Why we will never forget 4-27-2011 in Alabama(Image Source: HERE at srh.noaa.gov)
Look at all the tornadoes that came to the state that day and see how many were EF-3 and higher.
This map does not include the whole state at this point though the southern third was largely uneffected by the storm systems. I think that this map might be just the market area covered from the Birmingham branch of the National Weather Service. The
Huntville, Cullman, Dekalb County, the counties in the upper Tennessee Valley are out of the "Huntsville TV market" . Here is more info on the mystery northern section---HERE)
News cycles are short. National news especially will move on to the next "shark attack"...........or oil spill, Mississippi flood, etc. They always do. Prince William got married, bin Laden killed in the intervening week. We won't forget when so much work still lies ahead. I have not been north on 431 since this happened but the landscape will be unmistakably changed on that oft taken trip.
Here in Calhoun County:
- Tornado classified officially as an EF-4. It was part of the same one that hit Tuscaloosa and the BHM suburbs that lifted briefly and reformed to angle across the north end of the county.
- According to the local paper, 3500 homes affected
- 11000 residents impacted and 9 fatalities
We watched the news coverage on April 27th with great interest -- knowing someone who lives in the impacted area puts the story in a different genre -- no longer anonymous, but personal. We were so thrilled to hear that you, DJ, and Skyler were OK! You are right though, many times the news moves to the next story leaving behind the story of disaster and devastation for those who were impacted. I am sure it will be a very long time before things return to a new-normal in your state. I remember visiting New Orleans 5 years after Katrina. I soon realized that although time had passed, the folks living there were still dealing with the impact--even though it was 5 years later and the news cameras had long moved on. We can't forget that those folks impacted with disasters of such great magnitude continue to need our assistance and prayers for the long term, not the short term.
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