Surviving the Unthinkable: The Rainsville EF-5 Tornado
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 31 มี.ค. 2024
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Resource Links:
[TornadoArchive.com](TornadoArchive.com/dataarchive)
*NWS Overview Dekalb County Tornado:* www.weather.gov/hun/4272011_d...
*Connected Mag Special Tornado Edition:* farmerstel.com/connected/Conn...
*Linda Chitwood and Bryce Ferguson’s Story:* whnt.com/news/april-27-annive...
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That was a day I will never forget. I was living in a small community between Fort Payne and Sylvania on Sylvania gap road. The Blake community. We lost power early in the morning so I connected a power inverter to my cars battery to power the dish, tv, and police scanner. When I heard Fort Payne officers saying they saw the tornado going across the brow of the mountain I went outside to see. It was incredibly large. It hit just a few miles from my house and we went to see if we could help people in that area but there was nothing left, no homes, no buildings, no people. And when I say nothing I mean nothing. For about a mile there wasn’t even grass. Some parts of the pavement was gone. It was the most unbelievable thing I’ve ever seen and it still haunts me to this day, I can’t even imagine what those people experienced during this.
Wow. That is horrible, and I am sure so haunting. I am glad you made it.
I worry everyday this might happen again
Wow
And that was an EF4
You're a wonderful role model for young girls who aspire to go into the field of peer review based science. Keep up the great work and great job with this presentation Carly.
that is such a kind comment, thank you so very much!!
@@carlyannawx I've worked in academia for the last 35 years and it has always annoyed me that more women are not going into the sciences such as engineering and math. Keep up the great work and don't back down as you present content on the weather events in the past and present.
even as a 12 yr boy it inspires me too she put good work into the video!
Actual facts being spoken here.
Another amazing video bloopers are funny also nice way to lift the mood
Bryce's story made me cry and cry. As parents, we often take for granted that we will go before our children, but we never expect that it will happen before they are full-grown adults.
I am glad he had his grandmother. And I'm glad that these onions are finished being cut.
there were onions being chopped also when I was watching the section about Bryce. The irony that when he was blown away from his parents it actually saved his life.
He was tossed away by the tornado that killed his family so sad.
Same :( I can't imagine losing my family at such a young age.
@@RedRoseSeptember22yummy she's so yummy
That tornado missed my house by 1/4 of a mile! Thank you for actually covering this tornado in such good detail as it’s one of the more looked-over of this outbreak!
Wow you dodged a fatal bullet. To be that close to an F5.
Wow
I agree! They always talk about the Tuscaloosa tornado but they never talk about this one specifically and it’s the one that changed my life!
@@Furrygirl56 I know the feeling! Being as close as we were, you could feel the pressure change. That summer I helped clean up and rebuild fences and seeing the destruction was amazing and terrifying at the same time!
1:39 I always read the lists of the dead. To see so many share the same last name just breaks my heart each and every time.
💗
It is heart breaking. I always read the lists and pray for loved ones suffering from the loss of family and friends.
I knew Paul Williams in Pass Christian MS who lost thirteen members of his family during Camille .
Carly, I live in Guntersville, Al and lived through the 2011 Super Outbreak. Being a weather geek as a hobby all my life, I got up early that day to look at the radar of the incoming first wave. Upon seeing a strengthening after each radar scan I got my wife and kids up and we headed to the storm shelter in Union Grove, AL 10 minutes away. After coming out of the shelter there were no obvious signs of damage, until we drove into Guntersville!!! For snacks and other supplies for the day. Every power line and pole on the Cosway was down and the reality of the day became apparent. With the arrival of the 2nd wave we were back down in the shelter and stayed until after the 3rd and final wave. When we came out of the shelter after the final wave passed I saw something I have never seen before or since. The sky was split in half as far as you could see. Constant lightning to the east and stars to the west. The line down the middle of the sky is something I will never forget ! While we were lucky and did not sustain direct damage to our home we were so close that pieces of surrounding homes were in my yard. Marshall county was hit by 12 separate tornadoes that day with the strongest being an EF 4 in the afternoon. The Guntersville state park was leveled and many RVs ended up in the lake.
Good video !
Grant Alabama here - My family and I remember it all too well - One tornado made it's way across the mountain at a higher level, swooped over our house with incredible wind and rain and later moved over my in-laws home taking down trees, power poles, etc. - It trapped friends in their shelter off of 79 - It then moved across the river and leveled Preston Island - After ensuring all were okay over the next 24 hours checking on everyone and of course no power to speak of, we grabbed our two young daughters, my young nephew, our dog, and made our way down to Orange Beach for a few days - The drive through Guntersville was a trip and the destruction went on for miles and miles as we drove south - What a stressful weather event and tragedy for many...
Yeah, that first squall line in the morning reached winds of over 100 mph that knocked out the electricity. I didn't know about what was in store for Alabama on that day April 27. It still remains apocalyptic in my memory.
@@airzillarocks don't forget Preston Island got hit in 2008 also! Some of the people on that island didn't rebuild after 2011. Source: I mowed yards on the island in college. Fellow Grant resident here as well.
@@clint4420 Yep, from my inlaw's back deck, we can see Preston Island down below quite well - I still have a few pictures of the tornado aftermath - - It was leveled - What a wild event... \m/
@@airzillarocks insane times!
Every time I hear about the 2011 Super Outbreak, it genuinely baffles me how many violent storms were happening at the same time. So many exceptionally powerful Tornadoes that day: Hackleburg, Smithville (which I'd love to see a video on!), Philadelphia, Tuscaloosa, just to name a few.
