The harrowing stories of tornado survivors are emerging as residents comb through the damage from the storm that killed seven people in Autauga County.
The storm passed and they emerged, only to find the body of his neighbor in the street, he said. Another neighbor up the road had also died, a family member said.
Leighea Johnson, a 54-year-old cafeteria worker who also lives in Autauga County, stood among the strewn remains of her mobile home. She pointed to a tall pile of rubble that she identified as her bedroom, bathroom and kitchen. Autauga County officials said the tornado had winds of at least 136 mph and leveled damage consistent with an EF3. Authorities have said at least a dozen people were hospitalized and about 40 homes were destroyed or seriously damaged, including mobile homes that were launched into the air.
“I called my daughter and said, ‘You do not have time to get out, you’ve got to get somewhere now,”’ Johnson said, her voice cracking. “And she said, ’I’m getting in the tub. If the house is messed up I’ll be in the tub area.”
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