brent alabama tornado

Dale and I dove into an office, and onto the floor, beside a sturdy office desk. Contact Us It let me know that mother nature is not just about chasing bumble bees with an insect net, playing marbles, and drinking lemonade on the front porch, or fishing on the bank of a creek. I remember that my Aunt was living with my Grandfather at the time and she was injured and sent to a hospital in Tuscaloosa. Just before the service was to begin my mom suggested I run over to the house and get a flash light in case the power went out. I was only 7 at the time. There were pine needles driven into bark of trees. The night before the storm, he was covering a rodeo in Centreville. Deadly tornadoes that ripped through Alabama throughout Thursday remain a significant threat to other Southern states as the sun rises on Friday. I found out later that people died in that church. I am 50 old and I will never be able to smell fresh pine without thinking about the tornado. Picture from The BirminghamNews Tornado Warnings That was certainly the same parent storm that produced what is likely to be more than one tornado along its trek across our area, weather service meteorologist Gerald Satterwhite said Friday via email. He stopped and asked if we were alright. A number of tornadoes touched down across north and central sections of the state that day. It was hot and I was sweating but completed the message. Flood Products Description I was standing beside the radar console, watching Dale work when he first saw what would become Alabamas longest track tornado. I will always have those scenes embedded in my mind and thinking how very close we were camping in tents. At least five manufactured homes were blown away with their frames thrown considerable distances, the weather service said. The weather service said the tornado touched down in Autauga County and remained on the ground until it reached Chambers County on Alabamas eastern border with Georgia. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. Summer Safety Campaign Public Information Statement TAKE COVER. on Tuesday, May 29th, 1973. TORNADOES CONFIRMED ACROSS ALABAMA, GEORGIA TENNESSEE; MORE BAD WEATHER POSSIBLE SATURDAY. Winter Weather Warnings Bob looked up at me with an uh-oh expression, for lack of a better word. Fire Weather Weve been hit and other info was phoned in to Oxmoor. The National Weather Service (NWS)forecasts the threat of an isolated tornado as far up as New Jersey, though another potent storm system will move across the South and Southeast this weekend, according to a report. So glad the community banded together & rebuilt! May 27, 1983, Vanderbilt University Television News Archive, WeatherBrains Podcast 174: May 27, 1973 Tornadoes, Severe Wx Warnings. Flood/River Flood Warnings, Productos en Espaol If you purchase a product or register for an account through one of the links on our site, we may receive compensation. I was 9 years old. Outreach Activities Rivers and Lakes May 27, 1973, 34 years ago today, was also a Sunday. Multiple locations were found. Tornado damage in Old Kingston and Marbury,AL. About Radar. Alabama Tornadoes 1973 Weather.gov > NWS Birmingham, Alabama > Alabama Tornadoes 1973 Current Hazards Current Conditions Radar Forecasts Rivers and Lakes Climate and Past Weather Local Programs BMX RSS Feed It was a long night. About our contributor The city has since rebuilt, and a site by the city hall was dedicated to the memory of those who died. Get a daily look at whats developing in science and technology throughout the world. We were as much in the center of that tornado as we could be. US Dept of Commerce @NWSHuntsville @DanielleDozier @BenSmith_WHNT @katemckennawx @EmilyOwenWX @BradTravisWAFF @spann #alwx #hunwx @LimestoneEMA pic.twitter.com/iF9wqHMQe4. Some of us went to church at Pine Flat just north of Lake Payne. We got down as low as we could in the car and held on. Hale County - Reports of trees down on Hale County 21 and Hale County 4. Copyright 2021 WBRC. A series of tornadoes hatched by early spring "super cell" storms tore across Alabama and moved into Georgia early Friday, leaving at least five people dead amid ruins of wrecked homes . On that Saturday night, May 26, 1973, I was sleeping, like usual. We were able to get out of the rain and get ourselves together. About Radar. MID-SOUTH RECOVERS FROM DEADLY TORNADOES AS REGION BRACES FOR SEVERE WEATHER, MORE STORMS. Hazardous Weather Outlook, Current Conditions Tornado Database All rights reserved. There was nothing left of Brent.Out house was no more. The storms that killed at least six peoplecontinued passing through the region early Friday morning, bringing an EF-4 tornado to northwestern Newnan, Ga. that