Governor Bentley Declares Sunday as a Day of Prayer for the Dead
Governor Robert Bentley signed a proclamation late yesterday calling for a statewide “Day of Prayer” on Sunday, May 1 to remember those who lost their lives in Wednesday’s storms.
“I am asking all people of faith in our state to set aside Sunday as a Day of Prayer in memory of our family, friends, and neighbors who were taken from us in this shared tragedy,” Governor Bentley said. “It is appropriate that we pray for those we lost, for those who loved them, and for those still suffering. We all need divine guidance and providence in the days ahead as we seek not only to rebuild, but to heal.”
Bentley has also issued a directive for flags on all state government buildings to fly half-staff until Monday, May 2 at 8:00 a.m.
Tornado and Storm Death Toll in Alabama
At least 238 people lost their lives with more than 1,700 others injured.
Tornado and Storm Death Toll across Southern US
At least 346 deaths have so far been reported across southern United States, including 108 fatalities in Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Virginia.
In Tuscaloosa the death toll has reached 42, but cadaver dogs are brought in to search for more bodies, a report said.
The death toll across the region is expected to rise.
The Dark Wednesday: SPC received 211 tornado reports among a total of 806 severe weather reports.
Tuesday April 26 tornado and severe weather reports
Other Damage
- Tornadoes and storms have destroyed/damaged at least 10,000 buildings across the devastated areas.
- An estimated 25,000 people are left homeless.
- The tornadoes have paralyzed Alabama’s poultry industry, America’s 3rd largest chicken producer.
- A number of other industries have been severely affected as a result of Wednesday’s tornadoes.
Mega Tornadoes
The National Weather Service said the twister that touched down at Smithville in Monroe County, Mississippi on Wednesday was an EF-5 (F5) tornado, with top winds of 205MPH.
Super-cell T-storms
“These were the most intense super-cell thunderstorms that I think anybody who was out there forecasting has ever seen,” Greg Carbin of the SPC in Oklahoma told the AP.
The twister that destroyed large parts of Tuscaloosa, is also believed to have been an EF-5 tornado [See below for Fujita Pearson Tornado Scale.]
“We have neighborhoods that have been basically removed from the map,” Tuscaloosa mayor Walter Maddox said, describing the damage as a path of ”utter destruction.”
Another large twister, possibly an EF-4 tornado, reportedly destroyed about 90% of the town Hackleburg, in Alabama’s Marion County.
The National Weather Service has confirmed an EF-4 tornado touched down in the Tennessee Valley, a report said.
States of Emergency
Alabama, Arkansas, Indiana, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, Oklahoma, Tennessee and Virginia have declared states of emergency.
Storm Shuts Down 3 TVA Nuclear Reactors at Browns Ferry in Alabama
The 3 reactors at TVA’s 3,297-megawatt Browns Ferry nuclear plant in Alabama, the second largest in the US, switched over to emergency diesel generators to supply power for the reactors cooling system at 5:30 EDT (22:30 UTC) after storms knocked out transmission lines that supplied power, the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Agency said. More…
The tornadoes and violent storms left about a million homes and business without power, mostly in northern Alabama and Mississippi, a report said.
“Roughly 70 high powered transmission lines remain out of service, with some creating dangerous situations because they’ve fallen across roads.”
Browns Ferry nuclear plant won’t restart so long as so much of the grid is down, TVA chief of operations was quoted as saying.
“When the system is ready for the plant, we can begin the process of restarting it. But we have to get the transmission system ready.”
On April 20, a tornado reportedly damaged the switchyard at Dominion’s Surry Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) forcing both aging reactor units to shut down.
