[KingOfTheWaves]

The 2011 Hackleburg/Phil Campbell was the deadliest tornado in Alabama history. It was also the longest-tracked tornado in the State of Alabama too, here's the path it went:




I'm actually planning on hitchhiking up to Alabama sometime to do a video documentary about the places it hit and how they have recovered since then.

I was wondering if anyone knows of any places where signs of damage from this specific tornado still exisit.

For example, i've read a comment online that there's still a part of a forest that was torn down by this tornado and the wreckage of that still reminds but i couldn't figure out where it is.

or other signs of it.


Does anyone here happen to know of any?


Please let me know ♥

[RocketDawg]

Yes, just drive along the length of US Hwy 43 between Hackleburg and Hamilton, particularly around the village of Hackleburg. The tornado basically followed that highway. For months after the tornado, the ground was stripped almost bare and virtually every tree was gone. Now, some new growth has started but the damage is still well evident. It looks like most structures have either been rebuilt or cleaned up and then the site has been abandoned.

The track you showed is accurate but it had weakened considerably by the time it crossed into Tennessee. It was still a monster in Limestone County though, causing a week-long power outage to all of Madison County. Best I can tell, there is no damage evident in the northern areas though.

[KingOfTheWaves]

Originally Posted by RocketDawg

Yes, just drive along the length of US Hwy 43 between Hackleburg and Hamilton, particularly around the village of Hackleburg. The tornado basically followed that highway. For months after the tornado, the ground was stripped almost bare and virtually every tree was gone. Now, some new growth has started but the damage is still well evident. It looks like most structures have either been rebuilt or cleaned up and then the site has been abandoned.

The track you showed is accurate but it had weakened considerably by the time it crossed into Tennessee. It was still a monster in Limestone County though, causing a week-long power outage to all of Madison County. Best I can tell, there is no damage evident in the northern areas though.

thank you ♥

just curious if you know any specific places along the tornado's route that are still destroyed or still have signs of damage?

[ronrutmr2]

Google Earth may show before/after of the damage, by using the history function. From that you could find the worst hit areas. I did this after the 2011 outbreak that hit my hometown (Pleasant Grove, AL). From the satellite view, it looked like a big eraser had deleted everything a mile wide from Tuscaloosa northeast.

Ron
Foley, AL

[MinivanDriver]

One of the scariest videos ever. Had this twister hit Tuscaloosa instead, the death toll would have been in the hundreds. Maybe more.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLDR-mfO5Ms

[KingOfTheWaves]

Originally Posted by MinivanDriver

One of the scariest videos ever. Had this twister hit Tuscaloosa instead, the death toll would have been in the hundreds. Maybe more.



https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NLDR-mfO5Ms

it was pretty bad. there was also one that hit Tuscaloosa the same day too.

[Mississippi Alabama Line]

Smithville MS and Hackleburg. You will notice the brand new school and slew of rebuilt houses in Hackleburg. Most of the town has no mature trees, they were wiped off the face of the earth.

You say there was another one that hit Tuscaloosa? No way

[BamaDave]

Google Maps' historical Street View function will hammer home the dramatic changes to the landscapes in places hit by the 4.27.11 tornadoes. I just checked out Hackleburg's 2008 Street View versus 2013 and 2014. Very shocking. The same is true for Tuscaloosa, Pleasant Grove, and other places trashed on that horrible day.

I travel up and down I-65 every day and can still see leftover tree damage from the Cordova EF-4 tornado where it crossed I-65 just north of where I live. You can also see tree damage in Fultondale and North Birmingham where the Tuscaloosa-Birmingham tornado crossed the interstate, essentially at the new 65/22 junction.

[MinivanDriver]

Originally Posted by KingOfTheWaves

it was pretty bad. there was also one that hit Tuscaloosa the same day too.

Trust me. We all remember.

[Veritas Vincit]

Its hard to say how it affected things but it always felt to me like this storm didnt get a lot of attention in spite of the devastation. Aside from being very rural the area is right on the border of the Birmingham and Huntsville TV markets. Hackleburg is in the Birmingham market and Phil Campbell in the Huntsville market. There was also of course no skycam footage or TV folks right on it.

Watching Spann I felt like he barely spent time on this storm compared to the extensive focus on Cullman and then Tuscaloosa or even the Cordova storm. Not sure how it was with the Huntsville stations, but the storm did its most severe damage right at the margin of that market too.