Damage from the Alabama tornado.Photo: Butch Dill/AP/Shutterstock
A destructive tornado swept through north-central Alabama on Thursday, causing extensive damage to homes and buildings in the area.
“On the cell moving across northern Hale County, about to move toward the Tuscaloosa and Bibb County line,” the service wrote. “If you are in the path, TAKE COVER NOW!”
Gov. Kay Iveydeclared a state of emergencyfor 28 counties in Alabama and laterexpanded it to 46due to the storm’s threat.
Damage from the Alabama tornado near Birmingham.Butch Dill/AP/Shutterstock
Ina video on Facebook, City of Pelham’s communications manager, Ainsley Allison, said the Cross Creek community had suffered “extensive damage” but had no reported injuries.
“This is why we are telling people to please stay off the roads and do not come to tornado-damaged areas,” Allison said in the clip, as she showed the aftermath of the storm. “It is essential that the people who live in these communities are able to get home and assess their damage.”
Damage in the Eagle Point community near Birmingham.Butch Dill/AP/Shutterstock
Allison noted that there are “trees and power lines down” in the area but said the lines are now dead as first responders continue to do their jobs and check on residents.
“It’s bad back here. We need to say prayers for the people who live in this community and come together to help rebuild,” she explained. “As you can imagine, these people are devastated right now… there’s a lot of work to be done here. This is definitely one of the areas that’s most hard-hit.”
In Helena, the local police departmentconfirmed in a tweetthat the city had “received major damage as a result of the tornado.” They did not disclose whether any injuries were reported.
Officials with the Helena and Pelham Fire Departments also told the NWS that they were busy tending to calls regarding collapsed structures.
In Bibb County, the Emergency Management Agency reported there were several houses and trailers in the Mount Carmel area of West Blocton that suffered damage, but no known injuries, according to ABC affiliate WBMA reporterLauren Walsh.
Additionally, several structures in theEagle Pointand Greystone subdivisions were destroyed in the storm, according to the NWS.
By Thursday afternoon, the NWSconfirmed heavy storms were still moving through the south. Aseparate tornado was also spotted moving across Alabamainto Pickens County, with cities including Aliceville and Carrollton in its path.
RELATED VIDEO: Tennessee Tornadoes Kill at Least 19 and Flatten Over 40 Buildings in Downtown Nashville
The University of Alabamasent out an announcement on Thursday, confirming they were suspending all campus operations, including remote classes, at noon until 5 a.m. Friday.
Nearly 50 school districts in Alabama also closed their doors, transitioned to remote learning or made plans for early dismissal due to the tornado, according toAL.com.
“Hope is not a good method of emergency planning,” Warren County Emergency Management Agency Director John Elfer told ABC affiliateWAPT. “You’ve got to actually get out there and get prepared, get ready.”
source: people.com
