Tuscaloosa

15th street looking towards the hospital (back right of picture)

Forest Lake off 15th looking across the lake. homes here are just rubble

Next to some friend's old home. this is the neighborhood across from the mall off 15th and McFarland. That neighborhood was really bad.

I saw quite a bit of the areas that were affected but I didn't take very many pictures and pictures just don't do it justice. On one hand, my intial reactions were pure destruction for the areas hit, and then on the other hand, amazing how much they've cleared the roads and secured the power lines. Power lines are everywhere...piles of debris are everywhere...enormous trees uprooted with bases as tall as houses are everywhere. I'm truly amazed that more people weren't killed. You hear so many stories of people found in the one room that was left standing or people that were thrown 50 feet away and survived. You also hear heartbreaking stories such as policemen hearing a buzz lightyear toy talking over and over and eventually finding two little boys in a bathtub that were playing with it. Their parents didn't make it.

I was able to volunteer while I was there and meet some of the victims still in the shelter. I was able to give some of the blankets I made out to some folks, one being a woman with a 5 month old baby. My first impression of her was that she probably wouldn't care for one or would be indifferent, but I asked if she'd like a few. She told me that she had been looking for some blankets. I picked them up and handed them to her. Then she looked at me with very grateful eyes and then just gave me the biggest hug. Totally unexpected. My eyes stung immediately as a I started to tear up. The people still in the shelters didn't have much before the storm, but now, have no idea where they'll go next. It's really hard to imagine it.

From another perspective, the amount of generousity and giving is still ongoing. I was able to help out at a donation site sorting and they are warehousing many of the donations so that once these folks are able to get back in a home, they have supplies to help them get through. It was funny going through some of the boxes of clothes. Once particularly was clearly from an Ole Miss fan. Lots of red and blue polos. People are giving from all over and really all I can think is why don't I help out more? Tuscaloosa is very near and dear to me. Living there during school for four years. Making lifelong friends whom I'm still close with...some who still live there. Alabama in general, my home state. And I can't help but think about my friends who were in Katrina who lost so much. Did I support them enough? When you don't have a personal connection to something like this, it's hard to really feel what it might be like. And maybe you don't think about how much a person may be going through. It's not on purpose. It's just hard to comprehend what it must be like. I think the whole state of Alabama felt this one and anyone who lived or had a connection there. I have no doubt Tuscaloosa will bounce back, but some of the other little towns in Alabama are just gone. Unimaginable. and I'm hugging my kids tight and being very thankful for all that I have. that tornado could have gone in any direction that night. to the hospital, to my friends' homes, to my family's homes, even to our house in Georgia. But it went in other directions. I was thankful then, but after this weekend, thankful doesn't even seem adequate.

These pictures were mainly in Alberta City, which for those who know Tuscaloosa, drive down University away from campus past Hellen Keller and you'll see it.






Look at the silhouettes of jagged trees and missing roofs. These jagged trees are just everywhere.

Driving down Hargrove...

Driving on McFarland towards 15th to my right, just past the hospital where neighborhoods and Krispy Kreme were. To my left, right past where Milos used to be. I was driving so I wasn't looking at the video so I apologize for the bumpy shots.