Postcard From Tuscaloosa: Cleanup Continues From Easter Tornado

You may not remember, or may not have heard, but we had a tornado here in Tuscaloosa.

I'm not referring to the big one in 2011, which killed 53 people, including six students, the anniversary of which was Monday.

I'm talking about the Easter tornado on April 12.

Fortunately, there were no fatalities locally (there were at least 20 tornados in the state that night), but it did scare the bejeebies out of a lot of people on the northeastern side of town.

Mostly, a lot of trees were destroyed, in addition to property damage and blocked roads. I decided to venture out and see how the cleanup was going, especially since there's been so much going on in the world lately.

Overall, I have to admit that I was extremely impressed with the progress. What the crews have cleared, the photos just don't do justice. Some of those trees were on the massive side as well.

I didn't want to get in the way of the crews out by NorthRiver Yacht Club, as the road heading out there is pretty narrow and they still have more than enough to deal with. Instead, I ventured into a neighborhood and had happened to check out the day after the storm to look for something that could show their progress.

In the video, the important part is actually not the tree. It's the area behind it and to the right.

Here's a better view:

Two weeks ago that whole area was full of twisted, mangled trees. It was a real mess. They've all been removed, minus the one up against the fence.

A lot were moved to clearing areas like this:

Something I learned in 2011, trees damaged by a tornado have to be carefully disposed of due to the shrapnel. You can't

Regardless, the work continues.

Here's a shout out to the workers, and a reminder to drivers to be careful around that part of town.

Otherwise, we're all just thankful it wasn't a lot worse.

Humbly yours,

- Christopher Walsh