left the city looking like a "war zone.". #alwx https://t.co/5yJdHOvAWY. Over the next several days I watched the coverage of the tornado on Birmingham TV, and tried to process what I had seen. No one slept that night. I remember this so well. Bob and I had fairly new vehicles and several windows in each car were blown out. Flood Products Description It was a Sunday afternoon, the wind was very high. Power lines and trees down on Alabama 382 (Montgomery Road). Yet to be added to the list is the Jan. 12, 2023, Old Kingston-Lake Martin tornado, with an updated track length of 82.31 miles. The tornado weakened slightly as it moved across County Road 57 but still damaged several homes. I will never forget this particuler Tornado. YouTubes privacy policy is available here and YouTubes terms of service is available here. Tornado damage in Alabama, 5 killed: Latest photos, videos all that was left was the block foundation . My granddad died in 1979. He worked darkroom for a while at the old Waldrup Studio in Mountain Brook. The Official Website of Brent, Alabama Hwy 5 Brent photo from Kirk Smith pic.twitter.com/cwe1HJdK0Q. Brent, AL is a Very High Risk area for tornados. Insulation was strung on the ground and on the trees for miles. Even from 8000 you could see the amount of destruction that had taken place and knew immediately it was not good and that it would be a long road to recovery for both the town itself and the people it effected. Office History, Education My brothers girlfriend at the time , Jane Bamburg lost their home and whole neighborhood in Brent including a small church . Legal Statement. NWS But all of his windows were still intact. I also took photographs of the town, the most poignant of which was of a clock that had stopped at the moment the tornado hit. We had a small freezer come though our big picture window We turned our couch up side down and hid behind it. In Baldwin County, a downed tree came inches away from damaging a nearby truck: 1148pm - Tree damage in Daphne, AL (Baldwin County). NOAA Weather Radio My family lived in Cottondale, but we camped at Lake Payne numerous times. DAMAGE REPORTED INCLUDING SNAPPED TREES AND STRUCTURAL DAMAGE. It turns out another tornado from Thursday would also qualify as a long-track storm: The EF-1 twister that left a 30.4-mile-long track through parts of Lawrence, Morgan and Limestone counties in northwest Alabama. We heard on the scanner that a tornado was tracking toward our new house. The National Weather Service has reported several tornadoes in Alabama, including one that touched down near Birmingham and migrated more than 100 miles (160 kilometers) to the northeast, the. I was told that all the pressure in cans like hair spray and deodorant was sucked out by the pressure in the tornado. Our car was destroyed. I had turned 12 years old the day before and I still remember what happened just like it was yesterday. Use of and/or registration on any portion of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement (updated 4/4/2023), Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement, and Your Privacy Choices and Rights (updated 1/26/2023). Prientice trailer Park on top of Burnt Corn Hill was destroyed. Public Information Statement When we got there the wind was blowing real hard and the sky was constantly light up with lightening. Tin and other debris was found in the Oakmulgee Forest many miles away from the path of the storm. Tornado Safety Rules, Awareness Weeks The tornado then moved toward Coven Abbett Road and then Elbert Road, damaging several homes and destroying several boat houses. May 27, 1973. [8:05 PM]: An EF-1 tornado was confirmed by @NWSHuntsville meteorologists today across portions of Lawrence, Morgan, And Limestone counties. NWS I take tornado watches and warnings very serious today. I was scared i was 11 i kept telling myself go to sleep everthing is gonna be ok. My oldest sister woke me tje next morning telling me wake up sis your hometown blew away last night. A tree also fell in the Valleydale Road area of the Birmingham metro: A tree falls in the Valleydale Road area of the Birmingham metropolitan area. A drug store was in the same area. There was an eerie look to the sky and a funny smell to the air at my parents house. We got to Brent just as there was enough light to see. On I-65 at Greensprings Avenue, a power line was down blocking about three-quarters of the interstate, according to police radio traffic: From the ALDOT camera at Greensprings/65. i wanted to stay outside and play. It was a day not easily forgotten. Tornado Rips Through Birmingham, Ala., Area Leaving At Least 1 - NPR Brent, AL Weather Forecast, with current conditions, wind, air quality, and what to expect for