Related Links
Global Disasters
Fujita Pearson Tornado Scale
F-0 [39%]
40-72 mph, chimney damage, tree branches broken
F-1 [35%]
73-112 mph, mobile homes pushed off foundation or overturned
F-2 [20%]
113-157 mph, considerable damage, mobile homes demolished, trees uprooted
F-3 [5%]
158-205 mph, roofs and walls torn down, trains overturned, cars thrown
F-4 [0.9%]
207-260 mph, well-constructed walls leveled
F-5 [<0.1%]
261-318 mph, homes lifted off foundation and carried considerable distances, autos thrown as far as 100 meters
Source: US gov. [Figures in brackets represent long-term relative frequencies—revised by FIRE-EARTH]
F5 and EF5 Tornadoes of the United States – [1950-present]
This is a map and list of tornadoes since 1950 which the National Weather Service has rated F5 (before 2007) or EF5 (equivalent, 2007 onward, the most intense damage category on the Fujita and Enhanced Fujita damage scales. The tornadoes are numbered in the order they happened since 1950; so the numbers run from the bottom up. NOTE: Since the (E)F-scale is a subjective damage assessment tool, official NWS ratings (as logged in Storm Data and in the NSSFC/SPC database) may differ on occasion from those of other tornado databases, such as those of the Tornado Project or University of Chicago. [Mirrored from Storm Prediction Center]
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NUMBER DATE LOCATION
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53 April 27, 2011 Smithville MS
52 May 25, 2008 Parkersburg IA
51 May 4, 2007 Greensburg KS
50 May 3, 1999 Bridge Creek/Moore OK
49 April 16, 1998 Waynesboro TN
48 April 8, 1998 Pleasant Grove AL
47 May 27, 1997 Jarrell TX
46 July 18, 1996 Oakfield WI
45 June 16, 1992 Chandler MN
44 April 26, 1991 Andover KS
43 August 28, 1990 Plainfield IL
42 March 13, 1990 Goessel KS
41 March 13, 1990 Hesston KS
40 May 31, 1985 Niles OH
39 June 7, 1984 Barneveld WI
38 April 2, 1982 Broken Bow OK
37 April 4, 1977 Birmingham AL
36 June 13, 1976 Jordan IA
35 April 19, 1976 Brownwood TX
34 March 26, 1976 Spiro OK
33 April 3, 1974 Guin AL (#101)
32 April 3, 1974 Tanner AL (#98)
31 April 3, 1974 Mt. Hope AL (#96)
30 April 3, 1974 Sayler Park OH (#43)
29 April 3, 1974 Brandenburg KY (# 47)
28 April 3, 1974 Xenia OH (# 37)
27 April 3, 1974 Daisy Hill IN (# 40)
26 May 6, 1973 Valley Mills TX
25 February 21, 1971 Delhi LA
24 May 11, 1970 Lubbock TX
23 June 13, 1968 Tracy MN
22 May 15, 1968 Maynard IA
21 May 15, 1968 Charles City IA
20 April 23, 1968 Gallipolis OH
19 October 14, 1966 Belmond IA
18 June 8, 1966 Topeka KS
17 March 3, 1966 Jackson MS
16 May 8, 1965 Gregory SD
15 May 5, 1964 Bradshaw NE
14 April 3, 1964 Wichita Falls TX
13 May 5, 1960 Prague OK
12 June 4, 1958 Menomonie WI
11 December 18, 1957 Murphysboro IL
10 June 20, 1957 Fargo ND
9 May 20, 1957 Ruskin Heights MO
8 April 3, 1956 Grand Rapids MI
7 May 25, 1955 Udall KS
6 May 25, 1955 Blackwell OK
5 December 5, 1953 Vicksburg MS
4 June 27, 1953 Adair IA
3 June 8, 1953 Flint MI
2 May 29, 1953 Ft. Rice ND
1 May 11, 1953 Waco TX
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[Mirrored from Storm Prediction Center]
*** IMPORTANT NOTE ABOUT ENHANCED F-SCALE WINDS: The Enhanced F-scale still is a set of wind estimates (not measurements) based on damage. Its uses three-second gusts estimated at the point of damage based on a judgment of 8 levels of damage to the 28 indicators listed HERE. These estimates vary with height and exposure. Important: The 3 second gust is not the same wind as in standard surface observations. Standard measurements are taken by weather stations in open exposures, using a directly measured, “one minute mile” speed.
