Much of the country has been subjected to severe thunderstorms and tornados — at least 42 tornadoes have been confirmed by the National Weather Service, at least nine of which have been seen in Alabama. Tornados have impacted several counties across the state, including Colbert County, Franklin County, Shelby County, Pike County, Crenshaw County, Etowah County, and Russell County.
The storms had various classifications and wind speeds — the storms with highest wind speeds, reaching 100 mph, hit Franklin County and Colbert County. The storms in Pike County and Russell County came with wind speeds that ranged from 85 mph to 95 mph. Wind speeds like this are why it’s so important to have window and door systems with impact-resistant glazing.
There has been one death in Alabama as a result of the storms. An Alabama county employee was helping to clear away trees that had fallen due to the weather when he was struck by a vehicle. He is one of 4,000 pedestrians killed annually on roads. According to Capt. David Agee of the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, the worker was hit around 2:15 a.m. on April 14th. He was taken to the hospital but unfortunately, his wounds were fatal.
The storms made their way across the southern, mid-Atlantic area in the country and there has been a total of nine deaths confirmed, including three children. One death has been reported in Monroe County Mississippi as a result of a tornado, two children were killed in Pollock, Texas after a tree fell on the vehicle they were in during a severe thunderstorm, there were two additional deaths in Texas, both caused by tornadoes, and one woman was killed in Virginia as well.
Throughout Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana, there were around 65,000 homes and businesses that had lost power. And while most roofs need inspecting once or twice a year, homes and businesses have sustained severe damage as a result from the storms.
Homeowners have been performing everything from major siding repairs to relocating during the aftermath. Vinyl siding is an affordable choice for most properties, costing about 11% less than cedar siding and 26% less than aluminum siding.
Along with property damage, countless trees have been damaged and have fallen down, causing more damage to houses or blocking roads. Multiple engineers will need to be called to the scene — a good cause for their $50,000 to $150,000 pay.
While the Alabama statute of limitations in Alabama allows for personal injury claims to be filed within two years, there is, unfortunately, little legal help for those injured by the storms, except for possible insurance claims.
With dozens of injuries being reported and the amount of property damaged caused, these thunderstorms and tornadoes are some of the most significant storms in recent years. After hitting Alabama, Mississippi, Texas, And Louisiana the hardest, the storms made their way up the East Coast as well. The rebuild will take time and a lot of stainless steel 304.
While the worst of the storms seems to be over, those in affected areas have a long journey ahead of them to rebuild and fix the damage caused by the storms.
