<p>Bamamom: Thanks for checking in! I was thinking about you last night and wondering how you fared. Enjoy the art show :)</p>
<p>Can anyone give an update on the Batsons, the Sharpes, and our locals that post on CC? Are their homes and families all OK? It is personal enough just having been down a couple of times, and communicating with everyone on several occasions that I am actually losing sleep over it. </p>
<p>My thoughts and prayers continue to be with everyone in Alabama right now.</p>
<p>RobD -
talking to Mitch this morning - he was getting a bit antsy having packed by flashlight last night. While we were on phone the power came on (in Ridgecrest West). At least that’s something. Looks at this point like he has his storage unit and ride home issues solved.
Thanks to everyone here who has offered help and solutions… I don’t think people can really get what an awesome community this is. Like during the winter storm, won’t settle down until we know all our kids and families who were fortunate enough to get through this are safe. Roll Tide!</p>
<p>Nicollec: My son received word yesterday that the Batsons and Sharpes are fine. Their homes were without power at that time, but they were able to get messages to the students to reassure them that they were all right.</p>
<p>AL34: When my son calls later, I’ll let him know that Ridgecrest West has power. He and his roommate have plans to return to campus today to start packing away their things.</p>
<p>The shuttle is running three times a day and is free. Just call they are nice and helpful. My son is leaving on the 1 pm shuttle Tuesday and getting a 5pm flight. The storage unit is running and thanks to this forum my son has a ride to the facility. His roommate is taking him to Target today to get more boxes and food…ah I can rest! Can’t wait to see him on Tuesday! I feel peaceful.</p>
<p>nicollec, I was also wondering about the profs and their families (and all other UA associates who live off-campus). Does anyone know whether UA profs and staffers are all OK?</p>
<p>Twitter feed/latest news from UA [Twitter[/url</a>]</p>
<p>Also;
A UA student fatality identified: [url=<a href=“http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/dallas/headlines/20110428-dallas-students-life-of-promise-is-ended-by-ferocious-tornado-.ece]Dallas”>http://www.dallasnews.com/news/community-news/dallas/headlines/20110428-dallas-students-life-of-promise-is-ended-by-ferocious-tornado-.ece]Dallas</a> student?s life of promise is ended by ferocious tornado | Dallas-Fort Worth Communities - News for Dallas, Texas - The Dallas Morning News](<a href=“http://twitter.com/#!/TheCrimsonWhite]Twitter[/url”>http://twitter.com/#!/TheCrimsonWhite)</p>
<p>^^Such a sad story. She sounds like a wonderful girl. To compound the sadness, she is the third Phi Mu who has died since the school year started last August. I can’t even imagine what those girls are going through.</p>
<p>I saw that story about the girl from Dallas in our morning paper here in dallas…very sad. I feel for all of the folks who have gone through this …</p>
<p>This is a horrible life changing event for so many people, but I can’t help but look ahead just a little bit, a few months from now, as many of our kid’s either return to UA in the fall or arrive there in the fall as freshman…what i see is those kid’s and the university playing a big role in helping rebuild the community…helping others will be such an ingrained part of their lives while at Alabama that they will carry that with them and build on it for the rest of their lives…</p>
<p>Some good comes out of things like this…yet right now it is tragic.</p>
<p>God bless the kids and the people of Tuscaloosa…</p>
<p>helping others will be such an ingrained part of their lives while at Alabama that they will carry that with them and build on it for the rest of their lives…</p>
<p>I have this feeling too!</p>
<p>Is Habitat for Humanity very active in Tuscaloosa? That would be a very obvious way for the kids to help!</p>
<p>The young woman (Ashley Harrison) who perished in the story above was the girlfriend of Alabama football player Carson Tinker. </p>
<p>Carson was the only football player hurt in the storm with a broken wrist and some bruises and such. He was with Ashley in the closet when the storm hit. Reportedly he was thrown 50 yards in the air but miraculously escaped with only the injuries. Ashley was reportedly found almost 100 yards from where the house stood originally. </p>
<p>My heart goes out to her family as I cannot imagine the sorrow they are feeling now. Same with the family of Loryn Brown and all the other families and friends of students who perished in the storm. May God bless all of you at this time.</p>
<p>[Eight</a> student deaths confirmed | The Crimson White](<a href=“YouA moves from Youtube – The Crimson White”>YouA moves from Youtube – The Crimson White)</p>