And we cannot forget the Piedmont and Joplin. 2011 was an ANGRY year.
One of the worst days of my life.
2011 was just something else. I would say every EF5 that year had 300mph+ windspeeds at some point except Joplin, and even then I would say that thing had 260mph windspeeds.
esp the Tren?? tornado's it got struck 2 times in 30 minutes 30 MINUTES by not weak ones strong ones Ik their around EF2 - EF4 I forgot): Thats what I heard, but Idk
I think about this a lot, it's sort of hard to comprehend. We see these videos in isolation (which is typically good, allows us to tell the stories and details of each individual town), but it also makes it harder for our minds to connect the dots. I find myself watching the James Spann coverage from time to time, trying to wrap my head around the fact that I know each story, each town. It all happened so quickly.
@@AlittleBaconOnTheCob Cordova was hit by an EF-3 that morning only to be hit by an EF-4 in the afternoon 4/27/11.
Carly's niche of focusing on the human side of historic tornadoes over the meteorological side is so admirable to me.
She clearly is a very kind, decent human being and I'm a HUGE fan of her work.
Keep up the content, you're brilliant at what you do!! ❤❤
And less boring.
She’s great!
Right? Like most people forget the lasting impacts for people not just the impacts to their town. Alot of people suffer from PTSD, survivors guilt etc after these storms
The mental health aspect of it is something that needs more attention. When a person or a group of people suffer something traumatic, it needs to be addressed... ideally with therapy. When its entire communities that experience trauma somehow we treat that differently, like its just part of life.
I was directly impacted by Katrina and volunteered in the aftermath of the 2011 outbreak. The shell shocked look that some people had days or weeks later is very evident to me that hundreds of people were walking around with PTSD and probably didnt realize that they still needed help.
You mentioned it but I dont think most people understand the amount of people that were injured in this outbreak and how many people were directly impacted but didnt suffer serious physical injury.
From someone who is diagnosed with PTSD, im telling you that some of that people had it and they probably still havnt been treated properly and it never goes away.
I lost part of my home, and 3 friends that day. We keep a stocked tornado shelter underground now.
Agreed, even those who aren't hit by the tornado but go and help immediately after it's damaged neighbourhoods see, hear and smell things they should never have to see. Almost everyone in the situation(s) will be affected in a way that's traumatic as you say, yet gets ignored. Awful.
I agree. I've already had PTSD from other traumatic events but this outbreak of 2011 just added more to it for me.
I survived 3 deployments, two in Iraq and Afghanistan once. Two months in Afghanistan I had my left foot blown off and shot in the damn ear as QRF were carrying me over their shoulder. Me and Briggs were the only survivors of 5 people in that Humvee. Briggs killed himself 2 years later in 2013. We were each other's support and he didn't call. He said in his suicide note he knew I would talk him out of it or physically drive 90 miles to stop in.
For two years I had no PTSD. But his death destroyed me and my PTSD has been off the charts since that day in 2013. I don't know if you know how potent Xanax Bars are but I'm prescribed 3 a day. Trazodone for sleep. I hate sleeping because I have such violent nightmares they scare people, me especially. Therapists, psychiatrists older vets, none of it works. I feel like I lost my soul over there and I'm forever stuck in purgatory.
Two years ago I picked up a gun, had no idea if it was loaded or had a round chambered and pulled the trigger. Thank God Dad had emptied all of my guns just a week before. I cried like a baby and it showed me how much I didn't want to die. I have good days and bad days but no more suicidal ideation. Women think they can fix me but after a month or two they can't take it and I wholeheartedly understand.
You made some really good points and I'm sorry you have PTSD. Wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy. Still haven't gotten a clear answer why I was stable and fine after all 3 deployments, even after I lost a foot and 1/3rd of my ear. Maybe Briggs being the only other survivor of that blast and then killing himself, I think he died inside that day, but maybe survival guilt unleashed my PTSD. I know it's been flat out miserable.
Yeah..I know people personally who were impacted by this outbreak event and they're still messed up, physically and mentally. Really a tragedy how we assume that once the houses are replaced, the work is done.
Idk if it's just me but the windchimes in that home video at 20:18 are so eerie. Something about windchimes in severe weather give me the shivers.
Same
They always remind me of the movie, twister.
@massey_2298 OOOOOOH maybe that's why they creep me out. I was like 17 when that movie came out and even though I've loved weather since I was a wee one, Twister freaked me out and fascinated the heck outta me. Been interested in tornados since (hate they're destructive and kill people... always will hate that).
Same here! I always attributed it to the scene in Twister
I'm so glad you mentioned them. I thought it was my imagination! They were terribly eerie and chilling.
Right as I'm struggling to find something to watch, Carly swoops in to save the day! ❤
Same!!!
That's exactly how I felt when I saw this new episode. Very informative and easy to listen to and obviously someone very easy on the eyes.
Thank you for showing so much respect to the deceased and reminding people that injuries are not just a broken arm or some scrapes and bruises. In such violence, they are often life altering injuries.
Rainsville is 30 miles away from me. I didn't live on Sand Mountain during the 2011 outbreak. Everybody who did live here takes tornado watches and warnings very seriously, and they all have anxiety on severe weather days. I purchased an above ground concrete shelter large enough for myself and a number of neighbors. We also have four public shelters within ten miles of my house. I keep saying I'm going to go to Rainsville and eat at Katy's Katfish, but I haven't made it there yet. For those of you who pray, say a prayer for all of us tomorrow, as we face another severe threat day. And pray for those having storms today.
