Southeast States - AL, AR, LA, FL, GA, KY, MS, NC, SC, TN - Weather Discussion

A woman flew through a tornado in a bathtub and survived

“She heard the tornado warning come out and she took cover in the tub in her bathroom,” he said. “The only thing she remembers is that the tornado came in from the southwest across her home. At that point the whole backside of her house was sheared off. Her bath tub was ripped out of her bathroom and she ended up still in her tub in some woods near her home.”

Hansford said he didn’t know exactly how far the women, who he estimated to be in her 60s, was thrown. Except for some cuts and bruises, “she was uninjured but emotionally shaken,” he said, adding that her house was totaled

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...-bathtub-and-survived/?utm_term=.c5e3d6cf73df

Albany 2-year-old still missing following Sunday's storm


http://www.wctv.tv/content/news/Albany-2-year-old-missing-following-Sundays-storm-411654565.html

The search continues for a missing 2-year-old boy in Albany.Detrez Green has been missing since a tornado hit his family's home Sunday afternoon.

Wednesday, crews continued their search of the surrounding areas.

Officials say a cadaver dog gave a positive signal near a nearby lake.

Crews are now working to drain the lake and expand their search area.

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Thanks Jax49. I still was hoping they might find the 2 yr. old. Does not look good thar he could has survived.

The bathtub lady was a nice one to read. I imagine it was terrifying for her, but how lucky she was.

Starting to wonder about the 2 year old "story" - hope we don't end up transferring details from this thread to the missing thread. Or perhaps we should?

Spellbound said:

oceanblueeyes, I have also wondered about the time it took to notify authorities the little boy was missing. But I finally found this explanation (which may or may not be totally accurate, but is understandable)

Byrd said the family's power was out and they were unable to tell authorities the child was missing until they arrived at a relative's home on Sunday evening.
"Our teams have been working since Sunday to find the child," she said. "We have a massive search out there today."

http://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/georgia-2-year-old-missing-after-storms-kill-20-across-n711446

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Thank you so much for this update. I did read this morning that the cadaver dogs have finally alerted to a scent close to a nearby lake and it stated the lake/pond is being drained so they can thoroughly search that area. He very well could have been caught up inside of the tornado itself and his little body fell close by or in the lake.

I hope its not a false positive because I am sure pets were outside when the tornado struck and may have been killed and are also in the pond.

We should know something soon if he is there.

I also read that 50% of the population in the surrounding Albany/Dougherty County area has been affected by the tornado. Thousands are still unable to return to work. Our son finally got clearance to assist in the cleanup of the Marine Base but he nor others are back to working their regular jobs. Several buildings were damaged or destroyed but he said his office area was spared. They are still unable to return to normal work duties since there has to be so much cleanup done before they can return.

Please continue to pray for everyone who has been affected by these raging tornadoes. I was very upset to learn the storm on January 2nd which also caused millions of dollars in damage had not even been cleared by the Obama administration for federal assistance but now that we have a new President he has quickly expedited not only that request but the one for federal/fema assistance for the tornadoes in our state.

All week I have been going through items to give the storm victims including my husband and I purchasing many other items, such as school supplies, toothbrushes, hand soaps, hair products, pillows, toilet tissue, and blankets. We also bought several back packs and totes for the victims to put their meager belongings in. Our son and daughter in law have been collecting and purchasing items as well all week long and they have amassed a huge amount which they have been delivering everyday to the designated shelters who are either housing victims of the storm or are giving out supplies when the victims come to them.

We are in this for the long haul. So much damage and displaced people and many who are out of work. This will have to be done by those in our communities for months to come.

I pray they find the little boy today and I also read that 6 in total are still missing. I am guessing this includes the little boy.

IMO

I do appreciate the updates by those from the affected area, esp. oceanblueeyes and jax49.

Before you all informed us, I did not know the cleanup had not been completed from an earlier storm. I think it is even more horrible for those with missing loved ones. The not-knowing tears you up, wondering all the things your mind can imagine.

Oceanblueeyes, I believe cadaver dogs are able to distinguish human bodies from animals. I hope they find whoever the dogs scent picked up.

As far as I know they still haven't found the little two year old boy.

Our daughter-in-law has been delivering items all week and she came by this afternoon to get all of the items from us and will deliver them in the morning to one of the places on the list given by the Albany officials.

