As April 27th approaches, marking 2 years since the tornado, I can't stop thinking about the details of that day. It is probably one of the most vivid days in my mind...even more than my own wedding day. I remember walking outside that day and how thick the air the was...I have never felt anything like it, and hope I never do again. I remember the angst that everyone was feeling as the weather blogs warned about how severe the storms may be. I remember not being able to concentrate at work because I just wanted to be home. My parents home had been damaged by the early morning storm, as well as the bridal shop where my wedding dress was being altered. The early morning storm had hit so many familiar places in my hometown...and I remember thinking, "surely we won't have another tornado today"...stupid, stupid thought!
I wrote something soon after the storm so that I would not forget what I felt at that time, and I feel it appropriate to include it today as we all prepare to remember April 27th, 2011.
Sweet “Home” Alabama…Bethany Powell (soon to be
Smith!)
April 27th, 2011 is a day our state will
never forget….a day of sadness and grief.
April 28th however, marked a day of triumph as the city I
live in rallied to survive the terrible loss it had endured.
My fiancé and I decided to ride out the storm at my
home in Northport, instead of his home in Glendale Gardens…little did we know
that this one decision would provide so much protection. We watched James Spann, as he warned those in
Cullman of the deadly tornado going through their city. I prayed silently asking for protection of
these people. It was shortly after this
tornado devastated Cullman, that Pickens County was in the line of bad
weather….and then Tuscaloosa. I have
lived in Alabama my entire life, so I have grown up on James Spann’s weather
reports. On April 27th, there
was something different in his voice…an urgency…a genuine fear. I watched in
horror as a tornado ripped through the Tuscaloosa community. It was almost too much to process, as I
couldn’t believe it was happening right in front of me. You couldn’t stop it, you could only watch
and pray. Even as I watched in disbelief,
I hoped and prayed that it wasn’t as bad as it looked. What I realize now is that “bad storm damage”
was relative to what I had seen in the past.
I had never seen the damage I was about to be exposed to, therefore I
had no reference point to prepare my eyes, mind and heart for what was to
come.
We drove to Glendale Gardens, a precious cul-de-sac
in Tuscaloosa, full of historic homes and big trees. As we pulled up, we saw emergency vehicles
and could not get close to the street due to all of the down trees and power
lines. We parked and jumped out of the
car, running to see his house and check on his dog…Gus. Glendale Gardens was blocked, so we ran down
the street of The Downs subdivision.
There were trees everywhere you looked.
The only smells were that of burning lines and natural gas. The only sounds were those of sirens, alarms
and people yelling names. I wondered if
they were yelling for people, pets, or help.
We crawled through rubble, trees, brush, glass to try and find a cut
through to his home. I watched my fiancé
walk through someone’s home to get to their backyard. I followed him. I asked myself, where are the owners? Why is it okay to be walking through
someone’s else’s home? We crawled over a
fence and more downed trees until we were standing in the backyard of what used
to be our home.
My fiance’s home was destroyed in the tornado that
destroyed everything in its path. His home was unrecognizable. It was a
horrible sight and a feeling I will never forget. The day before we had finished painting the
inside of the house to prepare for our June wedding…the next day the house was
gone. We yelled for his dog, but there
was no sound of barking. I felt broken as I feared what had happened to others,
one street over, and miles away. My
heart sunk as I imagined the pain that others were feeling, that was far
greater than ours. I wept for others who
had lost loved ones, their homes, their pets and their spirit. I went home that night and cried to the Lord
for healing.
The next day came.
The sun came up and we went to my fiance’s home to salvage anything that
resembled items that were ours. As we
fumbled through the rubble, we looked up to find church members, friends, and
complete strangers asking how they could be of help. Everyone began going through the house trying
to find items that would bring a sense of normalcy to our lives. Strangers brought ice water, meals, snacks,
hugs, words of encouragement and prayers to our street. I received hugs from people I have never met…and
may never encounter again. The day went
on. Men arrived with chainsaws, and
began working without asking. A call
came in later in the afternoon, from a woman in the area who had found
Gus. Very quickly I realized that we had
not lost our home…we had only lost a house.
Our home is Tuscaloosa…a resilient community full of love. The people of Tuscaloosa, and the entire
state, have suffered a great loss…but they have also gained a sense of what we
already had. Tuscaloosa is a city of
love, hope, charity and strength. I am
proud to call Alabama my home, and I am honored to live in Tuscaloosa.
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