Table Of Contentcultivating a
state of readiness
OUR RESPONSE TO APRIL 27, 2011
Printed in Alabama
January 2012
Tornado Recovery Action Council
Co-chairman: John D. Johns
Chairman, President and CEO, Protective Life Corp.
Co-chairwoman: Pam Siddall
President and Publisher, Birmingham News Multimedia
Suzanne Durham, CEO, YWCA Central Alabama
Dallas Fanning, Retired Director of Urban Development, City of Huntsville
Grayson Hall, President and CEO, Regions Financial Corp.
David Hannah, Crossville Business Owner
Evelyn Mauldin, Senior Vice President and General Counsel, Bank Independent
Dr. Max Michael, Dean, UAB School of Public Health
Dr. Keith Morrow, Physician, Hackleburg Medical Clinic
Brenda Parker, Principal, Alberta Elementary School
Dr. Malcolm Portera, Chancellor, The University of Alabama System
Dr. Cathy Randall, Chairman, Pettus Randall Holdings
Isabel Rubio, Executive Director, Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama
Guice Slawson, Senior President, Southeast Wood Treating
Zeke Smith, Executive Vice President, Alabama Power Co.
Finis St. John IV, Partner, St. John and St. John
Rex Vaughn, Owner, Vaughn Farms
Mike Warren, President and CEO, Children’s of Alabama
Randall Woodfin, Assistant City Attorney, City of Birmingham
Staff
Executive Director – Ron Gray
Deputy Director – R.B. Walker
Legal Counsel – Ivan Hand III, Maynard, Cooper & Gale, P.C.
Public Relations – Julie Ward and Robin Oliver, Big Communications
Project Management – Stephanie Belew and Rich Coover, Protective Life Corp.
Final Report Editor – Jeb Schrenk
Writers/Researchers – Tom Gordon, Dave Parks, Joe Rada and Kendal Weaver
Copy Editor/Writer – Steve Millburg
Design – Teresa Brooks
Acknowledgments
GOVERNOR ROBERT BENTLEY reacted quickly to the tornado outbreak of
April 27, and he continued his focused attention by proactively appointing
19 members to the Tornado Recovery Action Council. He recognized the
need for a reflective look at the response to one of Alabama’s worst natural
disasters. Without Governor Bentley’s vision, leadership, support and
encouragement, this report would not have been possible. We express our
most sincere thanks to him.
The Governor gave unfettered access to his staff, and their knowledge
was vital to putting together this report. The Tornado Recovery Action
Council would particularly like to thank Emergency Management Agency
Director Art Faulkner, a constant presence at our community forums, and
Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs Director Jim
Byard Jr., whose office is overseeing the Long Term Community Recovery
initiative.
Thank you to Clay Ryan, special counsel to Governor Bentley, who was
instrumental in helping launch the Tornado Recovery Action Council and
was a liaison between our group and the Governor’s Office.
The storm system that clawed its way across Alabama on April 27
affected a broad area, from Choctaw County in South Alabama to the state’s
mountainous upper regions, from the border of Mississippi to the Georgia
line. Likewise, the Tornado Recovery Action Council received input from
hundreds of people who work and live across our state, including emergency
response officials, nonprofit leaders, educators and meteorologists.
We give a special thanks to the communities that welcomed us and helped
host our public forums; to the people we interviewed who were generous
with their time and expertise; to Birmingham News Multimedia for its help
with report production and distribution, including access to a library of
captivating photography; and to Protective Life for project management
support and use of office space.
This report was paid for through private donations and without taxpayer
money.
Thank you to our funders, including Alabama Power Foundation, ALFA
Companies, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, Community Foundation
of Greater Birmingham, Energen Foundation, Protective Life Foundation
and Regions Financial Corp.
cultivating a
state of readiness
Table of Contents
Introduction 9
SECTION 1
4.27.11 13
SECTION 2
Prepare 27
SECTION 3
Warn 45
SECTION 4
Respond 57
SECTION 5
Recover 75
SECTION 6
In Summary 93
SECTION 7
Forum Reports 99
Introduction
THE SIGN AT HACKLEBURG United Methodist Church carried such a simple
message after so much loss: “God Bless Our Town.”
The April 27 storm system that tore
through Alabama, taking with it 248
lives and leaving paths of destruction,
was remarkably cruel to Hackleburg.
Eighteen lives lost.
The Hackleburg Elementary and
High schools destroyed, along with the
town’s largest employer, a Wrangler
distribution center.