This has not been confirmed so just take it with a grain of salt for now. Although one article on CNN did say that at least 6 people are missing as if to imply there could be more than that.

When she was out today making the deliveries she spoke with several first responders and a nurse who were called out Sunday evening in the area where the tornado had struck. She said they told her there are many more people deceased and one said they saw at least 10-15 body bags with victims in it.

The responders working the scene have called in those who speak Spanish since many Hispanics lived in some of the trailer parks that were hardest hit. One lady told her that in one home in the trailer park there had at least 7 Hispanics living in it and that mobile home is no longer there as if it never existed and in another mobile home close by that is no longer there either it also had several Hispanics living in it. So they are having a hard time finding out who these people are. Some may be illegals so that makes it even harder to identify them so their families can be notified if they are indeed deceased.

Some of the Marine Base personnel has been told to report for duty/work on Monday.

Spellbound said:

I do appreciate the updates by those from the affected area, esp. oceanblueeyes and jax49.

Before you all informed us, I did not know the cleanup had not been completed from an earlier storm. I think it is even more horrible for those with missing loved ones. The not-knowing tears you up, wondering all the things your mind can imagine.

Oceanblueeyes, I believe cadaver dogs are able to distinguish human bodies from animals. I hope they find whoever the dogs scent picked up.

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Yes, they are suppose to be able to hone in on human remains only but sometimes according to the environment they are dealing with it can produce false positive sometimes. I have no doubt that many children lived in these parks and even dirty diapers that gets thrown everywhere can lead the dogs to think they have found human remains.

However; I hope and pray the alert is genuine, and he will be found. I would have thought they would have found him by now if he is in the water since the pond isn't that large at all.

IMO

Friday afternoon, crews called off search for missing child.
They have turned the case over to the police.

http://www.foxnews.com/us/2017/01/2...gia-toddler-reported-missing-after-storm.html

[h=1]Rescue teams have completed search for missing 2-year-old Albany boy[/h][h=2]Search and rescue mission to be treated as missing person case by Dougherty County Police[/h]
http://www.albanyherald.com/news/lo...cle_43cf98ba-f54c-5f48-8513-7b193cd52ea7.html

“When we brought in the Georgia Search and Rescue Team, our portion of this is to search every possible place we can and exhaust all those resources and make a determination of where the missing person may be,” he said. “We have had over 200 people in the area. We have cleared an area to ground level and below at least 150 yards away from the site. We’ve drained a pond to where you could walk through it. We have put dive teams in other sections of it. We have been a mile and a half downstream. We have been hundreds of yards past this pond area. We’ve literally cleared the ground to dirt."

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She added that there still was no photograph of the 2-year-old boy available.

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Good evening everyone!

I went into some of the hardest hit areas Friday for the first time when delivering items to several churches in the area for the victims. It is like a bomb went off. Such utter and total destruction. The photos online and on news channels cant begin to show how horrible it truly is. The weather people said it was a F-3 tornado with winds of 150 MPH. The tornado that hit Albany was a mile and a half wide and went on for over 70 miles damaging five counties. Another victim from Albany has died (Pat Gohman-77 years of age) who sustained severe head trauma when a tree fell on her home.

When we were at the different churches rumors were flying about the two year old missing child. I couldn't find one person who doesn't think something is off and they said they have thought that since the very beginning. In today's time I don't know of one person who doesn't have photos of their little child yet the police made sure to state there are NO photos of this little boy. That is why there has been no photos of him and they were hoping if they had his photo someone would have remembered seeing him. Even if the parents phones were lost surely he has other family like grandparents/aunts who would have photos of him. I have even been thinking again about the 6 hour delay in reporting him missing and that still bothers me too. The parents were right there in the MHP when the first responders arrived so them saying they had no power in order to call LE makes no sense to me since they were physically there in person and would be able to make verbal contact with the first responders who were there shortly after the tornado was over. Also one of the first responders told us they saw this boy's father taking photos with his smartphone of them searching for his child. So why isn't there photos on his smartphone of his little boy?

I have a sad sinking feeling he will never be found because I am not even convinced he was 'swept away.' I am glad though his case has been turned over to the Dougherty County PD.

