This is the second in a series of summaries documenting the Tuscaloosa-Birmingham tornado of April 27, 2011. After moving through Friday Circle, the twister entered Tuscaloosa and began a horrific trail of devastation through the city.
This is the first in a series of summaries documenting the Tuscaloosa-Birmingham tornado of April 27, 2011. The obscure beginning portions of the path before Tuscaloosa are explored, ranging from far western Greene County up to the city limits.
This is an overview of the Tuscaloosa-Birmingham tornado. There are few, if any twisters in modern history more infamous than this one. Cutting a gash through both the Tuscaloosa and Birmingham metro areas, it was the face of the 2011 Tornado Super Outbreak. The number of people affected was staggering, as was the toll; 72 direct and indirect fatalities, and at least 1,900 injured. Monetary costs were estimated at $2.4 billion.
This monster tornado was the final EF3+ of the 2011 Super Outbreak and one of the most extreme twisters in Georgia history. But, beyond the extraordinary damage, this is also a story about the remarkable people and communities who faced and surmounted a terrible disaster.
This violent tornado was one of the longest tracked of the Super Outbreak, traveling over 130 miles through parts of Mississippi and Alabama. Many rural homes were leveled with EF4 damage occurring near Louin and Enterprise, MS. Seven people were killed.
A violent tornado tracked for just over 30 miles across northeastern Alabama and into southern Tennessee. The hardest-hit area was near Bridgeport, AL. EF4 damage occurred there, as several homes were leveled. Sadly a 13-year-old boy was killed, and several other people were injured in another forgotten event of the Super Outbreak.
An intense tornado tracked for nearly 77 miles across Central Alabama, causing significant damage in the small towns of Sawyerville and Eoline. This event was overshadowed by others in the area. Dozens of rural homes were decimated, and remarkable vegetation damage occurred. Tragically seven people were killed, and 52 were injured.
An extremely powerful tornado moved through the communities of Ringgold, Apison, and Cleveland during the evening of April 27, 2011. One of the most violent tornadoes to ever hit the area, this monster took the lives of 24 people and injured roughly 667. In order to fully tell the stories of the places affected and how they dealt with the disaster, the track has been divided into two summaries.
“It left in its wake a path of devastation like this town has never seen and a level of terror the hearts of our people have never known.” – Rick Norton, Cleveland Daily Banner. During the evening of April 27, 2011, a catastrophic twister tore through several communities across southeastern Tennessee. This is the second portion of a two-part series on the Ringgold-Apison-Cleveland, GA-TN, EF4 tornado.
“Ringgold is safe from tornadoes, people say, because of the White Oak Mountain Ridge.” – “Shatterproof” by Katrina Hoover. Tragically, during the evening of April 27, 2011, the mountains were no match for the destructive force of an EF4 tornado. This is the first portion of a two-part series on the Ringgold-Apison-Cleveland, GA-TN, EF4 tornado.
