A devastating EF-5 tornado ripped through Tuscaloosa Wednesday, killing at least 16 and leaving hundreds homeless.
The tornado reportedly touched down along 15th Street and continued towards McFarland Boulevard, destroying homes and businesses in its path.
Tuscaloosa mayor Walt Maddox called an emergency press conference at City Hall at 8:45 p.m. to address those affected by the storm.
“At this time, we’re requesting all citizens avoid travel by all means necessary,” Maddox said. Maddox said the city would continue working in two phases, response and assessment.
“The National Guard units should be here tonight, and I’ve requested federal assistance to help deal with the devastation,” Maddox said. “Our recovery will be a long and difficult one given the massive scale of destruction. There is no quick solution. We’re not talking a matter of hours or matter of days; it’s going to be a matter of months.”
As of 10 p.m. CST, the storm, part of a larger outbreak of storms, was one of 135 tornadoes that were recorded in the U.S. Tornadoes have been recorded in eight different states, most in Mississippi and North Alabama.
It was the first EF-5 ever recorded in Tuscaloosa, with winds maxing out at 287 mph, and the first in Alabama since 1998.
As of 11:45 p.m.Alabama Power has more than 55,000 customers without power, according to Alabama Power official Fredey Padilla. In total there are almost 400,000 customers in the state without power. Padilla could not provide a timeline for when customers can expect their power to be restored. He said more than 1,000 crews from outside the state are coming in to help restore power.
Former SGA President James Fowler said he saw the tornado begin to form south of Bryant-Denny Stadium from the Delta Kappa Epsilon house, and continue moving west to east.
“It devastated 15th street,” he said. “If you stand at the lake across the street from the Wendy’s on 15th, you can see clear to midtown.”
President Barack Obama declared a state of emergency in Alabama after speaking with Gov. Robert Bentley and approving his request for emergency federal assistance, including search and rescue assets.