the next 3 days. It is dedicated to the people of Brent, Centreville, and all those affected in the many locations. Tropical The roof of the building was rapidly peeling away. . This week's severe weather in the Mid-South was visible from outer space. We came to town to check on family. Risk Level: Very High. The National Guard or State Troopers commandeered us a room at what was the Cinderella Motel. Supercell three: Newnan and Peachtree City, Ga. https://t.co/xsDcbnBV4r. TORNADO DEBRIS SIGNATURE NOTED ON RADAR. F3 of Tarrant and Centerpoint Local Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Data At least five deaths and multiple injuries have. BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WBRC) - We're getting a better look at some of the damage in Brent. Bobs family was safe after having taken refuge in an interior closet. I was told in the same place of horrible destruction, there was eggs in a carton that was untouched. A pickup truck was thrown 120 yards to the northeast, and a shallow crater was formed where it landed. The road was barricaded. At a certain point, the measurement of wind speed no longer matters. Ill never forget Dale saying that if the tornado held together, it would pass right over us. At Least 5 Deaths, Extensive Damage Reported in Alabama, Georgia as He was covering the operation of the NWS Radar Station at Centreville/Brent when he and the staff there became a part of the story. Storm Spotters (SKYWARN) (The National Weather Service in Birmingham issued an update on Jan. 18, saying damage near the Independence community in Autauga County led to the path length being extended from the previous 76 miles.). TORNADO EMERGENCY for Bibb County Until 5:45 pm - The Alabama Weather Blog We came through just before it got there and the next day we went to see the devastation. University Of Montevallo. March 25, 2021 Brent Alabama Tornado Damage - YouTube The tornado occurred between 8:09 AM to 8:45 AM this morning and had a path length of just over 30 miles! My step-grandma (Ida Bailey Elam) was at home. Winter Products Description My dad was the pastor of Centreville Baptist Church. Centreville Tornado May 27 1973 - National Weather Service 27, 2021 at 4:16 AM PDT. All the windows on the left side of the car were gone only to have mud, grass, pines needles and other debris about an inch thick on the inside of the windows on the right side of the car. The familiar white dome that covered the antenna simply vanished. Significant damage to homes and trees occurred along the very wide path. Make sure you know about the #1 weather-related killer: RIP CURRENTS! When we topped the hill, there was a Texaco station to the left. The tornado never lifted from the ground as it followed highway 25 the entire way. Current Hazards A portion of the tornado did some damage at the bottom of the hill from the church. But, It was the 27th which proved to be the deadliest for Alabama. HALE CO, Ala. (WBRC) - Pictures and reports of damage continue to come in from Hale County and Bibb county after a violent long trek tornado moved through the state Thursday afternoon. My Papa (BB Elam) was at church at the Brent Bible Methodist Church. Killed one person in Wilsonville. In some ways, its something I needed to see. You've successfully subscribed to this newsletter! Hazardous Weather Outlook, Current Conditions Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. 90% of the town of Brent was destroyed killing 5 people and injuring 56. To this day severe weather bothers me . Winter Products Description It happened to be the area directly above Brent-Centreville. A long-tracked tornado moved through Shelby. Tropical Do you have any info on this Co.? National Weather Service or redistributed. Brent, Bibb County, AL Tornadoes - Homefacts A year earlier I had been called to preach. Market data provided by Factset. Extensive damage was also reported later in the day southeast of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, in the towns of Centreville and Brent as another tornado tracked 90 miles across the state. Tornado rips through north Birmingham, Alabama area. