with a bang. I was called to get out of bed and go downstairs at 5:30. The storms were already beginning, and for my house, this storm was the worst. The winds were unlike any I have ever heard before. It brought down many trees and power lines in the neighborhood, though no major damage was done to person or property. Eastern Valley Road and Tannehill Parkway both looked like a big mess.
The evening storms came too quickly. I do not know the exact number of tornadoes that charged through Alabama that day, but it was unbelievable. I watched live video of the tornadoes as they passed through Cullman, Tuscaloosa, and Birmingham. This thing was HUGE. The tornadoes left so much devastation across the state, killing and injuring people, and destroying homes and lives along its way. The two places that hit home the most with me are, of course, Tuscaloosa and Pleasant Grove. Both are in terrible conditions and leave this empty, aching feeling in my heart. Particularly with Pleasant Grove, there is so much destruction that much of my childhood is only a memory now. It's a humbling feeling to ride through a town you lived in for 18 years and seeing homes absolutely ripped apart. It also leaves me with a helpless feeling, knowing that no matter how much I donate or volunteer to help out with any relief effort, I cannot change the fact that these tornadoes happened and that these families' lives are forever altered. Seeing how the community has joined together in an effort to help is amazing. It's so relieving to see people genuinely caring for strangers as if they were family. I am so fortunate that my friends living in Pleasant Grove are alive and have no destruction to their homes. May God bless all people involved - those whose homes were destroyed and lives turned upside down, family and friends of the people affected, and for all those who are volunteering their time and strength. May God sustain each and every one of us through this tragedy and use it to strengthen our faith and for His glory.
And the very same huge tornado traveled to Birmingham, hitting Pleasant Grove, Concord, Pratt City, and many other unnamed and overlooked places along the way.
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