Storm Damage

*My heart goes out to all of those affected by the tornadoes of April 27th, 2011*

Yesterday was a horrible day for the state of Alabama.  Tornadoes ripped through many cities, destroying everything in their paths.  Cullman, Birmingham, and Tuscaloosa were hit the hardest.  The destruction in Tuscaloosa is completely unbelievable.  I look at the pictures and listen to the news and I am just in shock over the amount and magnitude of the damage to my precious state.  A "State of Emergency" was issued for the entire state of AL and President Obama sent 2000 of the National Guard into Tuscaloosa last night/this morning.  

I am okay.  My family is okay.  My friends are okay.  But there are so many out there that are not okay.  There are lives lost, homes destroyed, towns completely leveled to the ground.  It amazes me that a force of nature could cause such destruction in my corner of the world.  I never realized the magnitude of something as serious as a tornado until it happened in my world. 

Front page of the Montgomery Advertiser this morning

I listened to Governor Bentley this morning and he said the current death toll was at 128 for Alabama and expected to rise as they continued search efforts.  Approximately 44,000 homes are without power, over 600 people are injured, and some neighborhoods have been completely wiped off the map.  

I do not know of anyone personally affected by the disaster.  But, I have a dear friend who lost a friend in the storms.  She had gone to high school with Loryn and played softball with her.  Rescuers had to cut through what was left of Loryn's apartment in order to find her.  She had not survived the storm. 

Tuscaloosa needs help.  To find out how you can help, visit Leslie Lambert's blog at this link and see what you can do.  My thoughts and prayers are with everyone involved in this disaster.