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Winter Weather, Special Programs Tropical Cyclone Reports, Warnings and Other Products Your help would be deeply appreciated1 Thank you. The tornado is one of the 10 longest tornado tracks on record in Alabama, coming in at No. If you would like, I could transcribe the article and post it. Tornado Information for Brent, Alabama. These are not individual tornadoes but reports of tornadoes. A little humor in a bad situationthe tornado had worked us over pretty good. Office History, Education But on this morning, the town was completely leveled and destroyed. TORNADO EMERGENCY for CENTREVILLE AND BRENT and other locations in. At the time, I was a photographer/reporter for the Centreville Press and thought this might be a good opportunity to head down to the Centreville radar site to document their operations during severe weather. According to the NOAA representative that conducted the storm survey,wind speed may well have surpassedthe threshold of F5 strength in areas near the Brent Baptist Church. I think he would. I begged to go with him. StormReady Recovery begins in Bibb County after tornado damage - WBRC We all met in the hallway and headed for the lobby of the building. It is the sixth longest track tornado of record in U.S. history. Starting on May 22nd and 23rd, tornadoes dropped out of the sky across portions of Texas. Looks like the tornado clipped the corner of Brook Hall and did some minor roof damage and it took down this large tree report and photos from William Richard pic.twitter.com/DAjrZRrM8E, Tornado damage on the campus of the University of Montevallo @spann pic.twitter.com/LwtccCqYaB, brooke hall montevallo @spann pic.twitter.com/jKK8TVuU5j. It took every thing we had. Damage reports out of Hale and Bibb Counties - WBRC On May 27, 1973, Brent was almost completely destroyed by an F4 tornado during an outbreak of violent weather in the Deep South, killing 5 people and injuring 56 in the area. One of my first big assignments was to go to Brent a few days after the tornado hit and write a story about what was going on in the devastated town. In southwest Alabama, near Gilbertown in Choctaw County, several trees were downed by the wind: 930pm - Reports of trees damage near Gilbertown in Choctaw County, AL. Brent - Encyclopedia of Alabama Late Wednesday night, a student dorm at the University of Montevallo sustained damage from a tornado: This is a window blown out in one of the living rooms at the New Residents Hall at the University of Montevallo photo from Jennifer Howard pic.twitter.com/O8Ewx2Czpc, Minor damage from Tornado at Brooke Hall. A large tornado struck in or close to Brent and Centreville, Alabama, around 5 p.m. local time, prompting the Weather Service to issue a "tornado emergency" and warn of potentially "catastrophic" damage. He was preaching a revival in Montgomery for the former pastor of the Brent Baptist church. John Brasher. I was wrapping up my junior year at Tuscaloosa High School, and on that Sunday night we received a call for . 03-25-2021 Brent, AL - Large Wedge Tornado Crossing US 82 - YouTube All photos and writing by John Brasher unless otherwise noted. Trees snapped off with debris hanging in them. Planes and hangars . These are accounts of those two killer storms on the evening of May 27, 1973. Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site. Radar showed a large amount of debris from this tornado lofted into the atmosphere in what is known as a "debris ball" signature. The next thing I remember is seeing stuff flying all around me. It was a week or two before I was shown the immense damage to Brent. Severe Weather Preparedness All rights reserved (About Us). I had never preached in my Dads church nor at this time any church. It went on to cause damage in Greensboro, Brent, Centreville, Montevallo, Calera, Columbiana, Wilsonville, Childersburg, Alpine, and points between. This is my biggest memory because it looked like someone had just picked it up and sat it down. Regional Weather Roundup Major tornado outbreak hits the South, kills 5 in Alabama - Axios The tornado destroyed approximately 90 percent of the city. Baaculaureate services had ended 12 minutes before the tornado came through Greensboro and destroyed the old Southern University which housed Southern Academy at the time. When they put her in the hospital they had her listed under the wrong name. This is a PARTICULARLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. The largest church in the community, Brent Baptist, was destroyed by the tornado. With nothing left to do at the radar site, Dale, Bob, and I headed to our cars to try to get home. Her sister, Sylvia, made the trip with me. Conciencia y Preparacin, Weather Safety StormReady We watched in amazement at everything but the kitchen sink swirled around and past those windows. Damage in Brent, Alabama caused by the March 25th, 2021 tornado. The tornado rapidly strengthened as it approached the Old Kingston community and reached EF-3 intensity. The Brent Tornado went on to kill 5 people in Brent and continued to Mt. After being outside for a couple minutes, we went back into the station. The Old Kingston-Lake Martin tornado was one of 14 tornadoes that hit Alabama on Jan. 12. Heres a look at the updated track of Thursdays deadly