Tornado rips severe damage through Albertville, Alabama.

!*! – UPDATED – Tuesday, 27 April 2010, with aerial pics by Eric Shultz, Photographer, Huntsville Times – UPDATED – !*!

Saturday evening, April 24, 2010, around 9:30PM CST, a F3 category tornado twisted its way through the rural north Alabama community of Albertville, Alabama in Marshall County. Ironically, it was on the centennial-second anniversary of a 1908 tornado that devastated the town, nearly wiping it from the map.

Fortunately, though no lives were lost, there were about three dozen injuries reported, some severe, with one transported to another larger hospital facility out of the area.

Damage was severe, wreaking havoc and destruction in Albertville and the smaller, nearby community of Geraldine. Damage was so severe, that Albertville schools will be closed for this week, to allow cleanup of the town. Electricity service to much of the city is now non-existent.

National Weather Service officials at the NOAA station on the UAH campus indicated that a EF-3 tornado with winds up to 140 mph, mangled and uprooted trees, destroyed homes and wreaked havoc for 18 miles across Sand Mountain late Saturday night. Brian Carcione, a NWS meterologist said there were two confirmed tornadoes that struck DeKalb, the neighboring county east and north of Marshall County.

The tornado struck Albertville at 10:24 p.m., at the end of a tense Saturday of weather watching, on the 102nd anniversary of a killer storm that wiped out much of Albertville on April 24, 1908. When the storm struck, many had expected the worst to already be over.

Albertville Mayor Lindsey Lyons described his city on Sunday, saying there was, “Extreme devastation – it’s just miraculous there were no deaths.” Mr. Lyons, aerially surveyed the scene Sunday morning, and estimated at least 200 homes and businesses were heavily damaged or destroyed.

Anita McBurnett, Director of the Marshall County Emergency Management Agency, said parts of Albertville which were in the direct path of the storm could be without power for most of the week.

Of all the problems in Albertville, felled trees could be the worst, because throughout the city they’re blocking roads, crushing or covering cars, leaning on power lines, and have punctured holes in roofs.

Firefighters, deputies and other emergency workers from across North Alabama began showing up before midnight Saturday and kept coming Sunday – so many that the volunteer staging area had to be moved to the Albertville Recreation Center, one of the biggest buildings in town.

Jerry Butler, Director of the Southern Baptist Association’s Alabama Disaster Relief group, said, “We’ll be here for as long as they need us.” Volunteers from as far away as Limestone County descended on Albertville with smiles, chainsaws and a mobile kitchen capable of serving 2,000 hot meals a day.

Anyone who had damage or witnessed damage from high wind or tornadoes is encouraged to call their local emergency management office or the weather service’s storm reporting hotline at 1-800-856-0758.

Resources and disaster relief services are rallying to the the epicenter of the storm, providing temporary shelter, food and other assistance as necessary. Alabama’s governor, Bob Riley (R), is expected to get a bird’s eye view of the extent of the devastation when he flies over the area in a helicopter later today.

Please keep these people and the people assisting them in this time of need, in your thoughts and prayers.

Michah Silvernail, 11 takes photos of the damage to his friend Nathan Felton, 6 in orange who with other family members huddled in a bathroom as the tornado passed. -Huntsville Times photo by Dave Dieter

Residents, no names, help clear a path through debris and downed trees. -Huntsville Times photo by Dave Dieter

Tereza Pedro works on retrieving clothing from a bedroom of her and her husband Pascual Miguel along with other children shared. -Huntsville Times photo by Dave Dieter

Residents work together to remove the tree from this home. -Huntsville Times photo by Dave Dieter

One of the downed light stanchions at the stadium of Albertville High School. -Huntsville Times photo by Dave Dieter

Residents, no names lend a hand getting a tree off a house. -Huntsville Times photo by Dave Dieter

Downed trees and overturned trailers on the campus of Albertville High School. -Huntsville Times photo by Dave Dieter

Residents walking through the neighborhood formed a prayer circle in front of Nancy Brooks' home (in rear). Brooks was home asleep when a tree limb narrowly missed hitting her bed. Brooks is not in the photo. -Huntsville Times photo by Dave Dieter

 

Upper walls of this house were blown to the ground. -Huntsville Times photo by Dave Dieter