Just wondering, why would you build it above ground?
@@notyourfavorite99 I didn't build it. I bought it. It's an almost 20,000 lb concrete structure. It also has metal hurricane straps that are sunk into the ground. We have less than two feet of ground before hitting bedrock. Myself and a couple of my neighbors are handicapped, so climbing down into a hole is out of the question. If you're curious what they look like, look up Fain Storm Shelters. There are a number of businesses like them around the country, but this company was closer to me.
@@notyourfavorite99In this part of the country quite often there is only a few inches of soil on top of solid rock. It’s very cost prohibitive to try to dig basements or in ground shelters. Above ground shelters are tested by Texas Tech University to stand up to EF-5 tornadoes. While I’d prefer an in ground shelter, I’ll take an above ground shelter over hiding in a closet.
Something about that mountain intensifies tornadoes. UAH has been studying why that happens
@@Jay-yl9th I've heard about that. They call it Sand Mountain Magic, but I can hardly find any info about it online. We just had a heckuva storm, but thankfully no tornado. The storm definitely intensified as it drew near.
Suppose to get severe weather here in a couple of hours and carly releases a video. Awesome.
Its the wonder of nature baby.
Stay safe and I hope nothing serious comes of it
@@laurasmith6901 we had a tornado warning and baseball sized hail. However, the storm died out before it came to town. Thanks for worrying by both you and carly.
I’m from Rainsville! I was a junior in high school that year. Early that morning, the county above us got hit. But for us, that was the MOST BEAUTIFUL day. It was hot, sunny, and EVERYTHING was a vibrant green. We kept laughing that it was a waste that we got out of school that day. My (now husband) is 10 years older than me, his house got hit, my house got it, my in laws house got hit (yes, my husband AND his family at two different residences houses got hit) and my school got hit. I love this video so much. Thank you for sharing!!
April 3, 1974 59:58 woke me to the power of tornados, which I had never seen before. I literally watched tornados form and drop down on Ohio across the river. Quite an intro to tornados. Now a weather geek., always trying to learn more, even at 75.
Thank you for covering one of the lesser talked-about tornadoes of 4/27/2011. You really give a bigger, clearer picture of just how frightening and tragic that day was. You did a magnificent job of giving faces to the victims, instead of just talking about them in terms of numbers and statistics.
I know you get suggestions all the time, but I really hope that you will someday make a video about the Barneveld, Wisconsin tornado of 1984. It's one of the handful of twisters that gives me literal chills whenever I think about it. It was an F-5 beast that snuck up on a small town right after they all went to bed for the night, yet it gets hardly any mention at all. If anyone could do Barneveld justice, it would be you, Carly.
Why that tornado 🌪 give u chills?
@cs77smith67 The Barneveld tornado creeps me out so much because it was the embodiment of one of my personal worst nightmares come true. The twister came in the night, and the residents didn't have any warning. It was around midnight when the town was hit, so most people were in asleep or heading to bed. By the time the storm had become loud enough to get the attention of residents, it was too late for many of them to get down to their basements. This was something that having access to technology like smartphones wouldn't have really helped much because they had no warning. While the NWS has better technology to catch storm rotation, tornadoes do occasionally happen without warning, and that's scary. The Barneveld twister was rated F-5. It was basically a monster that came out of the dark of night to ambush a tiny town caught off-guard while they were asleep.
Yes!! As a Wisconsinite, it’s one of the few tornadoes that sticks in everyone’s memories (especially since anything above an EF-1 is not common here).
@@RikkiSpanishwith regards to no warning, that happened here in Ocean Isle Beach, NC in February, 2021 at midnight. A high end EF3 struck a couple of miles from us. We received a severe thunderstorm warning over our phones, but nothing else. It killed 3 people, which is terrible, but it could’ve been much worse had it been during tourist season.
This tornado isn’t talked about nearly enough. It is just about as underrated as the El Reno/ Piedmont EF5 of that same year.
With the El Reno/ Piedmont tornado it happened 2 days after the Joplin tornado and the 2013 El Reno tornado gets a lot more attention then the 2011 tornado.
yeah that first El Reno tornado before 5/31/13 was a monster.
I've known of Piedmont, but didn't know about Rainsville until 1 or 2 weeks ago when I saw @TornadoTRX's documentary on it.
@@aquamarine9ix656 Oh yes, I have seen that one.
@@Sj430I think they are talking about 2011 el Reno
I am from the 1974 Super Outbreak generation and just missed the 1965 Palm Sunday Outbreak (just 1 year old). I was 10 years old and the long track Monticello was my part of the event. I was approximately 10 miles away from it, but that supercell was so unstable that was producing a lot of funnel clouds that it felt like that F4 was coming for me. I became fearful of storms for quite some time. How I came to terms with it was to educate myself on storms and tornadoes. I am a part of Skywarn and have chased a few tornadoes and wall clouds. I no longer fear them. Some of them can be quite beautiful to watch being born and carving a path through fields and woods. Keep up the good work and bringing attention to not only the physical effects, but the psychological ones that affect the mind and over all health of survivors.
That's nature, both beautiful and deadly.
So you basically have been alive with billions of other people and there have been tornadoes. My father in law saw the Xenia tornado during the super outbreak. I haven't seen a tornado, but I at least know someone who has and my comment has someone that has seen a F-5.