tornado from the preliminary storm report from the National Weather Service in Birmingham: The tornado touched down at 12:40 p.m. Jan. 12 west of U.S. Highway 82 near Independence, causing damage to nearby farms. At least three manufactured homes were obliterated, the weather service said, with their frames thrown up to 100 yards along County Road 43. Severe Safety w/ ASL After the warning had gone out, the weather guys and I walked outside to the northwest corner of the building. It is the sixth longest track tornado of record in U.S. history. The first was an EF-2 tornado that carved a 35.17-mile path through parts of Choctaw and Marengo counties. Severe Weather Outbreak Spawned Damaging Tornadoes in Alabama, Georgia My uncles house (Aubrey & Sue Elam) had only one wall left standing & the barn was gone. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Change). He looked like he was in shock. The tornadolifted near Mount Cheaha. All NOAA. Bob was preaching. The wife and I lived in base housing there. I will never forget that day. CNN's Chad Myers gives an update on the weather system tearing across the south eastern US, including a tornado that . (LogOut/ Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. I do know how powerful the tornado was. #ALwx pic.twitter.com/KReKMA1wPj, Not much better in the light of day#ALwx pic.twitter.com/bFa9XvHZfI, This is Theodore, Alabama Rangeline road. It was the Alabama Highway Department, calling my grandfather to tell him to go survey the damage from a tornado that had hit Brent/Centreville. referenced Ive been told as the example of the town that was destroyed in the movie Twister.A once in the century storm.Thank you,John. He was running to get help because he was at the Brent Baptist Church and he said the whole roof just fell in on the congregation. The thing I remember most was the capricious nature of the tornado: A grocery store, half obliterated while the other half still contained food neatly placed on shelves; one house still standing in perfect condition even as the two neighboring homes on each side had turned to rubble; a building housing lumber blown away in its entirety, even as stacks of wood remained perfectly in order. I dont know if he got one or not, but Dale Black deserved commendation from the weather service for his work and keeping on task that day. This email from Chris Golden of Tuscaloosa, used here with his permission. Severe Safety Rules And I never want to go though that again. Me and my family were driving back to Tuscaloosa from Opelika on that Sunday afternoon. There was phenomenal things happened that was amazing. According to the National Weather Service in Birmingham, the Autauga tornado was on. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Path of Major Destruction 135 Miles Long, Southern University/Southern Academy,Greensboro, 36th Anniversary of Brent Tornado, CentrevillePress, Like a Bush Hog on a Rock Pile & The Famous BrentTornado, A ride through 2013 Centreville and Brent. In north Alabama, a tree was uprooted by high winds in Florence: Florence, Alabama @spann @ryanhallyall 4:15 PM pic.twitter.com/MOziInJz5j. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Advance Local. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. According to the National Weather Service in Birmingham, the Autauga tornado was on the ground for an hour and 20 minutes. Yes, I remember it well. 72 people were injured and one person was killed in Greensboro. The weather service has a list of the longest tracks for tornadoes in Alabama. Severe Weather NWS Birmingham, Alabama465 Weathervane RoadCalera, AL 35040205-664-3010Comments? Please try another search. Moments after the storm had passed, even though we knew it was very strong, we had no idea what had taken place a mere mile or so away. Please Contact Us. pic.twitter.com/efdr6wVo9S. These are accounts of those two killer storms on the evening of May 27, 1973. I was then awakened somewhere around 4:30-5:00 by their phone ringing. It is hard to believe I turned 47 years old yesterday and I remember every detail of that day. Hale,Bibb, Perry, Shelby,Talladega and Clay Counties Rivers and Lakes This was a single tornado, putting it at #7 for the longest single tornado track in the state of Alabama. It was fun, so I thought. Special Weather Statements The final couple of weeks of the month of May 1973 proved to be extremely active for severe weather across a large portion of the United States. The Centreville radar continued to track the storm as it worked over Greensboro and targeted Bibb County. Local Climate Data The tornado never lifted from the ground as it followed highway 25 the entire way.

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