Upper walls, blown to ground, front perspective -Flickr photo by "BamaCanon," Brandon Kemp

Kathy Gazic removes some of her son's belongings from the house he was renting. -Huntsville Times photo by Dave Dieter

A house rests in the street of an Albertville, AL neighborhood where a recent tornado left it. -Flickr photo by “Fox6Pix”

CVS Pharmacy on U.S. Hwy 431. The Tornado went straight down "Million Dollar Ave." -Flickr Photo by "BamaCanon," Brandon Kemp

All the power is out and Downtown Albertville is pretty much destroyed. The Tornado path was about a mile north of our house. Very heavy damage around here. -Flickr Photo by "BamaCanon," Brandon Kemp

Extensive damage to mobile homes at Westgate Mobile Home Park. -Gadsden Times photo by Dave Hyatt

The Clemons' family residence on Baltimore Avenue in Albertville is a total loss. -Birmingham News photograph by Bernard Troncale

Damage to Albertville High School is visible, adjacent Albertville Middle School also received major damage. -Huntsville Times photo by Eric Shultz

The tornado's path went through the Cherrywood subdivision off South Edmonston Road just west of downtown. -Huntsville Times photo by Eric Shultz

Albertville, Alabama tornado damage; the house in the street is the one seen above made by "Fox6Pix" on Flickr. -Huntsville Times photo by Eric Shultz

Tornado damage in Albertville, Ala, Monday. April 26, 2010.The National Weather Service said the tornado touched down near Marshall County's Hyatt community and sliced through Albertville, Geraldine and Mentone. The damage path was three-quarters of a mile wide. -Huntsville Times photograph by Eric Shultz

Tornado damage, Albertville, Alabama -Huntsville Times photo by Eric Shultz

Albertville, Alabama tornado damage -Huntsville Times photo by Eric Shultz

Albertville, Alabama tornado damage -Huntsville Times photo by Eric Shultz

Automated car wash, ground perspective, U.S. Hwy 431, Albertville, Alabama tornado damage -Flickr photograph by "Fox6Pix"

Automated car wash, aerial perspective, U.S. Hwy 431, Albertville, Alabama tornado damage -Huntsville Times photo by Eric Shultz

Albertville, Alabama tornado damage -Huntsville Times photo by Eric Shultz

Albertville, Alabama tornado damage -Huntsville Times photo by Eric Shultz

Albertville, Alabama tornado damage -Huntsville Times photo by Eric Shultz

Albertville, Alabama tornado damage -Huntsville Times photo by Eric Shultz

Albertville, Alabama tornado damage -Huntsville Times photo by Eric Shultz

Albertville, Alabama tornado damage -Huntsville Times photo by Eric Shultz

Christ Episcopal Church, Albertville, Alabama tornado damage -Huntsville Times photo by Eric Shultz

Albertville, Alabama tornado damage -Huntsville Times photo by Eric Shultz

Albertville, Alabama tornado damage -Huntsville Times photo by Eric Shultz

Albertville, Alabama tornado damage -Huntsville Times photo by Eric Shultz

Albertville, Alabama tornado damage -Huntsville Times photo by Eric Shultz

Albertville, Alabama tornado damage -Huntsville Times photo by Eric Shultz

Albertville, Alabama tornado damage -Huntsville Times photo by Eric Shultz

Albertville, Alabama tornado damage -Huntsvillle Times photo by Eric Shultz

Tornado damage to Albertville High School -Huntsville Times photo by Eric Shultz

Tornado damage to Albertville High School -Huntsville Times photo by Eric Shultz

Tornado damage to Albertville High School -Huntsville Times photo by Eric Shultz

Tornado damage to Albertville High School -Huntsville Times photo by Eric Shultz

Tornado damage to Albertville High School -Huntsville Times photo by Eric Shultz

Tornado damage to Albertville High School "portable classrooms" -Huntsville Times photo by Eric Shultz

Tornado damage to Albertville High School football stadium -Huntsville Times photo by Eric Shultz

Tornado damage to Albertville High School -Huntsville Times photo by Eric Shultz

Tornado damage - Albertville, High and Middle Schools in background -Huntsville Times photo by Eric Shultz