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...PRELIMINARY STORM SURVEY INFORMATION FROM LIMESTONE AND MADISON COUNTIES... A PRELIMINARY GROUND AND AERIAL STORM SURVEY OF THE DAMAGE INCURRED ACROSS LIMESTONE AND MADISON COUNTIES HAS BEEN COMPLETED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE...UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA IN HUNTSVILLE...AND LOCAL EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL. INITIAL FINDINGS ARE AS FOLLOWS: * EVENT TYPE: TORNADO * EVENT DATE: 04/27/11 * ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 190.0 MPH * PRELIMINARY RATING: EF-4 * PATH LENGTH: UNDETERMINED AS ENTIRE TRACK WAS NOT SURVEYED * MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH: 3/4 MILE * FATALITIES: AT LEAST 11 * INJURIES: A LARGE NUMBER * SUMMARY: AN AERIAL SURVEY WAS CONDUCTED FROM THE TENNESSEE RIVER ALONG THE LAWRENCE/LIMESTONE COUNTY LINE NORTHEAST THROUGH TANNER AND INTO MADISON COUNTY BEYOND THE ANDERSON HILLS SUBDIVISION. SEVERAL AREAS OF INTENSE DAMAGE WERE NOTED ALONG A SOLID TRACK WITH THE MOST INTENSE DAMAGE NOTED NEAR THE COMMUNITY OF TANNER AND NEAR ANDERSON HILLS IN MADISON COUNTY. HOMES WERE COMPLETELY OBLITERATED ALONG A WIDE SWATH IN BOTH OF THESE AREAS. NEARLY A DOZEN HIGH TENSION POWER LINES WERE SNAPPED OR TAKEN TO THE GROUND IN LIMESTONE COUNTY. CONCRETE POWER POLES WERE ALSO SNAPPED OFF AT THEIR BASE. A SUBSEQUENT GROUND TEAM...AIDED BY A STORM SURVEY EXPERT FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA IN HUNTSVILLE...SURVEYED THE MOST INTENSE DAMAGE IN LIMESTONE COUNTY. HIGH END EF-3 DAMAGE WAS NOTED OVER A LARGE AREA IN EASTERN LIMESTONE COUNTY ALONG AND NORTH OF THE EAST LIMESTONE HIGH SCHOOL. IN THE COMMUNITY OF TANNER...THE INTENSITY WAS MAXIMIZED WITH A LARGE SWATH OF EF-4 DAMAGE AND A NARROW CORRIDOR OF HIGH END EF-4 TO NEAR EF-5 DAMAGE. SEVERAL WELL CONSTRUCTED HOMES WITH ANCHOR BOLTING WERE COMPLETELY WIPED CLEAN. ONE HOME HAD THE DEBRIS CARRIED OVER 300 HUNDRED YARDS WITH LARGE ITEMS CARRIED COMPLETELY AWAY. INTENSE GROUND SCARRING WAS NOTED IN THIS AREA. IN ADDITION...A LARGE CARGO CONTAINER WAS PICKED UP AND BLOWN APPROXIMATELY 600 YARDS AND SEVERAL CARS WERE CARRIED AIRBORNE FOR HUNDREDS OF YARDS. IN ALL...HUNDREDS OF HOMES RECEIVED MODERATE TO MAJOR DAMAGE ALONG THE PATH WITH MANY OF THESE BEING TOTAL LOSSES. ANOTHER SURVEY TEAM WILL BE ON THE GROUND IN MADISON TO FURTHER ASSESS THE DAMAGE ON FRIDAY.