<p>Some reports as high as 15;<br>
<a href=“http://twitter.com/#!/TheCrimsonWhite/statuses/64019216445091841[/url]”>http://twitter.com/#!/TheCrimsonWhite/statuses/64019216445091841</a></p>
<p>As of approximately noon Friday, The Crimson White has confirmed at least eight student deaths. While we do have a list of the deceased students, some families have requested that we keep their names private until they have had time to contact friends and extended family members. When it becomes appropriate, we will publish those names.</p>
<p>The names we can publish currently are Melanie Nicole Mixon, Marcus Smith, Danielle Downs, Ashley Harrison and Loryn Brown of the University of Alabama and Will Stevens of Stillman College.</p>
<p>If you have any information about memorial services or if you would like to be quoted about any of the students listed, email <a href="mailto:uamissing@gmail.com">uamissing@gmail.com</a>. Additionally, if you have information about a student who is believed to be deceased or missing and they are not included in this list, email the address above. The Crimson White will tweet updates as they become available.</p>
<p>In the T-town paper today there is a list of many people that were missing as of yesterday. Don’t know how many have been found. </p>
<p>We walked the devastated area yesterday on 15th Street, the lake south of 15th (behind Midtown Village), and on McFarland.</p>
<p>Full Moon is gone…down to mere rubble…nothing standing. A favorite Japanese restaurant on 15th is gone (Hokkaido), along with other businesses and homes.</p>
<p>The homes/apts around the lake are just devastated…either down to rubble or just too destroyed to make them habitable again.</p>
<p>I am very moved by the Spirit in T-town. People are amazingly upbeat and all working hard to get things cleared. People are BBQing food and passing it out to workers and passersby. I’m surprised at how many pieces of heavy equipment were here by yesterday afternoon. </p>
<p>SEA_Tide, I think I saw you last night at Zaxby’s. :)</p>
<p>Here’s a couple pics of the path the tornado took through town. It went southwest to northeast. For those not real familiar with T’town the upper right hand part of the pics is University Mall and the upper left is DCH hospital and the new College of Nursing building. </p>
<p><a href=“http://i54.■■■■■■■.com/2j5j335.jpg[/url]”>http://i54.■■■■■■■.com/2j5j335.jpg</a></p>
![http://i54.■■■■■■■.com/2j5j335.jpg[/url]](http://i54.tinypic.com/2j5j335.jpg%5B/url%5D){kind=link}
<p><a href=“http://i51.■■■■■■■.com/2vsjh3q.jpg[/url]”>http://i51.■■■■■■■.com/2vsjh3q.jpg</a></p>
![http://i51.■■■■■■■.com/2vsjh3q.jpg[/url]](http://i51.tinypic.com/2vsjh3q.jpg%5B/url%5D){kind=link}
<p>
You probably did. It was actually my first time eating there.</p>
<p>I will again say how impressed and honored I feel to have such a quick, focused, and huge response to this tragedy. Thank y’all so much for helping those in need.</p>
<p>These past few days have reaffirmed my belief that I attend the best university in the country.</p>
<p>“Someone asked about the Pulaski Pike area? As far as I know, that area is okay. The hardest hit in Madison County was Harvest. especially the Anderson Hills Subdivision.”</p>
<p>BamaMomof3, thank you!"'</p>
<p>“He was with Ashley in the closet when the storm hit. Reportedly he was thrown 50 yards in the air but miraculously escaped with only the injuries. Ashley was reportedly found almost 100 yards from where the house stood originally.”</p>
<p>Trying hard not to imagine that.</p>
<p>Shrinkrap~ you are very welcome. All my information is from the local news station since I live about 10miles west of that area. But based on the streets listed by the news station, the path of the worst tornado should have been north of them. Here is the article I found: [Alabama</a> Tornadoes: More Than 40 Die In North Alabama Tornadoes, Several People Still Missing - WHNT](<a href=“404 - Page Not Found | WHNT.com”>404 - Page Not Found | WHNT.com)</p>
<p>The Tuscaloosa mayor was just on Anderson Copper 360 and he released that there are 39 people dead and 446 people missing in Tuscaloosa. My heart is breaking and I feel so helpless.</p>
<p>Speaking to our kids and seeing them are definitely two different things: just saw my son on our local FOX5 newscast. They were doing a news piece on the devastation in Tuscaloosa and did a Skype interview with him as a local family interest. It was very short but since today is his birthday, it was so good to see his face.</p>
<p>RTR!!</p>
<p>We can’t see the news because son has Comcast and it’s not working.</p>
<p>I dont’ know if this has been mentioned…but it was first reported that the new Outdoor Amphitheater was destroyed, but we went there today and it was untouched.</p>