Tornadoes on April 27th: As quick as they come, they leave.

It was expected for really severe storms to come through Northern Alabama on Wednesday, April 27th. Me, being the night owl that I am decided to stay up late (4 AM) to watch the incoming storms coming from Mississippi. We were already under a tornado watch and if any of those storms came through during the early hours of the morning I knew that my Mom and Grandma would have no idea what was going on. Mom woke up for work at about 5:30 and there was already a tornado warning and a storm was predicted to come right to my city so she stayed at home until about 6:30 and then left for work.

At about 7AM there was another tornado warning and I only got to sleep for about one hour after that one cleared and I was woken up by sirens. It was non-stop from then on. It gets to 12:30 and Mom ends up coming home and it's slacked off for a while. In case you haven't ever been in an area prone to tornadoes let me tell you how it feels. You wake up in the morning and walk outside and feel this humid cool breeze. The sky is usually overcast with a promise of rain and a thunderstorm or two. You know immediately that something feels different. I've known this feeling ever since I was a kid and I can recognize it at a drop of a hat-- even in Utah.

We get warning after warning and the weather tells us constantly to get in our safe location so I really just want to sit in my bathtub with my pillows and blanket and Book of Mormon and electric candle. The power goes out midday so we have no radio and no way to tell what is going on. I'm constantly texting people who have power still to see what is going on and if they have a radio to tell me the updates. My cell phone is on the verge of death and the signal is really weak coming from the bathroom, we can't even call out or receive calls on our cell phone. I'm basically stuck to looking at the sky that is pouring raindrops the size of golf balls to determine when I need to go hide. The tornado doesn't have eyes but at times it feels like it. I'm scared out of my mind because the last thing I heard was a tornado was headed right for Decatur. I have no idea where it is.

Mom got home about 5:00 and more storms came which meant more tornadoes which meant more sitting in the bathtub. I finally found batteries for this radio which was good we were able to tell what was going on. The power was out and the whole house was pitch black at about 6:00 which is abnormal. The clouds are hanging low and there is an ominous feeling because there was complete silence. I heard people say they saw the wall-cloud go right over where we live and then pass on. Once the cold front moved in around 7:00 or so the tornado threat went down and only rain was left. It was seriously one of the scariest things that I have experienced because tornadoes can't be stopped. Our city is safe but other people just a county away are suffering. They have no houses, their crops are flooded, they have nowhere to go to sleep for the night. Countless lives were lost and the damage was spread across the whole state. They said this was the worst tornado outbreak since 1974 and the worst natural disaster since Hurricane Katrina. I learned a lot though. A LOT. Always have faith in Heavenly Father and remember Him always and He will protect you.


In Cullman, about 30-40 minutes from where I live:


In Tuscaloosa, down south, home to University of Alabama: