There have been a lot of change occurring in our house the past several months. Both kids played on the Hillcrest High Soccer team during the spring and LOVED it. The season kept us busy, but it was fun.
Unfortunately, the last game of the season was scheduled for Wednesday, April 27, so it never occurred. The schools had been canceled for the day, because a tornado had hit our area around 6 am and the weather guys predicted the afternoon wasn't going to be much better. And it wasn't. Our area already had a tornado come through our neighborhood on Friday, April 15. The kids and I can say we survived a tornado. Our home did not suffer any damage except for the dog house was ripped apart and thrown across the yard. The damaged started about 7 houses down with missing shingles, knocked over fences and mail boxes. Nothing major.
April 27 was different, much different. While the kids stayed at home, I was glued to my live streaming weather reports at work. Northern Alabama kept getting hit over and over again with tornadoes. Not just little tornadoes that pick up dirt, but destroyed entire towns. THANKFULLY, I left work around 2:30 p.m. I was anxious and I wanted to be home with the kids. Sirens were blaring all afternoon to warn everyone. It was hot, humid and sticky. But the weather began to change. I can't describe the change, but it was changing as the afternoon progressed. THANKFULLY, Jon left work from his downtown job at 4 pm. He was home within 30 minutes.
It was probably around 5 pm and the kids had their safety plans in place. Elisa was hiding in the tub in the kid's bathroom surrounded by pillows. Jay and Tiegra were in his bedroom closet. Unfortunately, there isn't too many other places to hide in our home. James Spann (weather God here) was on the news shouting that Tuscaloosa needs to get in their safe places NOW. There was a large dangerous tornado on the ground heading....and we lost power. So what does any sane person do (insert sarcasm) go outside in the street and look for the tornado. Jon and I found the tornado. We could view it from our neighborhood growing and becoming bigger. The air in our neighborhood was completely calm and still, unlike earlier in the afternoon. We were transfixed on this monster. It was so big, we assumed it was in our part of Tuscaloosa (southern area). It didn't hit our area. It was so big and it landed over 8 miles away.
Around 5:15 pm, it was heading towards the main part of town. It was heading into the neighborhoods filled with homes and businesses. Our neighborhood is considered rural, because we are still not completely developed. The monster headed towards many of our friends homes. We were helpless, we couldn't do anything to help our friends. All I could do it hope that my text messages warning them to get safe would help. We tried to get to them, but every road we knew was blocked. We had no electricity for over nine hours, we were the lucky few that received power so quickly. The radio just kept describing more tornadoes were landing in the area. Sleep was hard that night. Cell phone service wasn't working very well with everyone trying to get in contact with everyone else.
In the morning the sun was shining brightly and the real image of what happened began to be known. I can't share the stories of how our friends survived the tornado. Their stories bring back too many horrible thoughts of that day. Thankfully, they all survived physically, but mentally the thunderstorms and sirens will not be the same. Nearly 7,000 homes and businesses were destroyed beyond repair. That number doesn't include the homes slightly damaged. We were able to help a few people dig for their possessions after the storm. We even had a few friends stay in our home. One lost her home (thankfully, she was smart enough to go to another friend's house), but the friend's house was in the tornado hit area and it was predicted they would be without power for two weeks.
"Normalcy" is slowly returning. I can drive my normal way to work, but the view is not the same. Instead of school bus stops, large shade trees, homes, and business...I see piles of rubble. Huge trees split in half. And if the air is blowing just right, you can smell the pine mixed with rotten food. The smell of death as someone put it. The rubble is starting to be cleared and some places have been able to make repairs. Many business have been able to relocate until their buildings are rebuilt, but numerous businesses are still a pile of debris. These areas are difficult to drive through at night. No street signs or street lights. Just dark and gloomy.
We were not the only town that suffered major damage that day. I believe we had over 19 tornadoes and the majority were rated F3 through F5, which means winds were anywhere between 135 mph to over 200 miles per hour. Over 241 lives were lost in the state of Alabama. This day will live in the hearts of Alabamians forever. The best thing about these tornadoes is seeing first hand neighbors helping neighbors. How quickly the emergency personnel were out on the streets. I have witness some of the most wonderful acts of kindness. I am blessed to be able to help others.
