SARDIS CITY - AL -
One of the hardest hit areas from Monday afternoon's storms was Etowah County. More than 24 hours after the storms hit, crews are still assessing damage. Some people remain in the hospital recovering from injuries. Others are trying to sort through the debris.
Tuesday morning, trees still blocked roads in Rainbow City. They rested on a few houses. But there were countless near misses.
"I think the good Lord- he was just guarding the house," said Bud Davidson as he cut the tree laying across his Rainbow Estates yard.
But in Sardis City, many houses and garages weren't sparred.
"I don't know what hit here. There's boards laying in here from the guys across the street," said homeowner Ellis Hulsey as he walked through his damaged garage. "I could've been like Flo across the street and had my house turned upside down, so I'm pretty fortunate."
Flo and her family also consider themselves fortunate. Two teens with their arms in slings looked at what used to be their house. They were inside with two adult relatives when it collapsed. The girl rescued her family with a broken shoulder.
16 people were injured in Etowah County. Eight of them were from Gadsden. While some people are still hospitalized, none of the injuries are life threatening.
Dozens of buildings were damaged and at least two houses were destroyed.
The National Weather Service says straight line winds reaching up to 88 miles per hour at Neely Henry Lake were to blame.
"I had a three bay shop full of tools, cars. Every bit of it damaged," said Jim Coffee who didn't have a clue how much it would take to repair the damage to his house.
Contractors are telling farmers it may be months to repair barn damage.
"I asked him [the contractor], 'how far behind?' They said, 'we've stopped all our new construction to help people,'" said Rodney Maroney whose cattle barn was destroyed.
Piles of debris are stacking up throughout Etowah County. Some people finished cleaning today. For others, it will take weeks or months.
A home in Etowah County destroyed by Monday's storms. (abc3340.com)
A mass of debris in Rainbow City on Tuesday. (abc3340.com)
