A View of Cullman – Before & After the Tornado

Enough time has passed since the April 27th outbreak for us to notice a lot of changes around the state, but in particular, I noticed a part of Cullman as viewed from our SkyCam at the Water Treatment Plant on US 278 East that I had not seen before from that camera. Before sunrise today, I noticed a lot of lights where it just used to show up as darkness in the nighttime hours, and as the sky brightened, I looked around with the camera and was amazed to see how many trees had been cleared out of the way by the EF-4 tornado last month!

Here is a wide shot of Cullman looking west-southwest toward downtown prior to the April 27th tornado:

A View Toward Downtown Cullman from the East Side of Town Prior to April 27th

Now, here is a zoomed-in look that I captured earlier this morning once I was able to identify the buildings in the view. The tornado passed south of the Cullman Savings Bank building, tearing up almost everything on Fourth and Fifth Streets where it made a direct hit on the Cullman’s First United Methodist Church (image via “Life of Jooly’s” blog). It crossed over US 278 just past the Cullman Times where it intensified and leveled East Side Baptist Church and a number of beautiful historic homes in eastern Cullman. With all of the trees out of the way, we have a new view of Downtown Cullman:

View from The Water Treatment Plant Past the Tornado Track

Here is the aerial video shot by ABC 33/40’s Bill Castle the day after the tornado. I cannot be completely sure since I’ve not been to Cullman in a few days, but it does look like First Baptist Church has a brand-new steeple up based on what we can see from the SkyCam.

The recovery process all over this state is going to take a long time. There will be visible scars on the landscape and scars on our hearts from that horrible April day for years to come. Neighbors are still in need, and if you have some time to spare, volunteers are still useful in most of the tornado-ravaged areas. ABC 33/40 is helping coordinate another “Neighbors In Need” volunteer effort this Saturday in Pleasant Grove. You can get more information on signing up here: ABC 33/40 Neighbors in Need.

And if you are around the Cullman area this Saturday, “Wings Over Cullman” is a free air show that will be held at Folsom Field Airport in north Cullman. Admission and parking are free, but donations for the tornado relief effort will be accepted. More information is available here: Wings Over Cullman.

-Jason
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Category: Hodgepodge