Its just in terrible times like this some try to do scams hoping accounts will be setup. We are already having some scammers who are taking the items given to them by the community and are selling them on the street instead. One lady told us her home was damaged in the first storm back on the 2nd and she has tried to have someone stay there at home when she is out but the other day she couldn't find anyone to house sit She said she left for two hours last week to take items to the tornado victims and when she returned her house it had been ransacked and her large tv and computer was stolen. Plus there are many posing as licensed contractors who are really con artists. The police is trying to stay on top of it the best they can but there is such an overwhelming need for them that people are making the mistake of going with the first one who says they can do the work right then.

Another thing that is odd about the little missing boy is other than his parents no one from the community that I have seen has come out and said they know the little boy and saw him often at the MHP.

I did figure the cadaver dog alert would be a false positive due to all of the raw sewage in the area he supposedly went missing from.

I just hope and pray the police can get to the bottom of it and find the little boy one way or the other. Its heartbreaking to even think about but its reality. If he was in the debris field area the first thing the police would look for is vultures circling in the area over a particular spot. Evidently there has been no congregation of buzzards in this area. The search and recovery helicopter pilots who have flown over these areas numerous times looking for him were also looking for any sightings of vultures circling. It is even a better indicator of something or someone who is deceased than the cadaver dogs since they were having to work in a terrible environment that often it becomes confusing for them.

Please continue to pray for our communities. It will take us years in some areas to ever overcome this. Of course many in the south are superstitious and believe things come in threes. Hopefully that will not come true in this instance because I don't think these areas would ever overcome if another tornado like this one hit this spring or summer which is really our peak time for tornadoes.

Nilo Plantation owned by Olin Industries owns a huge plantation in Doughtery County and they have over 1000 acres of pines which were brought down by the tornado.

The Marine Base have had federal contracting crews from many states which have come in to restore power and some of the personnel, both civilian and military, will be able to return to work on Monday. They are going to bring in temporary buildings until the others can be built back.

This is the latest update:
Tornado Update: Some staggering facts updated yesterday by the Emergency Management Director, Ron Rowe, . 1,000 Acres of pines down at Nilo Plantation, They have divided the County into 3 Sections for reporting purposes. Section B which includes Radium Springs Area.. These totals are hard to comprehend.. 307 homes totally destroyed..220 with major damage and 46 with minor damage..

A miracle the death total is not much higher. Another storm victim died yesterday,,bringing the total to 5, not including the 2 yr old child still missing.

The facts about the tornado are being updated also. The tornado that started at the Baker/Dougherty Line..Was 1.50 miles wide..Speeds of 150 mph and was on the ground for 70- 75 miles and travelled through 5 counties.

Yesterday President Trump signed the papers declaring the area a Federal Disaster Area ,so that will bring much needed help and resources to the area.

TIde's "Loads of Hope" arrived in town last night..to help wash clothes for folks.. Verizon is setting up "charging stations" around and Mediacom has set up several wifi "hot spots" Im sure the national media has moved on to "new" stories but thought those of you out of the area would appreciate the update ,,, Pray for Albany and South Ga,.,,

A tornado also hit Clay and Calhoun County Sunday afternoon and of course the horrible tragedy in Adel that killed many more than the Albany tornado.. (it hit an occupied trailer park)

A news reporter interviewed a man in Georgia yesterday or the day before. He survived the flooding here in Louisiana last March, but lost everything he owned. Afterward, he decided to move to Georgia, and lost his home to a tornado last week.

I believe he was chosen for an interview because of his amazing attitude. Sometimes, a person will put on a good face even though they're torn up inside. This gentleman seemed sincere in his attitude, taking it all in stride. He said he was ready to move forward and wait for the next big event in his life. He hopes it's the Powerball. lol.

I've been feeling so bad for those poor folks, it did me good to see that at least one man could find the means to smile.

Oceanblueeyes, I definitely appreciate your informative updates. Life goes on somewhat calmly for those of us so far away. Without your reports, I would have very little knowledge of the disastrous effects these tornadoes have left. So please continue sharing when you can.

Is there a possibility that there was never a "lost 2 year old", perhaps he never existed? If so, I am sure LE will uncover that. If he is out there, I pray his little body is found.

This is the first time I have heard of the "Tide- Loads of Hope" and charging stations. Small comforts, perhaps, but very appreciated.

thanks again, OBE.

Spellbound said:

(rsbm)

This is the first time I have heard of the "Tide- Loads of Hope" and charging stations. Small comforts, perhaps, but very appreciated.

thanks again, OBE.

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They've been around for a while, Spellbound, at least since 2005. My son volunteered at the Tide station here in New Orleans after Katrina.

