As more details emerge about the severe tornadoes that engulfed parts of Alabama over the weekend, the stories of miraculous survival continue to trickle in. One such story features an unnamed woman, who was at home with her husband and young niece and nephew when the tornado struck.
“I don’t remember hearing the siren, but of course I had my niece and nephew in the house, keeping up noise and wanting the TV on,” she told AccuWeather’s Reed Timmer. “I just noticed that the wind was picking up.”
The Lee County tornado crossing US 280 yesterday near Smiths Station. You can see the cell tower collapse at the beginning of the video. From Louis Bridges pic.twitter.com/YIYuZn5XnB
— James Spann (@spann) March 4, 2019
“I looked outside and I saw my horse running and the wind blowing,” she said, noting that it was only when she spotted her horse “panicking,” that she realized some fearsome weather was heading their way.
“That’s when my husband asked me what was wrong and I said, ‘I think it’s a tornado,'” she added.
Video: Stories of survival from the devastating #tornado in Lee County, AL; many seeking shelter in the bathtub when they heard the tornado warning. @breakingweather @accuweather pic.twitter.com/PjK3hEXRZD
— Reed Timmer, PhD (@ReedTimmerUSA) March 4, 2019
Immediately, the woman said her husband ordered the whole family to get into the bathtub — a common safety measure for those without a storm shelter.
Next door, a family home was absolutely flattened by the tornado.
“They made it through by the grace of God,” the survivor said. “Nobody but God.”
Video: horrific devastation in Lee County, AL from likely at least EF4 #tornado. A husband and wife survived this tornado in their bathtub and were thrown downstream. Incredible stories of survival @breakingweather @accuweather #alwx pic.twitter.com/anX9WegCHn
— Reed Timmer, PhD (@ReedTimmerUSA) March 4, 2019
The woman also noted that she had heard the family’s son survived by “holding onto the couch” as the tornado ripped through the house.
“So sad,” one person commented on the chilling video. “God bless her and the families.”
Other footage emerging on social media depicts emotional reunions between family members who were feared dead as a result of the brutal twisters.
REUNITED AFTER THE STORM: An Alabama woman hugs her granddaughter after a possible tornado tore through parts of the state Sunday. The survivor later describes the aftermath as, "a war zone." https://t.co/bHRpJJSGpJ pic.twitter.com/O77e00g4zx
— CBS News (@CBSNews) March 4, 2019
Which area was hit the worst?
Beauregard and the surrounding areas along the Alabama-Georgia border got hit the hardest by a series of swirling tornadoes, which ripped up everything in their path.
In Talbotton, Georgia, at least 15 buildings were leveled to the ground.
“Complete apartments are gone and damaged,” said Pastor Vinton Copeland from the local Baptist church, according to CNN. “We have a shelter at our county high school for those affected. It’s devastating and houses are gone and there are power lines decimated. Tough time.”
“The news only reported specifically about rural Alabama and all of a sudden it hit us quickly,” he added. “We couldn’t have planned for this.”
https://www.facebook.com/wxchasing/videos/vb.290340114630959/306057213399725/?type=2&theater
“Our hearts go out to those who lost their lives in the storms that hit Lee County today,” tweeted Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey following the devastating onslaught. “Praying for their families & everyone whose homes or businesses were affected.”
According to the BBC, one of the dead in Beauregard was an 8-year old girl. “We’ve never had a mass fatality situation, that I can remember, like this in my lifetime,” Lee County coroner Bill Harris said, as reported by WBRC-TV.
President Trump announced in a tweet Monday morning that he had directed FEMA to “give the A Plus treatment” to Alabama as it begins to rebuild after this devastating event.
Do pray for all those caught up in these fierce tornados.