Phil Campbell Tornado Footage (04/27/2011) 

Three years since this awful day. This particular tornado hit Phil Campbell and Hackleburg very hard. It later missed my house by about 1/2 mile. I had debris landing in my yard from as far away as Smithville, MS. Be vigilant and prepare folks. It could save a life.

not to be funny but man his heart must of been beating so fast you could probably hear it beating from standing 5 feet away but man I hope everyone is ok

This is the town i grew up in.. Lost family and friends.. Thanks wayne for the video! Good job

About a mile wide. It reached its peak width of 1.25 mile just a few miles northeast of Phil Campbell, near the Oak Grove community.

The reason you don't hear sirens is because I believe by the time this tornado went through Phil Campbell the sirens were down. Both of the tornadoes that hit Phil Campbell tracked here to us at Decatur. We really dodged a bullet. The sirens became disabled after about 4 tornadoes. We had police here running sirens and using bullhorns to warn us.

Its scary to watch this and realize that while this is being filmed people are dieing. May God be with the people affected by this horrific event!

@thecompanycar The new FEMA text messaging system won't replace sirens either, but it will enhance an overall public warning system. When it comes to emergencies including tornadoes, you have to get the signal out to as many people as possible, meeting them where they are at. This means indoors, outdoors and perhaps in your pocket.

Please do upload the HD. My heart was racing just watching this. I too took a direct hit by a tornado many years ago. It was terrifying. God bless you all.

@mws755 I noticed this sound also, but it's not a scream. I believe it is the wind sucking out of the building at a VERY high speed. Scary...

God bless the Phil Campbell police department.

You can hear the roar at around 00:30.

Hey! Thanks for sharing this footage. We have been praying for those of you in Phil Campbell. What an experience! Hoping you can find some peace in your chaos.

1:29 WHOA!!

Why were there no sirens blasting?

Is that someone screaming at around 1:18 ?

Did he say 'i got rotation comin thru the film camera right now'? I kept going back but couldnt tell if it was 'film camera'...as in a country term, and no worries im country... or did he say something else? I love country slang, funny as "all get out" lmao. Anyone know?

@876234ABC We have Reverse 911 where I live. It's pathetic. We have roughly 160,000 residents in my county and it takes about 2 1/2 to 3 hours to reach everybody for a tornado warning that lasts normally 45 minutes. No technology replaces sirens. The best warning system consists of NOAA weather radios and outdoor warning sirens.

@876234ABC After a disaster of this magnitude what makes you think that will still work also? Reverse911 is not all it's cracked up to be.

@thecompanycar I saw that TEXT article too. Hope they get that in place sooner rather than later!

@Blue10AEMia Well, the idea is for the calls to go out BEFORE the tornado hits, but I see "thecompanycar's" point about the system being ponderous and not terribly agile in terms of response. If there were a way to make the system capable of calling a thousand or more people simultaneously, it might do.

This is my home even though I moved to Tuscaloosa 25 years ago. No better place on earth to grow up its where I have cherished memories of school, church, family and close friends I have for life. A heavy heart guided me home this weekend and will go back every chance I get. This little town lost some good people. This hurts. John 13:7 New International Version (©1984) Jesus replied, "You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand." Bobcat for Life

Rhett,is that a 1003 at 2:50?

@princesseq The PD should apply to the federal gov't for a grant to install a reverse 911 system if they can't count on sirens.

@rhett443 Ya know,i just noticed what look like the controls and the blower box.

Anyone know how wide this monster was when it hit Phil Campbell?

You were lucky, It wasn't at full strength yet I don't think. Otherwise you wouldn't have had any standing structures AT ALL.

@davidrwoods power probably out, it happened in Athens

Looks better than Hackleburg we have nothing.

@thecompanycar Yeah, I suppose you're right. I guess the person who invents a decent Reverse 911 system that can call every number at the same time will make a fortune!