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We were just hit by a tornado.


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We just got hit by a tornado. We are fine, but our house is unlivable for the time being. It was at least a strong EF2 or EF3. It just did miss us but got everything else. I'll try to upload some pics in a couple of days when we figure things out.  I believe this was the first tornado to actually hit Wetumpka. 

 

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Found this playing in Google, https://www.wvtm13.com/article/tornado-watch-for-central-alabama-1547914756/25961249

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Wetumpka Mayor Jerry Willis said there is significant damage to the city's downtown, with several buildings on the ground after an intense storm passed through the area.

"This is kind of unreal," Willis said. "It's like you're walking around in a daze trying to figure out what's happened to you."

At 2:33 p.m. Saturday, the National Weather Service in Birmingham said a fast-moving storm capable of producing a tornado was located near Titus, 14 miles northwest of Wetumpka. Just before 3 p.m., the NWS reported a radar confirmed tornado in downtown Wetumpka.

 

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At 2:44pm, the National Weather Service in Birmingham detected a severe thunderstorm producing rotation in Elmore and Montgomery counties. Tornado warnings were issued for these areas as the storm approached the cities of Montgomery and Wetumpka.

At 2:51pm, damage reports from the storms indicated that the storm was likely producing a tornado along South Main Street in Wetumpka. At 2:56pm, the National Weather Service issued additional tornado warnings as additional damage reports came in from the area.

 

https://whnt.com/2019/01/19/tornado-hits-downtown-wetumpka-numerous-buildings-destroyed/

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The mayor said he’s concerned about the Bibb Graves Bridge, which crosses the Coosa River.

“I’ve contacted the state. We will have the inspectors, and we’ll look at the bridge. If you look at the last three globes on the lamp post on this end of the bridge, it took all of that off. We don’t know if this tornado if part of it came under the bridge so structurally we don’t know. We’ve asked them to come inspect the bridge and make sure it’s safe before we open it back up,” Willis said.

 

http://www.wsfa.com/2019/01/19/damage-reported-after-saturday-storm-tornadoes-sweep-across-central-al/

Edited by southwestforests
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Very surreal stuff. The tornado just grazed our house. Our neighbors are fine, but their house received a lot of damage. We had a board come through the wall in our bathroom and wedged up under the camode. Lots of broken windows. Our whole house was shifted to the right and is leaning. So, the house will most likely be condemmed. And it sounds exactly like a freight train screaming at you. 

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10 hours ago, caudleryan said:

Crazy weather, man! One day, we have tornados. The next day, they are talking about snow and freeze warnings! Only in Alabama.

 

I think New York will dispute claim of crazy.  One day a hurricane floods the place, the next day they have a blizzard.

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That storm that hit you passed thru here Friday night with extremely high winds and left us with about an inch of snow

that came down horizontally.  Glad you are okay and get things sorted out quickly.

 

:cheers:

Jerry

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It is always a bad thing watching CNN and seeing the misery of a tornado or hurricane hit on a town. I admire the resilience of those people after having been struck by these natural disasters or fire as in the case of California recently. How they still manage a smile during interviews is beyond me. Makes me feel like a total idiot when complaining about a bit of fog or wind.

What does strike me though is that many houses that I see that got destroyed seem to be build out of wood in the USA. They seem rather flimsy in those tornado prone areas. In Namibia, where I live, houses are rather solidly build of brick and concrete. Why are so many houses in the US build from wood. Even big double story estates or mansions seem to be built of wood or plaster board. Would it not be logic to build houses of bricks and concrete in these tornado areas? Is cost maybe a factor?

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Glad ya'll are ok; I'm down in south alabama and besides a lot of wind and rain, we didn't see much else. We had a small tornado touch down near my house over the summer; some houses in my neighborhood are still getting repairs from it. Hope the recovery process is a speedy one for you.

 

Justin

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4 hours ago, Pierre Sacha said:

What does strike me though is that many houses that I see that got destroyed seem to be build out of wood in the USA. They seem rather flimsy in those tornado prone areas. In Namibia, where I live, houses are rather solidly build of brick and concrete.

Wood is plentiful thus cheap in North America.  Wood-frame houses have been built here since the first Europeans landed here 400 hundred years ago.  Even were we to build with brick/stone/metal, these big storms will take off the roof.  Some tornadoes are so strong that not even brick/stone can stand.  Concrete is about the only material that could take it all but it's much more expensive than wood.

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Ryan, my daughter shares your devastated hometown of Wetumpka, what a small world! She was out of town at the time, but was so thankful that everyone she knows there is ok.  Was horrified that the 1856-vintage Presbyterian church near the metal bridge was wiped off the map; one of her favorite teachers was married there.  

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I feel for you. My wife and I went through an EF-3 several years ago. Lord blessed us and the tornado missed our house from a direct hit by about 30ft, but it tweaked it good. The house was supposed to be demolished but they decided to keep it up. 

 

Two things occurred after that...1) My wife insists on basements (we had none) 2) We didn't play around with getting more insurance.

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On 1/21/2019 at 2:08 PM, Andrew D. the Jolly Rogers guy said:

Ryan, my daughter shares your devastated hometown of Wetumpka, what a small world! She was out of town at the time, but was so thankful that everyone she knows there is ok.  Was horrified that the 1856-vintage Presbyterian church near the metal bridge was wiped off the map; one of her favorite teachers was married there.  

Wow! Small world indeed! Which area of Wetumpka does she live? We live.....well lived right next to the police department.  It sustained major damage and will have to be demolished. Our house, though still standing, will have to be demolished. It had two trees fall on the back and shifted the entire house back and to the right.  There is a bad lean to it and is not structurally safe to live in anymore.  The house was built back in 1947 and is sitting on brick pillars. There is major damage to the beams under the house. One of them snapped in three places. The church is a complete loss. It stood for 163 years.

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