I was only a few months old in April 1974. I do remember mom talking about the 1965 Palm Sunday Outbreak. Wasnt that long track the one that hit Rochester and eventually hitting the Rome City area and the Steuben Co airport???
50 years ago today!
1974 Xenia and 1970 Lubbock were the only 2 tornados given a F6 ranking, only to be later downgraded to F5
Remember that day very well. So many violent tornadoes hit Alabama that day. The Tuscaloosa/Birmingham and Cullman storms got most of the publicity but the Rainsville and the Hackleburg storms were both EF5 tornadoes. Was a scary day to say the least....
Ya same for huntsville/athens I think technically it was an EF4 while it was here but it still did a lot of damage it stripped trees bare there was a car hanging from a tree a mile from my house it took the roof off my dads old house and it totally destroyed a family friends house and I think it even hit my school
It amazed me that Tuscaloosa was hardly mentioned.😢
Hackelburg was a monster
I was on maternity leave with my 1st born. I watched it all unfold on the weather channel. I was glued to the TV, well as much as I could with a newborn. I live near Chicago but being from Plainfield IL (12 yrs old when the F5 hit), weather has fascinated me. Great job Carly
This one doesn’t get the respect it deserves. Kudos for covering it.
I grew up near there. To my knowledge you are the only person to ever cover the Rainsville/Northeastern Alabama tornados of 2011. About 99% of everyone in the world thinks the tornado in Alabama that day was in Tuscaloosa. Thank you so much for covering it. You did an awesome job!
Well, THE tornado that day was the Hackleburg one and almost never talked about. But Rainsville is even way more underrated...
There are a few others on here that have covered this tornado before but none of them even come close to the quality that we get from Carly.
@@MeesterJ I was in the Cordova EF-4 tornado. I almost lost my life.
I have always enjoyed Carly's videos. I am a huge fan. I love the weather and learning about the many forms especially tornados. And Carly is an excellent teacher. She has so much information and does an amazing job explaining in a way where it is easy to understand. I am always happy to see a new video get uploaded, but sad that it is about a tragic event and the compassion she shows is just amazing.
That day was just absurd. 4 EF-5's, all among the strongest ever recorded.
And two more had EF5 damage indicators but were downgraded.
What's also absurd is the parent supercell of the Rainsville EF5 shown here was also responsible for the Philadelphia MS EF5, the Cordova EF4, and the Ringgold EF4. Two sister EF5s in one outbreak.
@@26michaeluk I.E. Tuscaloosa.
@@dannyllerenatv8635 For me, Smithville was even crazier. Amory 'EF3' (It was an EF4-EF5 cmon) would have probably kept on going and became a long-tracked beast like Phil Campbell-Hackleburg and Tuscaloosa-Birmingham. When it cycled, it was pretty much at peak intensity. What happened is a second circulation spawned inside of it and took over. There were now 2 violent tornadoes tightly wrapped around each other, a twin helical core. That became Smithville, the most violent tornado in modern meteorological history.
@@deinocheirusgaming6920 Smithville no doubt was the worst. However, Rainsville is not that far off either, they’re in the same room. You had two corkscrew vortices within the massive 3/4 maxi wedge with the Smithville twister. It formed only a few minutes after the New Wren twister dissipated
I was living in Louisville and went through the April 3rd 1974 outbreak. My best friend was living there as well (we are both home-grown rural KS girls) and we instinctively knew the sky was stirring up something bad. Our neighbors didn't take us or the weather forecast seriously until the very last minute when the traffic 'copter pilot reported the funnel. I also survived the May 1957 outbreak that tore up Ruskin Heights MO. The tornado that just missed our house actually moved it 1/4 inch off the foundation. My dad had lived through a tornado as a young man on the farm in the 1930's so he was acutely weather aware and taught me to be, also. I am a trained spotter but no longer go out. It isn't because I'm now an old lady but I become mesmerized by the swirling clouds. They match the memories that swirl in my mind... Back in the day I wanted to be a meteorologist but women were not always welcomed into that course of study. Bravo to you for proving that the weather doesn't doesn't care who studies or reports it!
I'm a Kansas girl, too:) The Plains never leave our hearts. Thank you for sharing your memories, I really appreciated it.
I sincerely hope Bryce is doing well. That's heart wrenching.....I cannot imagine enduring this at 10 years old.
If there's a tornado strong enough to pull a well constructed storm cellar out of the ground, it should be deemed EF6.
Fr, like wtf do you even do at that point besides accept death😭
Absolutely
They didn't even classify the tri-state twister as bigger than ef5. And that tornado killed 695 people, lasted over 3 hours and went more than 200 miles...
@@thomasmills3934 the creator of the EF scale died in 1998. He's flip-flopped multiple times on whether his scale should go to EF6 but ultimately he decided it was pointless. EF5 is a sufficient way of saying "get your ass underground if you want to live"
@@schm147 what if the tornado followed u underground?
The pics/videos of the “dead man walking” multiple vortices always make my stomach drop bc you just know what’s coming next. 🥺 those poor poor people.
Great video (as always), Carly! 🫶🏼
Also, the safe being destroyed says SO much as to the power of this tornado. Wow.
The “dead man walking” has actually appeared during the 2011 Super Outbreak. Most notably, the Cullman EF4
Man Rainsville was an absolute monster, that bus ripped down to its chassis is one of the most violent pieces of tornado damage I've ever seen, somehow more visceral even than a slabbed house.
All of the EF5s from the super outbreak in addition the the El Reno-Pidemont EF5 were some of the most high-end tornadoes of our time. It's hard for me to really pick one out as the worst, they literally all produced some of the most extreme damage I've seen.