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On a brighter note, on April 23 Jon received a job offer. He started his new job on Monday, May 2. He also found out on April 27, he passed the Alabama Bar exam. It has been hard to celebrate these events. Jon will be working for a bank as general counsel in Shelby County in a little town called Chelsea, AL. Chelsea is a cute little town, the fastest growing in Shelby County. The kids are excited about going to their new schools and being able to experience new opportunities. The schools in Shelby County offer many more programs than the Tuscaloosa County Schools.
We were upset about leaving Hillcrest and their soccer program, even though it was a small one, but Chelsea High School has made it to State Championships several times. We also received an email from the Hillcrest soccer coach informing the parents that he will be moving to another school closer to his home. Hillcrest may not have a soccer program next year, if a teacher doesn't step up to coach the team. Plus, Hillcrest is getting a new principal, so since the soccer program was so small he may just cut the program from the budget. So moving to a new school may not be so bad for the kids.
After looking at the rents in the area, Jon and I decided to use his VA benefits to purchase a home. Our monthly housing costs would be cheaper than renting. We found a new housing development in Chelsea and decided to purchase one of those homes. We all picked out the lot we wanted. We will be up a small hill with no neighbors. At the moment, besides neighbors across the street, the builder does not plan on building any homes to the right or left of us.
Everyone decided on the Windsor model home. It is 4 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 2 car garage, and over 2,300 square feet. This will be an improvement over the 3 bedrooms, 2 baths, no garage and around 1,200 square foot home we have been smashed in the past several years. The dog and kids will have more room to play outside. I can have a room for my crafts or guests. Plus instead of a formal dining room, we are going to make that our study. No more sleeping with blankets over my head when Jon studies. (Jon is still in school until August, plus he will be taking the Georgia bar exam next February)
Our home probably won't be ready until mid-September, so I have been trying to find some temporary housing starting for August 1. My sister and her family will be traveling out to help us pack and move the end of July. They are going to take Tiegra back with them to Louisiana. Jay and I are dreading being without our Tiegra, but she will be better at my sister's land then possibly living in an apartment. We will definitely take her back as soon as we can. Who else is going to lick clean my feet as well as Tiegra?
My last day of work is on Friday, July 22. I start training my replacement on Tuesday. I will miss all of my co-workers. They were essentially my first friends when I moved here. But Chelsea is only about an hour away, so we know we will be down to visit often. (Especially for those 7 home games and the A-Day game). I haven't completely decided what I am going to do yet. I may get a part time job. I will continue with my education, but I am still not completely decided on which degree yet. I think I will figure that out after our move and we are settled in our new place built for new Adventures!
In case you would like more information about the tornadoes that hit Alabama or where we are moving to, check out some of these links.
All about Chelsea...
http://www.cityofchelsea.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelsea,_Alabama
http://www.shelbyed.k12.al.us/schools/chms/index.htm
http://chelsea.k12.mi.us/education/school/school.php?sectionid=3
http://www.drhorton.com/Where-We-Build/Alabama/Birmingham/Division/Polo-Crossings.aspx
April's Tornadoes (my apologizes if there are some bad words used)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_14%E2%80%9316,_2011_tornado_outbreak
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEKjnJsln6s&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AUChq2KDHlM&feature=related
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/April_25%E2%80%9328,_2011_tornado_outbreak
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjVW0Du2ZIo&NR=1
http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/
http://cw.ua.edu/
http://www.ci.tuscaloosa.al.us/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tuscaloosa,_Alabama
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sA7TKSHJ_wM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KR5LtyQ_5IM&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9M_mcOL99qA&feature=related (the buildings you see in this one is the law school on campus and the tall white one is our hospital that serves 7 counties)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5sZJBxHiCRs&feature=share (sorry in spanish, but the tornado is up close in this one)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OU6hsYk_sWI (aerial views)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5ohIVzIZLuQ&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cK91LN1rwsM
http://cw.ua.edu/2011/04/28/tuscaloosa-tornado-427-photos/ (slide show of photos of damage)
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