The tornado that hit Alabama town, killing 1, was an EF-3 with winds of 150 mph

A tornado that hit Alabama Monday night, killing a 14-year-old boy and injuring more than two dozen people, was an EF-3 storm with peak winds of 150 mph, the National Weather Service said.

The tornado hit Fultondale and Center Point, a northern suburb of Birmingham, around 10:30 p.m. Monday, as a series of storms swept through the central part of the state.

Elliott Hernandez, 14, who was found dead in the basement of a collapsed Fultondale house, the Jefferson County medical examiner said.

There were around 30 injured, officials said. The tornado arrived in the middle of Fultondale, a town of about 9,000 people, said Fultondale Fire Chief Justin McKenzie.

The national weather service took storm readings and Tuesday night classified tornado like an EF-3 with peak winds of around 150 mph. Intensity varied along the storm’s path, which was approximately 9 1/2 miles.

“It’s devastating,” Jefferson County Commissioner Joe Knight said of the damage in the hardest hit areas. “But we will be fine,” he added. “It’s going to take a while.”

Fultondale suffered most of the damage, but a residential area of ​​Center Point in the northeast was also affected, the city’s mayor said.

Aerial video showed destroyed and collapsed houses, and structures with torn roofs. A hotel was badly damaged and partially collapsed.

A woman who was in a badly damaged Fultondale hotel told NBC affiliate WVTM that she was sleeping and the storm sounded “like a train.”

Jason Williams, his wife and their two daughters escaped after their house collapsed and trapped them in the basement where they sought refuge.

“God had his mighty hand on us. That’s all I can say. God protected us last night,” Williams, who suffered a cut to his forehead and bruised legs, told The Associated Press. .

The 14-year-old boy who died was in grade 9, Jefferson County Schools Superintendent Walter B. Gonsoulin Jr. said. Fultondale High School suffered a lot of damage and he called it a blessing that the tornado did not strike. during the day.

The boy was in the basement with family members when a tree fell on the house, officials said.

“They did what they were supposed to do,” said Knight, the county commissioner. The father was also injured, he said.

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey has pledged any assistance required. Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin also said he spoke to the mayors of Fultondale and Center Point and offered the city’s help.

“We all understand how the violent power of a tornado can change lives in an instant,” said Woodfin tweeted.

The Tuscaloosa and Birmingham area was hit by a major EF-4 nearly ten years ago, a tornado that also hit Fultondale.

The April 27, 2011 tornado killed 65 people in all and had estimated maximum winds of 190 mph, according to the National Weather Service.