You are absolutely the best weather storyteller! I always learn something and the way you pace these videos is perfect. Thanks for doing what you do for all of us weather nerds!
I was in the 1974 super outbreak and it has left a lasting impact ... The Brandenburg tornado went by my school and we were all terrified for days after it...and of storms for a long time after that
I live in Harvest AL. I wasn’t here for the 2011 outbreak but you can still see land scars 13 years later. I have severe storm anxiety I can only imagine how mentally challenging it is for people who actually lived through it.
Hello Harvest neighbor! I have lived in Harvest my entire life, and that day was scary. I used to shrug off tornado sirens, but now that sound gives me chills.
When this Tornado formed it was so bone chilling. All I’m gonna say is The Dead Man has just walked into Rainsville. Amazing Video Carly never stop what you do. Love when you talk about these forgotten Monsters. This F5 formed from what I call The Original Quad State Supercell. It dropped The Philadelphia, MS F5, The Cordova/Blountsville F4. This F5 and the Ringgold, GA F4 which also did violent damage in TN. It produced more tornadoes all the way into Virginia. Unbelievable power. This is a day I’ll never forget as long as I live. The atmosphere literally EXPLODED
I saw the Dead Man in this video, too.
Check out the ef4 that went though ringgold. In one video you can almost see a dead man walking.
@@calebwillis7816I’ve seen it. It literally looks like it’s figure skating
My family survived the big 1989 Huntsville tornado and later lived in Demopolis…just 30-ish minutes South of Tuscaloosa, where we did all of our shopping. I was working as a medic in Arizona the day of this outbreak and I have rarely felt as helpless as I did that day watching it on the news.
I lived in Rome GA at the time. Rome was hit by a round of storms early in the day, around 9 am. I worked at NW GA Regional Hospital as a music therapist. As that storm passed over, the building where I worked shook. At first the rating was straight line winds, later upgraded to an EF-1. The Birmingham-Tuscaloosa supercell passed just to our south and the Rainsville supercell to our north. It was terrifying watching everything play out on live TV.
I grew up in Decatur Alabama and was 10 years old during the ‘74 super outbreak. My grandmother, aunt, cousins, and many family friends lived in Tanner AL. I saw that damage first hand the day after. It was the most horrific thing I have ever seen. I cannot believe
that in 2 days will be the 50th anniversary. Never would I have imagined I would see 2 such terrible days in my lifetime. Thank you for a great video.
TH-cam just set off the Carly Siren... it is time for her to give us some EF-5 level knowledge.
Carly, thank you again for another outstanding historical study of a storm that should never be forgotten. I am fascinated by weather, and nobody catches the human element to these events better than you.
What you mentioned at the end about how we’ve really started to see how tornadoes impact the survivors afterwards really stuck with me. I was 11 years old when I survived an EF2 tornado back in 2010. Thankfully nobody was killed or badly hurt, but I struggled (and still sometimes struggle) with PTSD afterwards. Going through a tornado that didn’t hurt anybody is bad enough and I can’t imagine how horrific it must be for those who were in worse tornadoes than I was.
Much love to anybody going through tornado PTSD. You aren’t alone.
I was living in the south of Spain at the time and this outbreak was front page news on our local paper the next morning, just hours after it happened... which gives a sense of how remarkable this outbreak was
I was a freshman in highschool during the 2011 super outbreak. Actually, the day of the tornadoes was the day of our musical theatre production of the Wizard of Oz. When the sirens went off, we were actually practicing the tornado scene. We had to move the play (go figure) and we had to shelter in the safe rooms two times.
An EF-0 was on our football field that day. My mom works at the school and she saw it outside from our second floor.I will never forget the freight train sound of that thing outside, or how the girl sheltering next to me cried. The miracle is that, despite us forgetting two students in the sound booth, my science teacher leaving the property in the middle of the storm, my pregnant english teacher laughing outside, and another teacher recording the whole thing (it's still here on youtube somewhere) - there were no injuries/fatalities and the building suffered no damage.
The apartments on the other side of the highway were what took the hit. They lost some shingles.
So scary. Do you know about the Moore Oklahoma City tornado 2013? Two schools got hit at one school 7 little ones died mean while at the other school no one died 😢
@@elizabethmarielunacordoba9956 Oh absolutely! I think my dad and I were watching the news about it when it went down.
We actually survived the May 3rd 1999 tornado in Moore as well. My dad was on a business trip and he used to bring my mom and I along sometimes. I had just turned 3 at the time. We were driving through Moore and for whatever reason my dad felt to turn off the road. We sheltered in the freezer of a Sonic. If he had driven the way he was originally going to, we would have been directly in the path.
Needless to say, I've had some interesting run ins with tornados in my life! 😅
@@Forgot_We_Were_Human freezer? In a sonic? Did it get hit?
@@elizabethmarielunacordoba9956 Nope it wasn't in the path, fortunately!
@@Forgot_We_Were_Human well good relief I heard the winds were over 300+ mph
Your narrative of the horrendous tornado outbreak April 2011 was so point on. Extremely heart breaking. I’m a born/raised Mississippian and am truly in awe of weather and petrified of tornadoes. Thank you for your professional coverage of this catastrophic event🙏
It's Carly!! Love how you are covering a lot of storms no one really talks about.
