Alabama tornado kills 14-year-old, injures dozens as it leaves path of destruction

A teenager sheltering in his basement was killed and several members of his family were seriously injured when a tornado blew up a tree on their Alabama home, police said Tuesday. At least 30 other people were injured as the twister dug a path of destruction north of Birmingham, authorities said.

The tornado caused damage 10 miles from Fultondale to Center Point, hitting an area severely damaged by a much larger tornado ten years ago.

Pieces of buildings, furniture, appliances and trees were strewn about and the vehicles found themselves in awkward positions, as if a child had thrown their collection of Matchbox cars in the air. A car landed upside down against tree branches on a large pile of debris.

The Jefferson County Coroner’s Office identified the teenager as 14-year-old Elliott Hernandez. He was pronounced dead at the scene Tuesday morning, and several members of his family were seriously injured when their house collapsed, trapping them in the basement, Fultondale Police Chief DP Smith said. .

“They were doing what they were supposed to do,” the chief said.

Hernandez was in the ninth grade, according to Jefferson County Superintendent Walter Gonsoulin. He said other students may be homeless now and Fultondale High School is so badly damaged that he doubts the students will be able to return to class this year.

“Every building on this campus had been hit,” Gonsoulin said.

In one neighborhood, it was difficult to tell where the houses were in the tangled wreckage. Children’s toys and clothes were scattered across a landscape where every visible structure was damaged or destroyed.

Tim and Patti Herring ran to their bathroom when they received the warning that a tornado was heading towards them. It struck moments later, ripping off their roof and both sides of their house as they huddled in the tub.

“I could feel things falling and hitting me, but we’re fine,” said Tim Herring.

Shaken and in tears, Patti searched the debris for a missing cat and her late mother’s prized possessions.

Fultondale Mayor Larry Holcomb said 18 people had been taken to hospitals for treatment, reports WIAT-TV, a CBS affiliate.

Fultondale Fire Chief Justin McKenzie said search and rescue teams were going house to house and checking rooms in a badly damaged hotel. Six people were pulled out of damaged structures unharmed on Tuesday morning.

The injuries range from minor to severe, but search and rescue efforts are still ongoing, said James Coker, director of the Jefferson County Emergency Management Agency.

Police have blocked intersections leading to the hardest-hit neighborhoods of Fultondale, a suburb that is home to around 9,000 people. Pieces of buildings were strewn across the hilly terrain strewn with broken trees. Utility lines had fallen on the roads. Some houses had entire roofs missing.

The sound of chainsaws cut through the cool, sunny morning and a helicopter was circling overhead.

Coker said Interstate 65 near Walker Chapel Road was closed due to falling power lines and debris. He also said that workers are currently removing obstacles on the roads. Other homes and buildings were damaged by the storm, including a Hampton Inn hotel, which suffered significant structural damage.

County Emergency Management Agency tweeted that several schools would be closed Tuesday for traditional and distant students, including Fultondale High, Center Point High and Clay-Chalkville High.

“The people of Fultondale were hit hard last night – I am saddened by the loss of life, injuries, damaged homes and businesses,” Alabama Governor Kay Ivey said. said on twitter early Tuesday. “I offer my prayers and sincere sympathies and pledge the full support and resources that our state has to offer. I’m with you, Fultondale!

Fultondale also caught the tail of an EF4 tornado that ravaged Alabama from Tuscaloosa to northern Jefferson County on April 27, 2011, killing 65 people and injuring 1,500 along a 80 mile damage path. long, according to the National Weather Service.

Meteorological service investigation teams have yet to confirm the estimated strength of the tornado, but the Federal Emergency Management Agency described it as a “big tornado.”

“Unfortunately, here at Fultondale, we’re very experienced with this stuff,” McKenzie said.

After blowing over Georgia, storms hit North Carolina and South Carolina near dawn. Boaters on Lake Murray, near Columbia, have been warned to search the harbor as winds of up to 50 mph moved, the National Weather Service said in a statement Tuesday morning.