© Don Kausler Jr./Tuscaloosa BureauThe enormous tornado that hit Tuscaloosa Wednesday afternoon.
A Tuscaloosa resident going by Clay Hasenfuss on Twitter posted this dramatic video of the tornado dwarfing Bryant-Denny Stadium.
"I'm in my car at corner on McFarland. Milo's Hamburgers isn't there anymore," said Tuscaloosa resident Phil Owen. "Hobby Lobby only thing still standing at Woods Square Shopping Center. Big Lots, Full Moon Barbecue. Piles of garbage where those places were. Shell gas station across the street, all that's standing is the frame of the store."
"At first I thought it was a rain cloud, but then the tornado dropped right by the apartment compex. It was one the scariest things I've ever seen." added Taryn Cook, also from Tuscaloosa.
As of 8 p.m., CNN was reporting that there were 25 dead across the state. Maddox appeared on ABC 33/40 late afternoon to provide an early assessment of the impact.
"It appears damage is substantial," he said. "We have one fatality likely linked to the storm. We're deploying every asset of city to deal with damage all over the community.
"Every resource we have is going to be with our citizens. By later tonight, hopefully we have an idea of what exactly happened or what transpired in the last five minutes.
"The hospital is prepared. In about two or three hours, I will be in a better position to tell you what has happened."
University of Alabama officials say there is no structural damage to the buildings on campus.
The storm moved on toward Birmingham. As of 6 p.m, over 250,000 residents in the Birmingham area and hundreds of thousands more across the region had lost power, according to Alabama Power. ABC 33/40 reported that Birmingham airport has evacuated all passengers from concourses and flights are delayed, but no major damage has been reported.
More details to come.
4-27-11 Tornado Tuscaloosa, Al from Crimson Tide Productions on Vimeo.
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