On this day five years ago, 62 tornadoes struck the state of Alabama as part of the largest tornado outbreak ever recorded. More than 250 Alabamians were killed and over 2000 were injured. One of those tornadoes was an EF-4 that barreled straight through Tuscaloosa, destroying 12% of the city and leaving thousands homeless and unemployed. Since then, the city of Tuscaloosa has largely bounced back, but some areas have fared better than others. Parts of the city have returned to business as usual, while others are still deeply scarred from the storm.
APR's Alex AuBuchon spoke with Tuscaloosa City Councilman Kip Tyner about his experience on April 27, 2011, and his efforts since then to rebuild his district.
Kip Tyner: I’ve been a city councilman since 1997, and am currently serving my fifth term. I represent much of the east side of Tuscaloosa.
Alex AuBuchon: You were in Alberta City on April 27, 2011, one of the hardest-hit areas in the state. What was that experience like?
KT: It was unbelievable. It was truly like one of the worst horror movies you could find yourself in. I remember the first hour, all the power lines that were down and dangling across the street that were still active. And I remember so well the smell of gas, because it seemed like everywhere you turned, people would start just running because they would think there was going to be an explosion. There was one gas leak after another. All I remember then was, “Oh my goodness. We’ve got an awful lot of work to do.”
AA: So in trying to handle this massive disaster, how do you transition, get in gear and actually start doing that work?
KT: Well, for me personally, 65% of my district was completely destroyed. That’s a large area. 70 businesses right in Alberta. The largest death toll in the city. So at first, you’re thinking: “Where in the world do you start?” Fortunately, we had great leadership from our mayor. We had traveled to Maryland and attended a weeklong emergency-type preparedness – it was like taking a workshop in emergencies and how you would handle them. So everyone had a role, and you just went to your role.
AA: And then shifting from the initial emergency management to, then, rebuilding the city of Tuscaloosa – we’ve seen a massive amount of rebuilding, but some areas have definitely moved more quickly than others. Why do you think your district has lagged behind?
KT: Well, for one, 65% of the district was destroyed completely or damaged severely, so that’s one. Two, along 15th street, many of those that were destroyed were national chains, so national chains are going to build back sooner. Much of Alberta was Mom and Pop shops; among those 70 businesses, most of them were very locally owned. The amount of debris moved took over a year or more. Settling insurance claims was huge. One of the problems we’re having right now is – I just saw a sky park that’s going to Northport. That same sky park, I tried to get in Alberta, but the property owners were asking way too much for their property. So unfortunately, as we’re starting to see the great growth, from the tennis stadium to the school of fine arts and the digital library, we’re also now seeing people that have become greedy. There’s no other way to put it, I’ve been nice for five years and I still won’t call them names, but a lot of that land is vacant because people are just asking way too much for their property.
AA: Even given the slower rate of growth in Alberta, especially in the private sector, there is progress being made, right? What do you think a fully restored Alberta will look like?
KT: I grew up in Alberta. Alberta in the 60s all the way through the 70s was like the Mountain Brook of Birmingham. It was the suburb, the place to live. It was the first IHOP, the first Krispy Kreme, the first Hardee’s, the first Arby’s, the very first shopping center, the first movie theaters… All those were in Alberta. So I see it like Dorothy coming in the Wizard of Oz. When I come across that bridge, I see color. I see all these great things. A lot of it is like… I love the story of the tortoise and the hare. And 15th Street is the hare. But how many times do you avoid 15th Street because of the congestion? It hasn’t been well built. I think we’ve done a poor job with that. I want Alberta to learn from those mistakes and when we build, it may be slower, like Heinz ketchup, but when it comes out, it tastes pretty dog-gone good.
AA: Is there anything else you’d like to note about your district?
KT: Well, you know, we’ve got great business opportunities in Alberta. We still have revolving loan program that you can get up to almost $250,000 if you want to relocate or start a business in Alberta at 0% interest. And then we have, on top of that, some $50,000 grants that you don’t even have to pay back if you stay in business for one year. There’s some great opportunities right now for Alberta, so I say “Buy Alberta”. And with the residential growth that’s coming, the magnet school, performing arts, and further partnerships with the University of Alabama, I just can’t think of a better place that people hopefully want to live and play and shop.
AA: Councilman Tyner, thank you so much for taking the time to speak with me.
KT: It’s been wonderful. I certainly enjoyed it. Thank you.