I’ll never forget April 27, 2011. It was the day before my 11th birthday. I rode with friends to school and we remember the sky looking so dark even at 7:30 am. Not even a hour in, we were rushed into the hallway & took position. I remember people screaming & crying. The back doors got pulled open by the wind & I just remember thinking I was going to die. We were fortunate to be barely missed by a tornado, but I remember we were out of school for the next three days because it hit harder in other areas. I will never forget it.
Someone's cutting onions here too. Prayers and good vibes to Bryce and his family, as well as everyone who was hurt or lost on that day.
I hope it's okay to say but your emotions coming through is as beautiful as a sunny day. It shows your love for people, and that is inspirational.
We are transitioning from El Nino to La Nina now.
Yep.
this aged interestingly. 2024 is now in second place for the most tornados behind 2011. there should be more research done on this transition and how it appears to increase likelihood of tornadic storms
@@emyyyxxit continues to age bizarrely, here we are on the verge of potentially our second high risk for 5/25/24.
This aged well, 2024 is now looking to be one of the worst years for tornadoes behind 2011 and 1996
That storm shelter info is absolutely terrifying, I can’t even imagine!
There is a book about it. I can’t remember the title at the moment.
There’s another one by James Spann “All You Can Do Is Pray.”
(He says this on air as that massive tornado hit Tuscaloosa and killed several students).
And one he helped with “What Stands in a Storm” that talks about the event and will break your heart honestly.
In 2011, I worked just a mile from where the tornado hit Rainsville . It was devastating for the community, but the people of the community and the surrounding area persevered. Northeast alabama is a wonderful place to live. The people are great and are the for you when you need them.
I’m from Birmingham. I was in the Army when this happened. I was stationed in El Paso, Texas and my wife was in Birmingham with my two boys who were then 3 and 4 years old at the time. I watched the Tuscaloosa tornado live as it passed through Birmingham. Completely dumbfounded by how large it was. Hardest part was watching it knowing that my family was somewhere behind it or up under it. It took me 4 anxious days before I ever got in touch with them. They were fine 2 miles away from it. However a woman that graduated with me lost her life protecting her 6 month old and her niece.
Very good job Carli. Many of the people that live in these smaller communities live on land passed down through generations and amongst many relatives and long time family relationships. Their house is just the object in which they live. Their home is the land and the community so they aren’t as likely to just move away after such a disaster. I grew up in a place like that and I’m counting the days until I can move back.
I currently live in a suburb of Birmingham and we were hit by an EF-3 in January of 2012. There were several major injuries and sadly a very intelligent young girl (16) with a bright future whom I had met once died. I thought that we had a relatively tight neighborhood but most didn’t rebuild and moved to other, nearby subdivisions. It was upsetting to my young children as most of their close friends left.
I can’t really blame them however. We salvaged our house but I recall pulling into the driveway and looking forward into acres of stumps, snapped trees, and piles of branches that was once the lush forest that attenuated the sound of traffic on a nearby road, and just sobbing uncontrollably for about 15 minutes. My kids didn’t do well in making new friendships with those children that moved in and it just seems more difficult for me also because all these changes just seemed to happen faster than I could deal with them.
Carly well done! I have watched this podcast 3 times. I was in Florida at the time...still am in Florida. Watched the tragedy unfold on cable. I grew up in Iowa and was a part of Charles City F5 in 1968. Yes traumatized. I got my meteorology degree because of it. My heart breaks for that young man who lost his family. One never gets over these events but we can use them as a gift for others in recovery, hope, and faith. Thank you again Carly. ❤
I found photos in a field 20 miles west of Fayetteville,TN about 2 weeks after the storms. I never found their owner but through a Facebook page I was given information that they were originally printed in Mississippi. I still have them in my memory box. My sister found hymn books from a church in Hattiesburg in her front yard in Ardmore on the TN/Ala state line. April 27 is my dad's birthday and he spent the majority of it in a tornado shelter in Decatur, Ala. Over my lifetime I've seen Harvest, Ala get wiped of the map more times than I can count, this day just so happened to be the worst. I remember watching Jason Simpson the entire day. My oldest daughter was barely 2 months old when this happened and I just held her and my 3 year old son and cried. I got lucky that day as I lived just north of where the storms hit. To say this day is burned into my brain is an understatement. Thank you for covering this with such reverence.
27:27 Damn, I've never heard of a tornado that threated to lift a storm cellar out of the ground. As an architect, I occasionally design them and have always wondered if the code requirements were enough. Subjectively when drawing, I never feel like its deep enough. My grandparents survived an EF-3 a decade ago and seeing that damage in person was life changing. I can only imagine seeing slabbed homes and a cellar that nearly failed first hand. Really enjoy your videos btw!
I was a kid during the 2011 outbreak. I live in Dekalb County, maybe 10 minutes from Rainsville. After the tornado, I went to Rainsville with my mom and the place looked like a warzone, never had I seen a place so destroyed. I really remember an 18-wheeler that got mangled into the Mapco close to the school. I actually talked to Daryl Lester from that interview during one of my public safety classes and he always talked about how the Rainsville tornado changed that town, he really helped a lot of people at that time. I love how you talk about how 2011 affects people around here. Before 2011, storms were taken as a normal thing and schools mainly did not close unless it was pressured by parents. After the Rainsville tornado, everyone around here takes it very seriously, as even a bad 10% hatched risk will really scare people. I hope this area never has to go through something like this again, even if it another one hits, I believe this area will be very prepared as they have added many public tornado shelters. Very good video, never seen a in-depth review of the Rainsville EF-5.