Imagine hundreds or thousands of people cleaning up properties, and working in the muck and heat. Many staying in motels, or piled up in tiny FEMA trailers. Those Tide stations were sorely needed, as they are now in Georgia.

The same for the charging stations in areas without electricity, and everyone trying to stay in contact with loved ones, and their insurance companies. Such a nightmare.

OBE, I also appreciate your updates very much. Thank you for taking the time to write them.

Does anyone know why this kid doesn't have his own missing thread yet? How would we go about getting a thread started. This poor baby seems to have just dropped off the face of the earth!! There has been no mention of him in the news or media since Friday.

bessie said:

They've been around for a while, Spellbound, at least since 2005. My son volunteered at the Tide station here in New Orleans after Katrina.

Imagine hundreds or thousands of people cleaning up properties, and working in the muck and heat. Many staying in motels, or piled up in tiny FEMA trailers. Those Tide stations were sorely needed, as they are now in Georgia.

The same for the charging stations in areas without electricity, and everyone trying to stay in contact with loved ones, and their insurance companies. Such a nightmare.

OBE, I also appreciate your updates very much. Thank you for taking the time to write them.

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This was new to me and I had to go look it up for more info. Unfortunately, there are no donation sites near me for "gently used clothing", but this is definitely a great project. Bless your son for volunteering with them after Katrina, bessie.

Tides Loads of Hope http://tide.com/en-us/about-tide/loads-of-hope/about-loads-of-hope

Gardenista said:

A woman flew through a tornado in a bathtub and survived

“She heard the tornado warning come out and she took cover in the tub in her bathroom,” he said. “The only thing she remembers is that the tornado came in from the southwest across her home. At that point the whole backside of her house was sheared off. Her bath tub was ripped out of her bathroom and she ended up still in her tub in some woods near her home.”

Hansford said he didn’t know exactly how far the women, who he estimated to be in her 60s, was thrown. Except for some cuts and bruises, “she was uninjured but emotionally shaken,” he said, adding that her house was totaled

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...-bathtub-and-survived/?utm_term=.c5e3d6cf73df

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saw an update to this story: 75 year old woman and her son took refuge in their bathtub when it lifted straight up, spun round and round, then set them down.



A second or two later, they were outside on the ground, sprawled 20 feet away from each other. Rickey Williams said he crawled to his mother, lay across her body to protect her from swirling debris, and asked if she was alive.

“Yes, but I can’t breathe because you’re suffocating me,” he said she told him.

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry... software&utm_term=bathtub ride in a tornado&

I knew there wasn't something right about the parent's story of their little two year old boy who is STILL missing. Evidentally the police didnt buy their story either. The state GBI is now involved in the investigation. I just got this alert in my emails.

GBI searches former home of parents of missing Dougherty Co. child

The GBI is assisting the Dougherty County Police with the missing person's investigation of Detraz Green, 2.

Officials with the GBI and the Ashburn Police Department were on the scene of a home in Ashburn on Pineknot Road on Tuesday.

According to JT Ricketson with the GBI, this is the former home of Green's parents.

Green was reported missing during the January 22 tornadoes in Dougherty County.

Search and rescue worked for four days to find Green, but the case was transferred to DCP as a missing person's investigation on Friday, January 27th.

The Ashburn Police chief confirmed that the Tri-County SWAT team was called to the home in 2014 for domestic violence.

www.walbtv.com

I pray they find out what really happened to this little boy. For all we know they could have harmed him before the tornado even hit and thought this was the perfect way to get away with it.

If they themselves have harmed him I hope they both rot in hell. They put the first responders and searchers through hell as they went through all of this twisted devastation for days on end trying to find him. And the community all came together to support these parents and if they are the ones who actually harmed him and that is why he is missing they betrayed everyone.

OBE, do you have a link to the article with this info on the missing 2 year old? The link in your post does not work. [never mind ... I found it using the title of the article you posted. http://www.walb.com/story/34391995/gbi-searches-former-home-of-parents-of-missing-dougherty-co-child ]

I think some of us were also beginning to wonder if the story was true. Do we know for sure they even had a 2 year old in their family? I suppose they do, since a name was given. But If they lied about that in order to get assistance of some sort I would be mighty upset, but I would feel better than what I am actually worried may have happened.

Do we want to start a separate thread for the missing youngster, Detraz Green?