...PRELIMINARY STORM SURVEY INFORMATION FROM FRANKLIN COUNTY ALABAMA... A PRELIMINARY STORM SURVEY OF THE DAMAGE INCURRED ACROSS FRANKLIN COUNTY ALABAMA HAS BEEN COMPLETED BY NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE AND FRANKLIN COUNTY EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT PERSONNEL. INITIAL FINDINGS ARE AS FOLLOWS: * EVENT TYPE: TORNADO * EVENT DATE: 04/27/2011 * ESTIMATED PEAK WIND: 175 MPH * PRELIMINARY RATING: EF-4 * PRELIMINARY PATH LENGTH: 12 MILES (EXPECTED TO INCREASE) * MAXIMUM PATH WIDTH: 1/2 MILE * FATALITIES: AT LEAST 20...EXACT NUMBER UNKNOWN * INJURIES: UNKNOWN * SUMMARY: FOR THE PURPOSE OF THIS SURVEY, THE PATH BEGAN AT THE SOUTHERN FRANKLIN COUNTY LINE WITH MARION COUNTY NEAR HACKLEBURG. FOR INFORMATION ABOUT THE TORNADO PATH IN MARION COUNTY...CONSULT INFORMATION PROVIDED BY THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN BIRMINGHAM. THE SURVEY TEAM TRAVELED THROUGH PHIL CAMPBELL AND WITNESSED CONTINUOUS SIGNIFICANT DEVASTATION THROUGHOUT THE CITY. THE MOST PROLIFIC DAMAGE OCCURRED FROM THE INTERSECTION OF COUNTY ROAD 51 AND ALABAMA HIGHWAY 237...TO THE INTERSECTION OF COUNTY ROAD 81 AND COUNTY ROAD 75. WITHIN THIS CORRIDOR, MANY HOUSES WERE COMPLETELY DESTROYED WITH LITTLE EVIDENCE THAT A HOUSE EXISTED AT THAT LOCATION OTHER THAN THE SLAB AND A DEBRIS PILE. SOME OF THESE HOUSES WERE WELL CONSTRUCTED. AT LEAST 3 CHURCHES ALONG THE PATH SUSTAINED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE. ONE CHURCH IN PHIL CAMPBELL WAS COMPLETELY DESTROYED WITH ONLY THE SLAB REMAINING. MULTIPLE MOBILE HOMES THROUGHOUT THE PATH WERE COMPLETELY DESTROYED...AND THEIR MANGLED FRAMES WERE TOSSED AT LEAST 25 TO 50 YARDS. CARS WERE TOSSED AND DESTROYED THROUGHOUT THE PATH OF THE TORNADO...WITH ONE CAR WRAPPED AROUND A DEBARKED TREE IN PHIL CAMPBELL. ALL ALONG THE PATH LENGTH...THOUSANDS OF HARDWOOD AND SOFTWOOD TREES WERE SNAPPED. HUNDREDS OF TREES WERE ALSO DEBARKED AND TWISTED...AND HAD ONLY STUBS OF LARGEST BRANCHES REMAINING. EF-4 DAMAGE CONTINUED SIMILARLY NORTHEAST FROM PHIL CAMPBELL...ROUGHLY ALONG COUNTY ROADS 81 AND 82. SEVERAL HIGH VOLTAGE TVA POWER LINE TRUSSES WERE TWISTED AND TOPPLED...PARTICULARLY NEAR HIGHWAY 243. SIX CHICKEN HOUSES WERE COMPLETELY DESTROYED NEAR THE FRANKLIN LAWRENCE COUNTY LINE. THE SURVEY TEAM HAS NOT YET BEEN ABLE TO SURVEY DAMAGE IN LAWRENCE COUNTY WHERE THIS TORNADO CONTINUED ON ITS PATH. FURTHER DETAILS... SUCH AS TIMING OF THE TORNADO AND PATH LENGTH...WILL REQUIRE ADDITIONAL INVESTIGATION. INFORMATION REGARDING THIS SURVEY WILL BE PLACED ON THE INTERNET ONCE ACCESS HAS BEEN RESTORED.
0829 PM TORNADO 4 SE COLLEGEDALE 35.00N 85.00W04/27/2011 HAMILTON TN NWS EMPLOYEEEF4. MAX WIND SPEED 190 MPH. PATH WIDTH 800 YARDS. PATHLENGTH 15 MILES. CONTINUOUS NORTHEAST TRACK LEADING INTOEASTERN PORTIONS OF CLEVELAND.
This page is pretty cool: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Pictures-and-Documents-found-after-the-April-27-2011-Tornadoes/
Oh my goodness. I knew that the Cleveland area was hit super hard, but EF4? Those cells tracking over the Cleveland area eventually came right over my head. Dropped at least a weak tornado less than a mile from me, I have no idea if this is a confirmed touchdown yet, but the damage certainly looked tornadic to me.
I've seen the pictures and videos. Apison is a small community to begin with. There isn't much left there except some concrete slabs and piles of wood. Here is a video...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UkhqFk_QA7s
Bummer... I'll miss the familiar urgency of the all caps regardless of the real urgency.A TRANQUIL WEATHER PATTERN BRINGING FAIR SKIES WILL DOMINATE THE REGION.
Though this is a time of sadness,I would like to say welcome to the "lurkers"/new members, don't be shy around here we are a good/friendly group.
Does anyone know the "official" number of missing? Or is that number still even uncertain? This is going to be a long next few days as we get these numbers down, like I said early today...this is just the start of the reports.
From Twitter:Best. Quote. Ever.
WBRC-TV Our sister station to the north, WAFF, reports 147 people are dead between Franklin County and Hackleburg. <<<wow. That is a VERY rural area too... I need to find out just how rural. Could be a decent percent of the total population gone in a flash.
Honestly, I can't see any huge number of people not already accounted for in the death toll. It's been 24 hours and I know the devastation is awful, but there's no way the death toll is off by 70 or 147 people, imo.
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Topic: Super Outbreak 2011 (April 25-28) (Read 655847 times)
