Tuscaloosa Patch Readers Share Memories On 15th Anniversary Of April 27, 2011 Tornado Outbreak

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Fifteen years after arguably the most destructive and deadly tornado outbreak in American history tore through Tuscaloosa, the memories remain as vivid as ever for those who lived through it.

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Late in the afternoon of April 27, 2011, a massive EF4 storm carved a deadly path across the city, leveling neighborhoods, claiming dozens of lives and forever changing the community’s landscape.

Now, on the 15th anniversary of the disaster, Tuscaloosa Patch readers are sharing their firsthand accounts — stories of fear and survival, loss and resilience — offering a powerful, deeply personal look back at one of the darkest days in Tuscaloosa’s history.

Here's what they had to say when we asked them what they remembered most from that fateful day.

Alex Free: "There was a lightning strobe show at 5 a.m. It was so bright it woke me up. This is the photo of the tornado taken from Taylorville. We had just had a smaller one in that area on the 15th, but it was no comparison when put next to the 27th."

Rick Amm: "Sitting on my balcony with my dog not realizing how close it was to me and all of sudden hearing it. All I could do was grab my dog and run to the bathroom. When I see the video of it passing the mall, it’s terrifying realizing my apartment was so close. We didn’t take a direct hit but I’m grateful to still be here."

Anne Hankins Boyd: "We saw that huge tornado go past our front door about two miles away — incredible. It crossed 359 and kept going east. Little fingers were going down from the funnel & debris was all in the air."

Steven Gardner: "The wind shear took out my power around 5 a.m., so I was home all day without info."

Rick Price: "Being in Planet Fitness as it was ripped apart, helping people out of the rubble, sitting with 2 girls behind Full Moon that were hurt and walking from there to Bent Tree apartments."

Becky Cobstill Hardesty: "'I'm OK,' the first thing my son said when I answered, our code for 'You ain't gonna believe this,' but 'I'm OK.'"

Brian Oliu: "The day of I tend to forget a lot of the details but I absolutely remember a lot of the days after. This was early days of Twitter and so that was the only way I was able to get information. I remember going to the Chevron on 69 to get snacks and beer for a friend’s birthday and all of us finding a place that had power to hang out. It seemed like a normal power outage party until I remember seeing a list of buildings that were damaged/gone from that corner of 15th/McFarland."

Corey Moe: "I worked at JD Byrider. Which was on the corner of 10th Ave at the time ... James Spann was on the television saying the tornado was coming past west Tuscaloosa ... We went to the oil pit and as soon as the last person got down safely, the tornado. Completely demolished the car lot. We came out of the oil pit to find everything leveled."

Meg Dowdy: "I remember being terrified that evening. We had no idea of how bad it was until the next day (or was it the day after?) when someone brought a copy of the T-News to the studio. The days that followed were a blur, but what stands out to me most isn't the damage. It's the people. Callers weren't ringing in to ask for help. They were calling the radio station to ask how they could give it. Over and over. 'What does somebody need? Where can I go? Who can I call?' That still gets me. We all worked like 12-hour days for the next three months, and it was an honor to keep folks informed during the crisis and rebuilding efforts. Nothing felt 'normal' until football season started — and we won a Natty that year, too. RMFT and T-Town, Never Down."

Howard Denton: "Storm spotting that day. Driving south on 359, and the tornado appeared from behind trees on my right, about a half mile in front of me. I stopped, felt the force of the inflow, and watched as it passed through the 31st Street overpass with secondary spirals spinning around it like arms of some malevolent spirit seeking to bestow a touch of death. Watching it continue grinding onward and knowing many people would lose their lives violently in the coming seconds is emotionally soul searing. I said a quick prayer for mercy, and drove to the impact zone just below me. Our first fatality, and many injuries, were there. A UPS truck was unrecognizable, but the driver miraculously survived in the crotch of the overpass and took this photo about 45 seconds later. It would be at least thirty minutes before emergency personnel arrived."

Shirley Gillespie: "It was Saturday after the storm. I was a property manager manage for a local company.A man, woman and child came in. Everybody was looking for housing.She was visible pregnant. She was crying. The husband said I hope we pas she was filling out the application. She kept bending over. I thought this woman is in labor.She said please don’t make me have my baby at the shelter.I said honey you already passed I handed her the keys! She started crying more. She had the baby that night.Sometimes when God tells you what to do you just do it. It doesn’t need paperwork."

Michelle Rosenberg: "Walking out of my apartment (Broad Street apartments) to go to campus and feeling the air and thinking “oh NO.”This was hours before the storm, but I had been in downtown Nashville in 1998 on a middle school field trip on the day that a huge tornado hit the city and you never forget what the air feels like when you experience the instability and consequences. I actually refused to go to my afternoon classes that day because I just knew I didn’t need to be away from home.I stayed in the closet with my cats (who did not stay in there with me for long) and listened to the radio til the stations went out. My husband and I went outside right after the tornado passed through, and the weather that was behind it and the weather the next few days was insultingly beautiful.After that, the post-apocalyptic brain fog took over, even though I wasn’t in the path (thankfully), I was born in Tuscaloosa and it felt personal for so many of my landmarks to be gone, and the scramble to find all my friends and check in with family and friends out of town, etc.But I was incredibly lucky, and I still think about the other UA students who died, the families that lived in Rosedale Court and Alberta City that lost children and loved ones."

Elizabeth Martin Roberts: "Not being able to reach my husband on the phone. He was working at Fire Station #4 in Alberta. I thought he was just busy on calls because of the tornado, and had no idea that the station had been hit. I'm thankful that I wasn't aware of that when I was unable to reach him. And thankful that he and his men were all safe."

Delorah Steele McDonald: "My son was working on campus at the UA print shop which was located next to the stadium. First report had it going directly at the stadium. Terrifying report. Fortunately they had a bomb shelter in the building and was taken down there by their boss. The tornado turned and towards Forrest Lake. A horrible day for Tuscaloosa and surrounding areas."

Stacy Walker Perry: "How much this community came together to help each other and to help and comfort total strangers."

Lauren Lashley: "Watching James Spann say that if you’re near the university you need to get to your safe space. I grabbed my kids and the dog, went into the bathroom, and then my husband came home and said it was right behind him. It was only a minute or two later and it really did sound like a train. After, we walked out of our house in Forest Lake and I couldn’t understand what I was seeing. I just stared and stared. I just kept saying, I can see DCH. It was like walking into a post-apocalyptic movie. We were at the outer edge of the path; we had some damage, but across the street and down, everything was destroyed. I remember how the sky that day seemed so yellow ... but after the sky was so beautiful. It felt like the world had ended. It felt like the damage went on forever."

Do you have a story you'd like us to include? Email memories to ryan.phillips@patch.com

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