When discussing the injuries from tornadoes we often overlook the mental effects. I was caught in an F2 tornado over 30 years ago and to this day am absolutely terrified almost every day of tornado season here in SC. In 55 years of life I have seen 2. The one I was caught in and another shortly after moving into my house. A tornado every 27 years is still too many.
Always love your videos. They are always very informative and very respectful of the victims whose lives were changed in an instant.
Keep up the great work.
I was just talking to my coworkers about this day on our break today. I live in east TN. I was a new mom of a 2 year old, who was in the care of my parents as I was driving back home from work the next town over (which happens to be Knoxville.) I had the local radio on in my car listening to live reports of funnels dropping from the sky all over the place. The closer I got to my hometown, I saw the most ominous green colored sky I'd ever seen in my life. In fact, I've never seen it that color before or since that day. Sheer terror is the only thing I felt. All i wanted to do was get to my baby and be sheltered. I hope to never ever experience anything like that ever again and i can't imagine what people went through who actually had their whole lives turned upside down from tornadoes on that day, or any deadly tornadic day. Thank you for covering this specific tornado, Carly! It was nice to hear better coverage as it often is overlooked in the 4/27/11 outbreak.
50:00 it's OK to cry. Shows people you're human.
This is so well done. Not only is it thorough, it captures the tragedy and true meaning of the event. I was deeply moved by Bryce’s story and the humanity Carly showed in recounting it.
Love the natural reaction @ 57:51. People of Iowa, Oklahoma, and Nebraska in my thoughts and prayers. Hopefully u are all good too @CarlyAnna.
I absolutely love your Bloopers! I don't think people realize how hard it is to stare into a faceless computer screen and just TALK in a conversational way. You do an amazing job, Carly, and you should be very proud! I love your videos - every single one of them. ❤
So happy to have a new video of yours to watch tonight! Rainsville is a scary one. Thanks, Carly. Everyone be safe with this weather system coming through today and tomorrow.
Outstanding documentary. I was 3 mi east of rainsville in the blake community. When the high risk was issued, that morning I installed a new chain on my saw, mixed fuel, gassed up saw, and put in my vehicle, never dreaming I would actually use it. I watched the tornado touch down near Plainview high School from my home. I watched it track East Northeast, and still had it in view when I left my house. I went north on Morgan road, and immediately started seeing trees across the road. My neighbor and I using a John Deere tractor and two chainsaws begin clearing timber from Morgan road with the tornado still in view to the north. We reached Sylvania road (co Rd 59) within 20 minutes, turned west, crossed Town Creek, and turned left onto oak Grove road cutting as we went. This community suffered several of the fatalities. I ran that saw until dark trying to get to my neighbors and provide a pathway for rescue. It's a day I will never forget.
Carly, my god, this is your best work yet. I'm absolutely riveted watching this ❤❤❤
For the love of... It's you cutting the onions Carly! As a 35 year old man I can honestly say I've cried more in the last six months since I found your channel than the last decade 😅
I will never forget that day. The morning round hit near me and I lost power for nearly a week. It left me mostly in the dark for what happened later. 😢 it was a scary day and heartbreaking for so many of us.
Im having a fever, watching documentaries on TH-cam is my comfort.
As I am zoning in and out I started seeing you as a cat.
I have now seen a brown tabby cat talk about tornadoes 😂
Carly is one of the few TH-camr's whose videos I give a "Thumbs Up" to as soon as I hit her page! I have just that much confidence that I am about to enjoy another one, so I'll go about giving her props, just to get it out of the way! Great job!
Reminder: Get yourselves a good quality weather alert radio and make sure it always has good backup batteries. When you change your fire alarm batteries change (or test with a proper meter) your weather radio batteries as well. If the cell towers go down or power goes out, you'll still have vital information. PLUS a weather radio can more easily wake people at night.
James Span is a national treasure.
Gary England in the OKC market is another one that should be on this list.
Glad I see a documentary on this tornado, it’s so overshadowed
The same thing with the El Reno/Piedmont tornado that happened on May 24th 2011. It gets overshadowed by the 2013 El Reno tornado and it happened 2 days after the Joplin tornado.
Wednesday and Thursday will be the 50th anniversary of 1974's Super Outbreak.
Just as I'm watching a severe weather event begin I find this video... awesome!
You are amazing! Thank you for humanizing the stories for us. I’m sure this takes its toll on you, but you give such dignity to the victims,something that a cold analysis just can’t do. The people of Rainsville are staying strong.
I think so many here in Alabama get overlooked due to the Tuscaloosa tornado. I live in the little town of Cordova that was hit with 2 tornados in the April 27th. That morning then afternoon. We didn’t have a town left to rebuild. Then it caught fire a few days later. 2 kids passed away. Yet you hardly hear about it. And I love spann but I think he down plays every thing
I did not live through the 2011 super outbreak, but I did get to see some of the mental health ramifications associated with it. In 2016, I played a very minor role in the VORTEX SE project, which aimed to gather more data about tornadogenesis in the SE US; specifically in Northern Alabama. The day before the project kicked off, Dr. Forbes, Mike Bettes, and numerous other important folks in the weather enterprise joined for a meet and greet, as the Weather Channel was doing a special.
At one point, one of the local emergency managers spoke about how thankful he was that these people cared about him and his people, as he failed to hold back tears. Several of his friends had not made it. He knew that the people gathered there that day would someday be able to create advanced warning, such that nobody ever has to experience that amount of grief again.
