In mid-March, Alabamians got some news they didn’t take lightly — weather conditions were shaping up in a way they hadn’t in a decade.
The warnings said they might produce storms like the ones that hit April 27, 2011 — a day when 62 tornadoes and their aftermath left some 250 people dead across the state. It was the first time since then that warnings had been so severe. Alabamians hadn’t forgotten.
Shelves of bike helmets cleared out at local stores. Disaster relief volunteers got ready. Schools let out early, and people all over the state turned on the news and piled their children into bathtubs with pillows and mattresses.
Everyone watched and waited.
But this time, things were different. This time, big tornadoes tracked through rural areas, in many cases missing populated areas. This time, everyone made it through the night, though tragically several would lose their lives a week later when more destructive storms came.
Forever changed
But as storms continue to roll through Alabama in 2021, people keep making their preparedness plans with an eye on April 27, 2011, a day that changed the state.
Mel Johnson, who served as disaster relief strategist for Alabama Baptists in 2011, said it may be 10 years ago, but it “feels like 10 minutes ago.”
“Memories like that last a lifetime,” he said.
As he served Alabama Baptists in that role, his job was to rally disaster relief volunteers from all across the state and nation and coordinate a cleanup and recovery effort that would take months. (To read more about how Alabama Baptists and others responded, see story here.)
In addition to killing and injuring hundreds of Alabamians, the tornadoes destroyed millions of dollars in property across the state, including damaging or destroying 45 Alabama Baptist churches in a single day.
The devastating storms were part of a greater tornado outbreak that stretched across six Southern states April 25–28, killing more than 300 people total.
“I do believe that as difficult as that was, the resiliency of our folks and our churches basically shined in the darkest hour,” said Johnson, who now serves as lead mission strategist for Autauga Baptist Association. “It was a chance to make a good, strong statement that there is help and healing in a world of crisis.”
Bobby Thornton said his church — Mount Hebron East Baptist, Eclectic — is definitely a statement of healing to the world. After an F4 tornado swept it away, Thornton and other church members weren’t sure they would be able to rebuild.
“It looked like it was humanly impossible,” he said.
But donations started pouring in from across the country, and with help from others, including First Baptist Church, Montgomery, and Lakeview Baptist Church, Auburn, they were able to build a new building worth $600,000 from around $100,000 in insurance funds.
125th anniversary
They’re debt free, they recently celebrated new members baptized into the church and on April 25, they’re gathering to celebrate where God has brought them in the 125 years since the church was formed and the 10 years since their building was destroyed. (For more on how other churches are reflecting on the anniversary of the storms, see story here).
“God wanted us here for a reason. It’s just a blessing,” Thornton said. “The only thing I can say is it’s a miracle.”
Baptist response to the April 27, 2011 tornado outbreak
Source: Alabama Baptist Disaster Relief, weather.gov
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