A downtown left mostly in rubble.
We could understand, then, if
several months after the storm,
Hackleburg’s residents were singu-
larly focused on the immediate needs
of their recovery. Joe Songer/The Birmingham News 9
We could understand if some wanted to give up on the town. Truth be Pam Siddall, president and publisher
told, like much of rural Alabama, Hackleburg struggled before the tornado. of Birmingham News Multimedia, and
But this was, and is, their town. And when a team from the Tornado Johnny Johns, president and chief
executive officer of Protective Life,
Recovery Action Council visited on the evening of Sept. 13, what we found
speak at the Alabama Emergency
was even more defining than the winds that uprooted their community.
Operations Center in Clanton on
Hackleburg was determined to build back, and to build back better.
Aug. 29 shortly after Gov. Robert
To be sure, residents understand the challenges they face. They are
Bentley announced the creation of the
realistic.
Tornado Recovery Action Council.
Their needs seem basic — a grocery store and a restaurant — and at the
same time visionary and complex — jobs and a strategic plan. This is a town
determined not to wilt away.
Across the state, from Tuscaloosa to Rainsville, from Lake Martin to
Pratt City, the Tornado Recovery Action Council found communities eager
to rebuild a stronger Alabama.
The process
We began our journey on Aug. 29 in Clanton, when Gov. Robert Bentley
announced his appointment of 19 civic, community and business leaders to
the Council.
“We pray that no disaster in our time or any time in the future will mirror
the storms that tore across our state in April,” Gov. Bentley said. “But by
deepening our understanding of this tragedy and its effects, we can improve
our ability to prepare for and respond to a broad range of potential disasters
here in Alabama and help inform leaders in other states who might face
similar challenges.”
Our mission was clear: Document what happened that day; determine
what went right and what could have been done better; and propose solutions
not only to promote a recovery, but also to improve preparation for future
disasters by addressing vulnerabilities exposed by the storms.
We did this several ways. First, we visited areas of our state that were
directly affected. With the help of Birmingham-based Clarus Consulting
Group, the Council held community forums at seven locations across the
state: Rainsville, Hackleburg, Tuscaloosa, Hanceville, Pratt City, Lake
Martin and Shoal Creek Valley.
We asked residents and community leaders how they were warned about
the storms, what they thought of the response and which direction they wanted
to see their communities take for the future. Their feedback was invaluable.
We also heard from people through our website, tracalabama.org, and
through the members of our Council.
Second, we met with Gov. Bentley’s Cabinet members to solicit their
reactions to how the state performed and their ideas about what they might
have done differently. Information gathered from them, and from people
who attended the community forums, can be found in the Clarus reports
at the back of this book. Those reports provide an unedited version of what
they had to say.
Third, we sent our team of researchers and writers out to interview
weather experts, nonprofit leaders, response coordinators, building
officials and others — anyone who might be able to offer insight and input as
we prepared our report.
10
The outcome
Daniel Giles/TimesDaily
Caroline Yeilding, a project manager
Hundreds of hours of research culminated in the document before you today,
with Clarus Consulting Group, takes
featuring 20 recommendations approved by our Council and delivered to you
notes as residents give their thoughts
in four chapters: Prepare, Warn, Respond and Recover.
during a Sept. 13 meeting hosted by
Throughout, the people we talked to built the foundation for this report.
the Tornado Recovery Action Council
They were more than accommodating — from residents who welcomed us
in Hackleburg. At seven community
into their communities to state officials who lent us their time — and we
meetings across the state, TRAC asked
residents how they were warned about cannot thank them enough.
the storms, what they thought of the Gov. Bentley should be commended for recognizing the importance of
response and which direction they an independent review. He was supportive, gave unparalleled access and
wanted to see their communities take allowed us to work without interference.
for the future. So what did we learn from April 27? How can we not only heal our state
but also be better prepared the next time we face dark clouds?
First, we should say there’s plenty that went right.
State officials quickly reacted, and National Guard troops were patrolling
streets within an hour of storms touching down.
First responders and local governments jumped into action despite
strained resources, and power companies stood ready to get electricity
flowing again.
Volunteer organizations, particularly faith-based groups, were Herculean
in their efforts, from delivering food and water to clearing fallen trees to
finding housing for the displaced. Where would we be without their help?
Even the Federal Emergency Management Agency, rightly criticized in
previous disasters, should be given high grades for its work on the ground
and with our state officials.
