2007 — March 1, Tornado Outbreak (Prairie and Enterprise), Alabama — 10
— 10 NCDC/NOAA. Query Results, Alabama, Tornadoes, 1950-2008
- 1 NCDC. Event Record Details, Tornado, Alabama, 1 Mar 2007, Wilcox County, 12:27
- 9 NCDC. Event Record Details, Tornado, Alabama, 1 Mar 2007, Coffee County, 13:08
Narrative Information
NCDC, Coffee County (Enterprise) Tornado: “A tornado touched down just southwest of the Enterprise Municipal Airport. It caused minor damage to some houses….The tornado then traveled northeast and quickly intensified as it moved into the Enterprise city limits. It severely damaged the high school just north of the downtown. Eight students were killed as walls collapsed on them while they took shelter in the interior hallways. Fifty more were injured. The football stadium was destroyed. Many vehicles surrounding the schools were overturned or tossed about. Several state roads were impassible due to debris and fallen utility poles and lines. The ninth fatality occurred where an elderly woman was standing behind a living room window of her home as the glass shattered. A nearby elementary school was heavily damaged with no deaths or injuries reported there. Damage near the high school and in northeast Enterprise reached low end EF-4. Damage assessments indicated 239 homes destroyed, 374 homes with major damage, 529 homes with minor damage, and 251 homes affected. Coffee County was declared a federal disaster area, with preliminary FEMA individual assistance figures totaling over $1 million.” (NCDC. Event Record Details, Tornado, Alabama, 1 Mar 2007, Coffee County, 13:08)
NCDC, Wilcox County Tornado: “A significant tornado first touched down around 1227 pm at State Highway 28 near Miller’s Ferry dam. The tornado then tracked northeast across William Bill Dannelly Reservoir moving ashore on Sand Island Drive. This is where most of the severe damage occurred with numerous homes damaged or destroyed. One resident had arrived at his home on the lake to eat lunch when the tornado hit and he was killed when his newer model manufactured home was destroyed. The straps holding the home down all snapped in the same place. He was thrown out of his home and later found in the debris. Neighbors next door had sought shelter in an underground storm shelter outside their house seconds before the tornado hit. When they safely emerged from the shelter, they found their home destroyed. Most of the homes on Sand Island are vacation homes with part-time residents. If the tornado had struck on the weekend when more people are present, the loss of life would likely have been greater. Around 40 homes (four of these were slab homes) were damaged or destroyed along Sand Island Drive with some of the debris scattered up to two miles downstream. The tornado continued quickly to the northeast through sparsely populated areas. Damage did occur to homes and hunting camps along this path. However, the damage here was only rated as EF-0 and EF-1 on the Enhanced Fujita Scale. The tornado crossed into Dallas County. In all, one person died and two people were slightly injured by the tornado. The injuries occurred along Sand Island Drive when a single wide trailer was destroyed with the occupants being thrown from the trailer. They were protected from flying debris by part of the trailer that had fallen on top of them. The highest wind speed of the tornado was estimated at 185 mph.” (NCDC. Event Record Details, Tornado, Alabama, 1 Mar 2007, Wilcox County, 12:27)
Sources
National Climatic Data Center. Event Record Details, Tornado, Alabama, 1 Mar 2007, Coffee County, 13:08. NCDC, NOAA, Department of Commerce. Accessed 2-5-2009 at: http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~653223
National Climatic Data Center. Event Record Details, Tornado, Alabama, 1 Mar 2007, Wilcox County, 12:27. NCDC, NOAA, Department of Commerce. Accessed 2-5-2009 at: http://www4.ncdc.noaa.gov/cgi-win/wwcgi.dll?wwevent~ShowEvent~653259