Coaling, AL EF3 Tornado – April 27, 2011

That was Coaling Mayor Charley Foster in an October 2011 article for Tuscaloosanews.com. The early AM twisters of April 27, 2011, are sometimes called “the forgotten tornadoes.” The events of that morning are often overshadowed by the devastating twisters later in the day. Per the same article, “Without the afternoon ones, you’d have two morning tornadoes that were EF3s,” said David Hartin, Tuscaloosa Emergency Management Agency director. “And EF3s are very rare. Generally what we see is EF0s, EF1s and EF2s.“

This tornado developed at 5:17 am CDT north of CR 14, along Austin Powder Road, WNW of Coaling. Damage was initially to trees. The twister moved in an easterly direction for about three miles, staying south and running parallel to U.S. Highway 11. It moved into the north side of Coaling. The tornado peaked in intensity along this stretch with estimated winds at 155 mph (EF3).

The Magnolia Springs subdivision was devastated. Almost every house on the 38 lots in the neighborhood sustained some degree of damage. An estimated 12 to 15 homes were destroyed. One large residence was wiped from its foundation.

Firefighter Reginald Eppes woke up in his Magnolia Springs home to the sound of thunder. He stumbled into the kitchen and found his wife, Danielle reading her bible at the table. The winds were howling, and Reginald asked her where the flashlights were located. She pointed him to the toy room where he found one, and he returned to the kitchen. In an interview with CBN, Reginald recalls, “She says, ‘Baby, do you want to get the boys up?’ I said, ‘Uh…’ Before I could finish that statement, the lights went out, the winds started going, the windows blew.”

Danielle and Reginald ran to the bedroom of their three sons. Danielle grabbed the youngest son, Joel, while Reginald held the middle boy James Peter. He then yelled to his oldest, Reginald Jr. (R.J.), to get up out of his bed. As the father stretched out his arms to take hold of his son, the winds snatched him instead. In an interview with NPR the day after the tornado, Reginald described what it was like watching his child disappear in the tornadic winds. “It was like somebody just had a slingshot on him, a rope or a rubber band, and had traction on that rubber band and pulled him away. It was just that quick. And you could see nothing.”

Reginald covered James Peter to protect him from flying debris. The father was struck by something heavy. He later noted in an interview in Reader’s Digest that it may have been a washing machine. Danielle prayed as the home shattered around them.