caudleryan Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 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. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dekon70 Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 Glad to hear you're OK. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
southwestforests Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 Oh dear! Indeed, am thankful y'all are okay. Had seen a while ago on a railfan chat that there was possibility of tornadoes in Alabama today. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Slartibartfast Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 Yowza! Glad y'all are oky. Hope your neighbors survived,. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
southwestforests Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 (edited) Found this playing in Google, https://www.wvtm13.com/article/tornado-watch-for-central-alabama-1547914756/25961249 Quote 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. Quote 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/ Quote 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 January 20, 2019 by southwestforests Quote Link to post Share on other sites
caudleryan Posted January 20, 2019 Author Share Posted January 20, 2019 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. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
GreyGhost Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 Wow! Scary close call! I pray you and your town recover quickly. -Gregg Quote Link to post Share on other sites
dnl42 Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 Oh my gosh. So glad you're ok, and very sad for your home. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
caudleryan Posted January 20, 2019 Author Share Posted January 20, 2019 Crazy weather, man! One day, we have tornados. The next day, they are talking about snow and freeze warnings! Only in Alabama. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Chriss7607 Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 I live in Oklahoma and am all well too acquainted with those things. I'm glad that you were able to make it out ok. Still, it stinks about the house. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Slartibartfast Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 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. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
k5ikl Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 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. Jerry Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Don Posted January 20, 2019 Share Posted January 20, 2019 Glad you and your family are o.k. and I hope things get sorted out quickly and properly with your home and things. Regards, Don Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Pierre Sacha Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 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? Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Skyraider Maniac Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 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 Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Wolfgun33 Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 Man that sucks. Glad to hear that everyone is ok. I read that a tornado hit Tyndall AFB. Same system I'm sure. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Slartibartfast Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 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. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Andrew D. the Jolly Rogers guy Posted January 21, 2019 Share Posted January 21, 2019 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. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
fulcrum1 Posted January 22, 2019 Share Posted January 22, 2019 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. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
caudleryan Posted January 23, 2019 Author Share Posted January 23, 2019 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. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
caudleryan Posted January 25, 2019 Author Share Posted January 25, 2019 Some pics of the damage. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Whiskey Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 Damn. That's some bad juju y'all got. Important thing is you're all right and one can always rebuild. Make it better this time. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Skyraider Maniac Posted January 25, 2019 Share Posted January 25, 2019 Wow! That's intense. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
caudleryan Posted January 26, 2019 Author Share Posted January 26, 2019 Thank our lucky stars it hit on a Saturday. If it had been a Friday or Sunday, people would've died. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
Aussie_superbug Posted January 26, 2019 Share Posted January 26, 2019 Far out that is intense. Quote Link to post Share on other sites
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