Wake up to tornado siren at 5:30.  Sleep. 

Wake up to tornado and tornado siren at 5:45.  *Hides in pantry*

Lose the tree in front of my window.

Go to work having showered in the dark listening to the wind.

Work closes at noon to allow adequate time to get home because Birmingham was gridlocked.

Storms start to fire back up after power comes back on. 

Remember Japan conference call at 5:00 pm. 

Mom calls 5 minutes in.  Unconfirmed F5 from Tuscaloosa headed straight for Birmingham and Homewood.

Jet back to work to avoid my 3rd story apartment, while trying to regain access to the Japan conference call.

Tuscaloosa is leveled.

The same unconfirmed F5 pummels downtown Birmingham, leveling, killing and destroying.

Continues on.

Hang out at work until another cell passes overhead. 

Dinner alone at the Walmart McDonald’s.

Come back home.  Watch live feed.

Hear reports of Tuscaloosa receipts falling in GADSDEN, 125 MILES AWAY.

2nd tornado hits Cullman.

There are 375,000 Alabama Power customers with no electricity.  Thankfully, my time among those numbers is over.

Maybe it’s about to all be over in the next hour.  Maybe.

This has been one for the books.  I can only give my account, and there are thousands of other people with other stories about places other than Birmingham.  Keep everybody in your prayers.