Tuscaloosa Tornado 79

*To donate to those affected, please go to Givetuscaloosa.com

I rode my motorcycle from Atlanta, Ga, to Tuscaloosa, Al, to go volunteer as a photographer and with debris cleanup, for the tornado that killed over 300 people in a single day on April 27, 2011 over several states. Tuscaloosa and Alabama were hit considerably hard. There are 40+ confirmed dead in the city, and many remain missing. The locals told me that those swept up by the tornado and died outside the city limits aren't counted in Tuscaloosa's death toll and it's much higher than what the media says, but I can't confirm this.

Also worth noting is that I recorded some helmet cam videos of just riding around on my motorcycle, and exploring several abandoned buildings while I was here.

Part 1: [link]

Part 2: [link]

These photos and videos were taken between June 7-June 14, 2011.

I was taking pictures across from the destroyed Alberta Baptist church, which I visited last time I volunteered here a month previously and was able to enter freely at the permission of the pastors, who just happened to be there when I showed up.

I was across the street taking pictures the street, when I see a truck pull up to the church. I had already tried to enter and get more pictures, but it had been heavily barricaded and entry was impossible. A man and two ladies got out of the truck and headed for a door. I sprinted over there and realized the man was the pastor I met last time, and he allowed me to go into the church with him. He was showing some volunteers from Tennessee what destruction befell his church.

The pastor said he's seen the damage to his church many times before, but it gets him every time.