What you do is so important. Getting the word out about these devastating events and the people they affect is a noble service that does not go overlooked. Thank you
Tearing up right there with ya Carly.
oh this one was a real tear-jerker for me!!
I also teared up when you did Carly. It was very emotional.
It was good to see Blaze…I love your cat.
This was a remarkable video. It brought forth emotion in me that was a first for any other tornado video I have watched. You put a personal aspect to it. You did a great service.
What a beast of a tornado. Always remembered the story of the concrete porch getting dislodged and the anchored safe ripped from the ground and its door ripped off. You show the area around 26:00.
We were woken up by a tornado warning at 4 am this morning. I'm glad it wasn't too bad 😮
This is by far some of your best work ever. I applaud you on bringing up recovery after a storm and the mental health issues that come along with that..
Carly, thank you for this absolutely brilliant video about this forgotten tornado tragedy. I remember watching this tornado outbreak live on various livestreams that day. The community of Rainsville was briefly mentioned, and I have not seen anything much at all talking about that community and that tornado since then.
Thank you for all the work you put into this. Considering the subject, you covered it very nicely. People rarely go into the deaths and the traumas that are physically forced on to people’s lives.
I absolutely love your videos. You thoroughly cover these events and while they are tragic, you have so much compassion and respect for the victims. Your content is amazing, and I appreciate the time you take to make your videos they’re absolutely great!!😊😊
Went to school with courtney and was a freshman at plainview when this happened. Could see it from my grandparents house in powell, and helped with the cleanup immediately after due to my stepfather being the fire chief at the time. That day forever changed me and i know it did everyone else in rainsville.
I was in a small tornado somewhere north of Atlanta as a kid, sometime 2009-2012 (2011 outbreak doesn't seem to match my memory). Tornado sirens and high winds still get me shaky. You're a wonderful creator.
Thanks for covering this Carly! The spotlight has always been on Tuscaloosa after that terrifying day. I was a trained storm spotter for the amazing Mr. Spann at the time, but we ended up almost being chased by the Tuscaloosa monster when seeking shelter at my parent's house across the county, because we didn't have power from the morning storms and cell service was very spotty due to load of calls and weather. The Tuscaloosa tornado only somewhat briefly lifted, before touching down again just past where we were in St. Clair county. It went on to kill many more people near my home in east Alabama. The entire day was a true horror. So many were affected. Spann has been a hero of mine since I was a child but I think he became a superhero that day. All the local meteorologists did awesome jobs. I've since been hit by an EF-2 and it still doesn't compare to the intensity of that day in so many ways.
Another great video about a tornado that was basically overlooked during this outbreak.
Can you also cover Smithville?
One of your best works yet! Amazing researcher and presenter! Keep up the good work, and thank you for fueling my addiction to tornado videos. 😅 In all seriousness, you remind us that this isn't just content, it was once someone's living nightmare, and people who suffered through it are still affected by it. So, thank you!
We need more of these, when you have time! Love your content! You are the best! Thank you!
I genuinely just love how you tackle such big topics with grace and respect. I personally have never been hit by a tornado but I have been around the damage they can cause and it dose just leave a burned image in your brain. I just want everyone who has ever had to deal with the devastation a tornado can bring to know my prayers will always be with you ❤️
I applaud your efforts for addressing mental health for people who have lived through these horrific storms. As a lifelong sufferer of anxiety, I am 71 now, I know what that does to you just with every day life. I could never live on flat land. The anxiety would be too much for me. I live in the mountains of W. MD. I cannot imagine the fear every tornado season let alone living through one. I don't know if I could live with those thoughts. The fact that you are helping these people, many of whom were children, gives me hope, because children in my era were not on the radar for anxiety. It affects your whole life. Thank you for caring enough to help these people. ❤
Carley you always debrief these incidents with such empathy and sincerity. When you became emotional, i was also feeling the bits of sand in my eyes. Thank You for doing these. You have a beautiful heart. Seeing you express such loving empathy for the people who find themselves victimized by such a destructive force just serves remind us all of our humanity.
I'm glad you understand Blaze naps must not be interrupted. I got my fix of magnificent kitty with the added clip. Thank you!
Thank you so much for bringing up mental health. I suffer from severe anxiety, and even family members who know my history don't get it. Thank you thank you thank you!
My dad, and me love tornadoes, and I love watching your videos. I showed my dad one of your videos, and he said, "I like this girl, she seems to know what she is talking about." Which made me smile.
This is auch a great video. Thank you! I went up there a couple of months after this happened to visit family. We drove around some of the areas that were slabbed. It is unreal the power of these tornadoes. That visit changed my life forever. This video really touched my heart ❤️
Thank you for telling these stories and humanizing the people involved. Your videos always set the perfect tone and you do an incredible job with tough subject matter. These stories need to be told. Please keep up the great work!
I was 15 and was living in Albertville at the time, about 25 miles southwest of Rainsville. Earlier that morning, a storm knocked out our service line, so we were completely in the dark on everything that had gone on during the day. We spent our entire day hunkered in the basement, hearing the sirens go on and off, with nothing but a little battery radio getting just one station (WQSB). I had no idea how bad it truly was until 3 days later, when our neighbors got power back.
NE Alabama was changed forever that day, and you're the 1st person who's really covered that aspect of the day. People tense up at even the sheer mention of severe storms, and they take it very seriously. I myself still have an extreme anxiety when it gets stormy. It's taken me a week to bulid up the courage to watch this because of that. But thank you so much for gracefully covering NE Alabama
This made my day! Carly you have excellent videos! I hope you only continue to grow and grow!