Eight tornadoes hit Alabama on Thursday, knocking out power for thousands of residents, destroying homes and killing at least five people.
According to the Associated Press, it is unknown how many were injured. All the confirmed deaths were in Calhoun County, which is in the eastern part of Alabama. The tornadoes were part of a string of harsh weather that has hit the deep south.
According to the Calhoun County Sheriff Matthew Wade, the twister that caused all the deaths hit diagonally across the county, hitting mostly rural areas. He said that many more deaths could have taken place if the twister had not hit where it did. In a briefing which the Associated Press attended, the sheriff said “Tonight, five people lost their lives and for those families, it will never be the same. Our hearts, our thoughts and our prayers go to the families, and we are going to do our best to let them know we love them.”
The other affected places were Shelby County near Birmingham, where the city of Pelham was hard hit. Shelby County Sheriff John Samaniego told the Associated Press that the twister completely destroyed multiple homes. The city of Centreville, which is south of Tuscaloosa, had whole airplanes destroyed. Samaniego reportedly told local outlet ABC 33 40 “We have airplanes torn apart like toys. We’ve got homes along here that are totally destroyed, trees down, power lines down. It’s pretty devastating.”
First Lady Jill Biden, who canceled a trip to Alabama because of the twisters, took to Twitter to send her condolences. She wrote, “Thinking of everyone in Alabama and all of those impacted by the severe weather across the South tonight. My prayers are with the grieving families. Please stay safe.”
Thinking of everyone in Alabama and all of those impacted by the severe weather across the South tonight. My prayers are with the grieving families. Please stay safe. 💕
— Jill Biden (@FLOTUS) March 26, 2021
Photo courtesy: ©Getty Images/Julie Bennett/Stringer
John Paluska has been a contributor for Christian Headlines since 2016 and is the founder of The Washington Gazette, a news outlet he relaunched in 2019 as a response to the constant distribution of fake news.
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